FRUCTUS CORIANDRI. 329 



an essential oil, the largest proportion of which was found by Gladstone 

 (1864-1872) to be a hydrocarbon, CTIi*^, to which he gave the name 

 Anethene. This substance has a lemon-like odour, sp. gr. S^G, and 

 boils at 172° C. It deviates a ray of polarized light strongly to the 

 right. Nietzki (1874) ascertained that there is, moreover, present 

 another hydrocarbon, C^"H'^ in a very small proportion, which boils at 

 155-160°. A third constituent of oil of dill is in all probability identi- 

 cal with carvol (see page 307) ; we prepared from the former immed- 

 iately the crystals (C^''H"0)2SH2. 



Uses — The distilled water of dill is stomachic and carminative, and 

 frequently prescribed as a vehicle for more active medicines. The seeds 

 are much used for culinaiy and medicinal purposes by the people of 

 India, but are little employed in Continental Europe. 



FRUCTUS CORIANDRI. 



Setnen Conandri ; Conander Fruits, Coriander Seeds, Corianders ; 

 F. Fimits de Coriandre ; G. Koriander. 



Botanical Origin — Coin^iThdi-um sativum L., a small glabrous, 

 annual plant, apparently indigenous to the Mediterranean and Caucasian 

 regions, not known growing wild, but now found as a cornfield weed 

 throughout the temperate parts of the Old World. It is cultivated in 

 many countries, and has thus found its way even to Paraguay. In 

 England the cultivation of coriander has long been carried on, but only 

 to a very limited extent. 



History — Coriander appears to occur in the famous Egyptian 

 papynis Ebers ; it is also mentioned, under the name of Kustumburu, 

 in early Sanskrit authors, and is also met with in the Scriptures.^ 



The plant owes its names Ko'ptoi', ^opiavvov, and E^opiavSpov, or also 

 in the middle ages, KoXidvSpov, to the offensive odour it exhales when 

 handled, and which reminds one of bugs, — in Greek Kopty. This 

 character caused it to be regarded in the middle ages as having poison- 

 ous properties,^ The ripe fruits which are entirely free from the foetid 

 smell of the growing plant, were used as a spice by the Jews and the 

 Romans, and in medicine from a very early period. Cato, who wrote 

 on agriculture in the 3rd century B.C., notices the cultivation of 

 coriander. Pliny states that the best is that of Egypt. It is of fre- 

 quent occuiTcnce in the book " De opsoniis et condimentis " of Apicius 

 Ccelius, about the 3rd century of our era. Coriander is also included 

 in the list of Charlemagne, alluded to pages 92, 98, etc. 



Coriander was well known in Britain prior to the Norman Conquest, 

 and often employed in ancient Welsh and English medicine and 

 cookery. 



Cultivation — Coriander, called by the farmers Col, is cultivated in 

 the eastern counties of England, especially in Essex. It is sometimes 

 sown with caraway, and being an annual is gathered and harvested the 

 first year, the caraway remaining in the ground. The seedling plants 

 are hoed so as to leave those that are to remain in rows 10 to 12 inches 



^ Exocl. xvi. 31 ; Num. xi. 7. - Petrus de Abbano, Tract, de Veiienis, 



V'enetiis, 1473. capp. 25. 46. 



