3. Antispasmodic
Coriander seed has antispasmodic properties, which is good news for a cough or irritable bowel syndrome. (7, 8) Used in folk medicine to treat insomnia, coriander reduces anxiety, relaxes muscles, and has a sedative effect. (9)
4. Improves Gas Pain
Everyone has the occasional bout of flatulence.
While chewing on an antacid may help calm your stomach, over-use of this type of medication is far from benign.
Antispasmodic, analgesic, carminative, anti-inflammatory, and relaxing effects of coriander settle the digestion and ease the pain of gas. (10, 11)
5. Detoxifies
Phytochemicals in coriander attach themselves to toxins to pull them out of the body.
Studies involving different metal poisoning show that coriander seed oil effectively promotes their elimination from the body—these include mercury, iron, aluminum, and lead. (12)
Additionally, a wide range of antioxidants in coriander seed (including glutathione, “the master antioxidant”) reduce the negative effects of oxidative stress, arguably the source of all serious human disease. (13)
The antioxidant compounds in coriander are so potent, in fact, that this spice provides protection from:
- neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s (14)
- kidney and pancreas dysfunction (15)
- food poisoning (16)
- cancer (17)