Amazing Health Benefits of Cilantro – The Mega Benefits of Eating Fresh Cilantro (Paasta)

Recently I noticed I began to use cilantro at unprecedented levels in my cooking and had decided to look cilantro up on the web, even though I only recently started to cook and use it in my cooking and garden four years ago but never to the extent of my recent usage amounts. I wasn’t going to search as to why I had been craving this herb, but what were its supposed effects, if any on our bodies. I was shocked to learn how great cilantro actually is for us and to our overall health.

It was only until now that I was curious what the herb was all about. And why the heck was I started to naturally crave this herb? I had to get to the bottom of this but promptly! I knew I had used it plenty of times in my ‘Oh So Famous Salsa’ recipe. But I needed to know what did cilantro do, if anything to us and our bodies. With the research I found, this article was created and I just had to share.

Nutritional breakdown of cilantro

One-fourth cup of cilantro (about 4 grams) contains 1 calorie, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs, 0 grams of protein, 2% daily value of vitamin C and 5% daily value of vitamin A. It also contains vitamin K and small amounts of folate,potassium, manganese and choline, as well as the antioxidants beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin.2

Cilantro: Health Benefits

1. Lowers Blood Pressure

Apart from lowering LDL cholesterol, one of the benefits of cilantro can also reduce hypertension by lowering blood pressure. The herb is a good source of potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese and iron as well as low in sodium. This high potassium and low sodium ratio helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Iron is vital for red blood cell production and manganese is used as a co factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

2. Blood-sugar Lowering Effects

Cilantro’s health benefits also go past helping lower LDL cholesterol, but can also reduce hypertension by lowering blood pressure! Each 100-g serving of raw cilantro leaves provides over 521 mg potassium and only 46 mg sodium (naturally occurring cell salts). Consuming a high-potassium, low-sodium diet may help you control your blood pressure. Try juicing cilantro or putting it in salads!

3. Natural Preservative

Because of its high antioxidant content, oil extracted from the leaves of cilantro has been shown to inhibit unwanted oxidation processes when added to other foods, delaying or preventing spoilage. Cilantro leaves have also been found to have an antibacterial effect against Salmonella.

4. Supports Heart Health

The dietary fiber, essential oils, vitamins and antioxidants which cilantro is rich in make it a great choice if you are wanting to promote heart health. Because of these active ingredients, cilantro can lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and even dissolve cholesterol that has already built up in the arteries, lowering the chance of cardiovascular disease.

5. Aids in Weight Loss

This herb is great for obese people as it helps in the reduction of fats and therefore, aids in weight loss.

6. Anti-bacterial and Anti-fungal Activity

Cilantro acts as a natural antiseptic and anti-fungal agent for the skin and disorders like dermatitis and eczema. This herb also has wonderful anti-bacterial properties that can be used to help improve oral health. The antimicrobial substances in cilantro help prevent and cure small pox too!

7. Soothes Anxiety

Cilantro has muscle-relaxing and sedative qualities which can help to calm your nerves and reduce the damage caused by stress; it also is high in Vitamin B, which helps soothe the mind as well.

8. Toxic Metal Cleansing

Cilantro is known for its heavy metal detoxification benefits. It has been found to remove heavy metals from the body (taken in via consumption of non-organic foods, using conventional water supplies in your home, eating fish, using deodorants, smoking cigarettes and/or being around second-hand smoke, cooking foods in aluminum cookware or aluminum foil, taking over-the-counter drugs like antacids, using vaccines, or if you have metal fillings in your teeth). Heavy metals are connected with many serious health problems including cancer, heart disease, brain deterioration, emotional problems, kidney disease, lung disease and weak bones. The chemical compounds in cilantro bind to toxic metals and loosen them from the tissues.

9. Promotes Sleep

Cilantro, being high in both magnesium and Vitamin B, can help promote restful sleep and decrease the possibility of stress-induced sleep disturbances. Magnesium also acts as a natural muscle relaxer and soothes down frazzled nerves.

