Health Benefits Of Cilantro (Coriander)

Cilantro, otherwise known as coriander, is a herb commonly used in hundreds of dishes across cultures worldwide. It can be a flavorful part of curries, salads, and soups. Some individuals even use cilantro as a garnish on mashed potatoes, steaks, and other dishes. Culturally in the United States, cilantro is the term for the leaves of the plant, while coriander refers to the seeds.

This plant has a wide variety of nutritional benefits thanks to its many health-boosting compounds. Individuals will often try organic cilantro or coriander seeds as natural remedies for various conditions. Cilantro may help as a natural treatment for high blood sugar as well as a high cholesterol treatment. Of course, individuals will benefit from understanding the full variety of cilantro health benefits.

Lowers Blood Sugar

Coriander seeds and cilantro have both been shown to have some effect on an individual's blood sugar. Namely, they may be able to moderately reduce their blood sugar. This is true even in individuals who do not have diabetes or prediabetes. Some foods can protect diabetes patients against blood sugar spikes by slowing the amount of sugar released into the blood over time. However, cilantro works differently. Rather than affecting the speed of digestion, the cilantro plant is thought to increase the body's production of enzymes that remove blood sugar.

In an animal study, the animals that had a dietary supplement of coriander seeds were also shown to have significantly lower blood sugar. Another animal study indicated in animals with diabetes, the leaves of the cilantro plant had nearly the same efficacy at blood sugar reduction as prescription diabetes medication. However, there have not been many conclusive human studies done to date. More research needs to be compiled and published regarding human participants before a definitive statement can be made regarding the efficacy of cilantro on blood sugar management.

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May Lower Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

Cilantro has a positive effect on several risk factors for heart disease. Consuming cilantro can positively affect the cardiovascular system so much that it may reduce an individual's risk of developing heart disease or worsening heart disease that already exists. More research needs to be done, but the preliminary findings have been promising. One of these areas is in cilantro's ability to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is the 'bad' type of cholesterol found in the blood.

In the same study that showed cilantro lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the plant also appeared to increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is more commonly known as the 'good' cholesterol in the blood. However, this study has only been done on rats, so more research needs to be done to determine if these findings can be replicated in humans. These preliminary findings do indicate that there are reasons coriander seeds have traditionally been used to treat cardiovascular illness.

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