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CORIANDER
Source: Coriandrum sativum L. (Family
Umbelliferae or Apiaceae).
Common/vernacularnames:Cilantro,Chinese
parsley.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Strong-smellingannual herbwitherect hollow
stem,uptoabout1 mhigh;nativetoEuropeand
Western Asia; naturalized in North America;
widely cultivated. Parts used are the dried ripe
fruits (commonly called coriander seeds) and
leaves(bothfreshanddried).Anessentialoilis
obtained by steam distillation of the crushed
fruits; it is mainly produced in Europe.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
Fruits contain 0.2–2.6% (usually 0.4–1.0%)
volatile oil. The major component of the oil is
d-linalool (coriandrol), which is present in
55–74%, depending on the ripeness of the
fruits, geographical locations, and other fac-
tors.1–4Other compounds present in the oil
include decyl aldehyde,trans-tridecene-(2)-
al-(1), borneol, geraniol, geranyl acetate, cam-
phor, carvone, anethole, caryophyllene oxide,
elemol, and monoterpene hydrocarbons
(mainlyg-terpinene, anda- andb-pinene,
d-limonene,p-cymene,b-phellandrene, and
camphene, with relative proportions varying
considerably with sources).2,3,5–11
Other constituents present in fruits include
up to 26% fats made up of glycerides (primar-
ily of oleic, petroselinic and linolenic acids),
a small amount of unsaponifiable matter
(containingb-sitosterol,d-sitosterol, triacon-
tane, triacontanol, tricosanol, etc.), and
D5,6-octadecenoic acid; proteins (11–17%);
about 1.0% starch and 20% sugars; coumarins
(psoralen, angelicin, scopoletin, umbellifer-
one, etc.); flavonoid glycosides, including
quercetin-3-glucuronide, isoquercitrin, cor-
iandrinol (b-sitosterol-D-glucoside), and
rutin; tannins; chlorogenic and caffeic acids;
and others (JIANGSU;LIST AND HO ̈RHAMMER;WATT
AND MERRILL).4,8,12–16
Leaves contain less volatile oil than fruits;
about 5% fats; about 22% proteins; sugars;
coumarins and flavonoid glycosides similar to
those in fruits; chlorogenic and caffeic acids;
vitamin C; and others. Thevolatile oil contains
mainlydecylandnonylaldehydes,andlinalool,
among others (JIANGSU;WATT AND MERRILL).15,16
PHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL
ACTIVITIES
Coriander has been reported to have strong
lipolytic activity.^17 Its petroleum ether-solu-
ble fraction is reported to have antioxidative
activity when mixed with lard.^18
Coriander possesses hypoglycemic activi-
ties in experimental animals.^19
Coriander 227