10.  Digestive Aid

Cilantro leaves offer relief from indigestion problems as well as feelings of nausea. They enable the digestive tract to produce digestive enzymes as well as more digestive juices, thus preventing flatulence and settling queasy stomach (. This herb also stimulates digestion through peristaltic action. Its antioxidant properties help in promoting healthy liver function. Cilantro leaves are a good source of roughage and fibre which help in relieving gastrointestinal problems.

Cilantro: Skin Benefits

We all long for a healthy glowing skin and it is a well-known fact that skin health depends upon internal health to a great extent. Just like the rest of the body, our skin also needs proper nutrition to maintain its health and minimize skin problems. For this purpose, it is important to maintain a balanced diet. Besides, certain external factors also adversely affect our skin such as exposure to UV rays, harsh chemical treatments, prolonged illness etc. As far as cilantro is concerned, it can be beneficial in skincare as it contains certain vital nutrients and minerals that are needed for a healthy skin.

1. Treatment of Blackheads and Acne:

Cilantro juice is quite effective in getting rid of blackheads and acne . For this purpose, you can mix 1 teaspoon of cilantro juice with 1 teaspoon of lime juice. Apply it on the affected areas and leave for an hour. Wash off with warm water.

2. Good for Oily Skin:

Cilantro can absorb excess oil from your face. If you have an oily skin, you can apply cilantro juice on your face and wash off after an hour.

Using Cilantro In Your Cooking

Cilantro has a mild peppery taste, flat leaves and is similar looking to flat-leafed parsley. It is a family member of the carrot family – and as you can tell from its looks, the tops of this wonderful herb resemble that of a carrot top.

Cilantro is great as an edible garnish. If you mince it and sprinkle any dish you have before you, literally, including your breakfast eggs, you will receive its curing and healing attributes of the cilantro herb.

But I have recently resurrected its’ importance in being a main point in my daily diet. After a little research, I learned that cilantro seems to have some very interesting (and affordable) super health benefits and can be seen as a major cleaner of the body in ridding heavy metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum from one’s body.

Yes, there’s more people, cilantro is also a blood cleaner. And heck why not eat what you love and detox your body simultaneously?

It seems that for years there have been drugs available to help rid the body of the heavy metals called, ‘Chelation therapy’ [which] using chemical agents like EDTA has long been used to help remove heavy metals” but it seems as if cilantro is one of the affordable natural substances than can remove these metals naturally.

So what do you do to get this herb to assist in your healing?

Best eaten raw, but you knew that already! Some suggestions include using cilantro pesto (recipe below) over pasta, spread onto toasted Italian bread, a dollop over your cooked meat, etc. you get the idea here people! You can also add this peppery herb to cooking, from any and all rice dishes, and pastas to meat dishes.

This herb is also very affordable in fresh bunches at your grocery store. My local store has them at $1.00 for (2) two nice-sized bunches. A small handful (2 teaspoons minced) used in your salads every day for two to three weeks which is the recommended amount to have its curing properties work on your issues it seems, will have you feeling better than you have been in a long while.

Do wash your cilantro very well though. The best way is to fill a large bowl with cold water, and gently put the tops in tops down into the bowl. Stirring the end of the bunch of cilantro, swishing it around will help loosed any soil that may be on it. You can then shake dry and place it in a bad, much the same you would do wish washed lettuce.

Happy Healing Healthily in a Hurry!

As a side note though, there is one spice tin I keep simply for its name, shape of its tin and for the nostalgic purpose in reminding me of my mother’s kitchen cabinets which had more spices than any neighbor and was more organized than any kitchen cabinet I knew of then. And yes, she was a great cook and known outside the family for her parties full of fantastic homemade food. And for these reasons why I probably write so much on food besides cooking up a storm any chance I get. But I am loving my cilantro but hard, an herb she never got to learn to try. I will make sure my friends and family do not have the same experience but instead learn and more importantly add this oh-so affordable herb to their