CHAP. XII 
CORIANDER, ETC. 
385 
under the name of Kustumburu. It is also mentioned 
in the Bible as resembling the manna (Exodus and 
Numbers). It is mentioned, too, by Cato in the third 
century, and Pliny states that the best came in his time 
from Egypt. It has been cultivated to a larger or 
smaller extent in Europe, North Africa, and India ever 
since. 
The name Coriander is derived from the Greek 
Coris, a bug, from its odour. In England, the farmers 
formerly called it Col. 
In India it is Dhanya, in Hindu, Danga (Nepal), 
Kuzharah, Kurhuzah (Arabic), Kotamalli (Tamil), 
Naunau (Burma), Jintan (Malay). 
USES 
Coriander, as a spice, forms an important ingredient 
in curry powder, and there is a very large trade in it 
in the East. It is also used in confectionery, and in 
flavouring gin and other spirits. 
In medicine, it is carminative and stimulant, and used 
in dyspepsia and colic by natives, and also in veterinary 
medicine. Its chief part in European medicine is to 
disguise the taste of unpleasant drugs, and it is used as 
a constituent of syrup of senna among other medicines. 
The leaves are used by the Chinese cooks in Singa- 
pore and elsewhere for flavouring soups, and as a 
sumbul in curries. 
The oil is obtained by crushing the fruits between 
rollers and distilling with water. It is pale yellow or 
colourless. The fruits chiefly used are from Eussia, 
Moravia, and Thuringia. These give *08 to 1 per cent 
of oil. The oil must be obtained from ripe fruit, or it 
has an unpleasant bug-like taste and smell. 
The exhausted and dried fruit, after extracting the 
oil, is used as a cattle food ( Volatile Oils, Gildemeister 
and Hoffmann). 
2 c 
