Cilantro Goodness from Sarma

Among the most healthful herbs, cilantro is also fragrant and delicious. At least in my opinion-most people either love it or hate it. I love it, and can't get enough of it. Add it to a shake, a green juice, or guacamole. Garnish your meal with it, throw it in a salad, a dressing, orjust munch on the stems by themselves.

Cilantro, as it is known in the United States and Mexico, also goes by the names coriander and pak chi. Also, the seeds of this plant are what we know as the spice cori¬ander, or the ground or cracked coriander seed.

Scooting by under the radar in countless mounds of pico de gallo and guacamole in this country, cilantro is, in fact, extraordinarily medicinal. Studies have shown that it's potentially twice as potent an antibacterial remedy (specifically against salmonella) as the pharmaceutical grade antibacterial you might be prescribed in a hospital if you contract salmonellis (usually from undercooked eggs or chicken). This is also probably the main reason that the incidence of salmonellis in Mexico among native Mexicans (where cilantro figures prominently in the cuisine, along with chicken) is astoundingly low compared to the incidence among visitors to Mexico. Traditional wisdom around the globe has shaped food traditions, not only with respect to taste, but also the natural science learned over time.

Cilantro is also a powerful chelator. Chelation is the process by which a substance that has a great molecular surface area and a negative ionic charge binds to and pulls out toxins, heavy metals, molds, fungi, and yeast from the body in an almost miraculous only-nature-could-think-of-this sort of way. Cilantro in your daily diet, especially for the urban dweller, may really help you shed some of those heavy metals you inhale daily. Cilantro is also quite a nice source of zinc, thiamin, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), vitamin K, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. Why take a multivitamin when you could be savoring a Cilantro-Pineapple Shake and getting all that goodness right from the source?