Dr. Arun Waman Apte

Mint or pudina is a herb that is synonymous to freshness. Use it for seasoning your salad, adding it to your cup of tea or grind it finely to cook 'pudina ki chutney', mint can bring that extra zing and unique flavour to almost anything you cook, making you salivate every single time. But apart from its dressing and seasoning value for various recipes you cook, you should also know the numerous health benefits it offers.

Health benefits of Coriander

Skin disorders:

The disinfectant, detoxifying, antiseptic, antifungal and antioxidant properties of coriander are ideal for clearing up skin disorders such as eczema, dryness and fungal infections.

Low cholesterol levels:

 Some of the acids present in coriander, like linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin c) are very effective in reducing the cholesterol levels in the blood. They also reduce the level of bad cholesterol (ldl) deposition along the inner walls of the arteries and veins, which can lead to serious cardiovascular issues like artherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. More importantly, coriander helps to raise the levels of healthy cholesterol (hdl), which works as a preventative line of defense against a number of dangerous conditions.

Mouth ulcers:

Citronelol, a component of essential oils in coriander, is an excellent antiseptic. Additionally, other components have antimicrobial and healing effects which keep wounds and ulcers in the mouth from worsening. They help speed up the healing process of ulcers and also freshen breath. Although not in common use in mainstream products, coriander is often used as an antiseptic component of all-natural toothpastes. In fact, before the invention of toothpaste, people would chew on coriander seeds to reduce bad breath.