Coriandrum sativum
Cilantro
This magic herb was been with us long enough that it was
grown in the
Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon. It is included on the Lurianic Kabbalistic
plate for Passover as a bitter herb (Ashkenazim usually replace
the Sephardic cilantro with parsley),
symbolizing the tears of the past. Cilantro
is the leafy part of the plant that produces coriander,
but its scent is quite different. Coriander is usually considered
Mars and Fire;
the leaves of cilantro are not hot but do have a warm component, so it could be said that they partake of the same correspondence but much more mildly.
Some consider this a good herb for healing the heart chakra because
of its fresh green color and "green," herbaceous scent.
Its color also means it has been used in money magic. Top
Mundane Uses
This wonderful
herb is used not only in Mexican cooking but is also a characteristic
flavoring in Armenian, Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern dishes.
It is often combined with bean dishes from falafel to refritos, probably
because it is a digestive--and it just tastes good with them.
You can saute it with mint to add to chutneys, and chopped leaves give character
to salsas. Roots and stems are added to Thai curries. In terms of taste, it has been described
as a cross between parsley and citrus or parsley and marjoram, but
some people think it tastes soapy. Cilantro is recommended for detoxifying the body of heavy metals.
Chopped leaves can also be applied to soothe insect bites. If you would like
to preserve your cilantro for use in the winter, chop, combine with
some lemon juice to keep it green, and freeze in ice cube trays.
Then pop out the cilantro cubes and keep them in a container in
the freezer until you need to use it. Cilantro
is also known as jilantro,
Chinese parsley, and coriander leaf. Top
How to Grow Coriander
Sow directly in a sunny plot of ground from spring through summer to germinate
in 7-14 days. Space seeds 2-4in/5-10cm apart. It gets 12-18in/30-45cm
tall. This is the kind of plant you should sow in stages so that you will have fresh
leaves for harvest throughout the season. Although this variety
of cilantro was developed by natural selection to resist bolting
(flowering), eventually it will bolt, and then the leaves get too strong
to be really tasty anymore. If you keep sowing new seeds every couple
of weeks, you won't have to worry about that. Or you could just
let it go and harvest the coriander seeds from it. Leaves are ready
to pick in 55 days and coriander seeds are produced in 100
days. An annual, so collect seeds to replant the following year.
General
growing info Top
Coriandrum sativum
"Santo" Cilantro
50 seeds $3.75
Uses in Witchcraft & Magic:
Healing
Money
Spells
Mars/Fire Herb
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