Coriander: Magical Properties & Uses

Coriander is primarily a love and healing herb with a particular affinity for workings that require both simultaneously: the healing of relationships, the recovery of love that has been damaged, the gentle drawing together of people who have separated without resolution. Its Mars rulership gives it directness; its long association with love magic gives it heart. The seeds are ground and added to sachets for love attraction; burned as incense they are warming and sweet. In health workings coriander supports digestion and the general vitality of the body. Planted in the garden it is said to protect the house.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seeds are a well-documented carminative and digestive herb: they relieve gas, bloating, and digestive spasm. Culpeper recommended them for digestive complaints and for strengthening the stomach. They have demonstrated antimicrobial, antifungal, and mild analgesic properties in laboratory studies. They are used in Ayurvedic medicine as a cooling herb for inflammatory and digestive conditions. The seed essential oil has been studied for antimicrobial applications. They are considered safe at culinary and medicinal doses.

Aphrodite, Erzulie

Found in the tombs of pharaohs and named in the books of the Bible, coriander is among the oldest of the documented love-and-health herbs. It is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus (1550 BCE) and in Sanskrit medical texts. In the Old Testament it is used as a description for the appearance of manna: it was white like coriander seed. The seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. In Culpeper's time it was used in love philters and to improve memory. In Chinese folk tradition coriander was believed to confer immortality; in European folk magic the seeds were used in love and healing workings, and planted in the garden for household protection.