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Coriander is like some sort of Super-Herb, kicking food-borne-illness’s ass. A new Portuguese study reports that coriander oil proved “toxic to a broad range of harmful bacteria,” able to fight food poisoning and even antibiotic-resistant infections when used in foods and medicines. Coriander oil is picking up the slack where antibiotics fail us; score one nutritional/plant-based medicine, yes?
Coriander is an herb with edible leaves and seeds that has been cultivated by humans since biblical times. In the United States, we call the seeds ‘coriander’ and the leaves ‘cilantro.’ Like many spices, coriander/cilantro is high in antioxidants, which can both delay delay food from spoiling and have a potentially positive effect on human health. It is used in traditional medicine around the globe—either alone or mixed with other natural ingredients, served up in potions, powders or plain—to treat anxiety, insomnia, high-cholesterol, constipation, indigestion, acne, nausea and diabetes. And it’s also known for its anti-bacterial properties; in one 2004 study, it was found to fight food-borne salmonella. Coriander oil, made from the coriander plant’s seeds, is one of the 20 most-used essential oils in the world, and often used as a food additive, according to the Society for General Microbiology.
This new study, published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, pitted solutions containing 1.6% coriander oil against 12 bacterial strains, including infamous offenders like E. coli, salmonella, and MRSA. All showed reduced growth—and most were killed.
“The results indicate that coriander oil damages the membrane surrounding the bacterial cell,” said Fernanda Domingues, who led the study. “This disrupts the barrier between the cell and its environment and inhibits essential processes including respiration, which ultimately leads to death of the bacterial cell.”
Why is this so awesome? Because coriander oil could be used more often as a food additive to fight bacteria and prolong a food’s shelf-life without using certain chemical preservatives. It could also become “a natural alternative to antibiotics,” Domingues said, forecasting coriander oil lotions, mouth rinses and pills being used by doctors and hospitals.
