Coriander leaves: Beyond the irresistible flavour

(Credit: Sauda Nabatanzi)

HEALTH

You have all probably seen small green leafy vegetables in either salads or sauces, mostly the meaty type like fish, chicken and beef.

It's the coriander leaves we are talking about here.

Olivia Nalugwa, a mother of two, says she never misses out on coriander in any of her meals because of the desirable aroma and taste they add.

"Most of us Africans consume coriander for its aroma but our counterparts  in Asia and elsewhere in the world go further than that and use it for medicinal purposes ," says Bossa Nandala, nutritionist in Kampala.

Coriander leaves have detoxifying, disinfectant and antifungal properties that help to better the immune system of the body in a number of ways.

Nandala says these properties make coriander ideal when dealing with skin inflammation and disorders like eczema, dryness and fungal infections.

With these properties, it flushes out the unsafe fungi and bacteria from the human system.

Fridausi Ibrahim, a beautician in Kabalagala, says blending coriander leaves together with cucumber, oatmeal and milk in specified amounts makes one of the best facial masks for skin treatment.

According to Ian Ssembusi, a vegetable vendor at Nakasero market, coriander has no particular season; it grows throughout the year though it highly depends on how much it rains or shines in a particular season.

In case of extreme weather, it will rot away because it requires moderate weather to grow well.

Ssembusi says coriander does well in rich dark soils and it takes about a month from the time of planting to start harvesting.

Currently, a big bundle is between sh6, 000 and sh8, 000 where for small-scale, buyers a bunch ranges between shs1, 000 and sh1, 500.