Old Remedies Combat New Bacteria: Coriander Oil

According to TIME magazine, A new study suggests that oil from the seeds of coriander — the green herb that’s more commonly known as cilantro — may be able to wipe out a broad range of harmful bacteria, including drug-resistant bugs and those that commonly cause food poisoning.

In the new study, Dr. Fernanda Domingues of the University of Beira Interior, in Portugal, and her team tested the effect of coriander oil against 12 bacterial strains in the lab, including E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Solutions containing 1.6% coriander or less killed or slowed the growth of all the bacteria tested.

The researchers think that the development of new food additives containing coriander oil could help reduce the risk of food-borne disease — which kills 5,000 Americans and causes 76 million illnesses each year — and prevent bacterial spoilage of food. They also suggest that the essential oil can be used in drugs in the form of lotions, mouth rinses and pills to help combat drug-resistant bacterial infections.

SOURCE