Essential Herbs and Spices – Cilantro

By Jack Albritton

Essential Herbs and Spices – Cilantro

by Jack Albritton

It has been a while but today we continue our series on herbs and spices with cilantro. This is a powerful herb with a taste that most either love or hate. There is not a lot of middle ground when it comes to the flavor. Many find cilantro to taste like soap or metal, but I find it to have a fresh, citrus like flavor.

Those that hate it tend to REALLY hate it. While I like it, I don’t really have strong feelings for the flavor myself. I do enjoy what it adds to some foods, but personally, I use it more for its’ health benefits.

Health Benefits

Cilantro is full of vitamins A, K, and C and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron. It is also loaded with more antioxidants than most fruits and veggies. But the main attraction of cilantro for me is its’ effectiveness in removing toxic metals. There are chemical compounds in cilantro that bind to these toxic metals and assist in removing them from the tissue.

The most common, and perhaps most dangerous of these metals, is mercury. Exposure from occupational, environmental, dental fillings and contaminated foods can lead to a level of toxicity that is extremely detrimental to the body.

High levels of mercury lead to the deterioration of neurological function, which can result in fatigue and brain fog. Having this toxic metal in the central nervous system can also compromise the immune system and cause psychological problems.

Other heavy metals include cadmium, aluminum and arsenic. Chlorella and spirulina used together with cilantro can also aid in removing these toxins from the body.

Besides being rich in vitamins and antioxidants, cilantro also contains essential oils and dietary fiber, which help to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) while increasing good cholesterol (HDL).

How to use Cilantro

There are many ways to enjoy cilantro and get its healthy benefits. It is great to add to salsa, guacamole, salads and smoothies. Although I don’t eat much cooked food myself, I know many love it added to black beans, quinoa and mixed vegetables.

My favorite way to consume cilantro is to juice it in with my lemon ginger blasts. This is a perfect way to get a nice heavy dose as it would be hard to eat that much at one time. You can also add it to your smoothies or chop it up in a salad.

If you are one of the people that aren’t crazy about the taste, the flavor doesn’t tend to come through as much with the juices and smoothies. If you really can’t deal with the taste look online for a cilantro tincture or extract.

Experiment with cilantro for yourself; see what uses you can come up with and what benefits it has for you. Adding these herbs and spices to your food will also help you to cut down on and eliminate salt, sugar and fat to flavor your food.

This in itself might just be as beneficial as the possible healing benefits of the herbs. Thanks again for following this series on essential herbs and spices and I promise it won’t be long until the next. Be well.

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