કોથમીર

**કોથમીર** (અંગ્રેજી: Coriander, હિંદી: धनिया, વૈજ્ઞાનિક નામ: *Coriandrum sativum*) એ વૈજ્ઞાનિક વર્ગીકરણ પ્રમાણે એપિએસી કુળમાં આવતી એક વર્ષાયુ વનસ્પતિનો છોડ છે. કોથમીર દક્ષિણ યુરોપ અને ઉત્તર અમેરિકાથી નૈઋત્ય એશિયાની વતની છે. કોથમીરનો છોડ મૃદુ, નાજુક, લીસ્સી ડાંડીવાળો હોય છે અને આશરે ૫૦ સે.મી.(૨૦ ઇંચ) જેટલો ઉંચો હોય છે. તેના પર્ણો વિવિધ આકારનાં, પહોળા, ચપટા પર્ણદંડ વાળા અને પીંછાકાર હોય છે. પૂષ્પો નાનાં છત્ર પૂષ્પવિન્યાસમાં ગોઠવાયેલાં હોય છે, જે મહદંશે સફેદ અને ક્યારેક આછી ગુલાબી ઝાંયવાળા, અનિયમિત તથા બે પ્રકારની પાંખડીઓ ધરાવતા હોય છે. ૧-૩ મિ.મી.ની નાની પાંખડીઓ પૂષ્પદંડ તરફ અને ૫-૬ મિ.મી. લંબાઈની પાંખડીઓ તેનાથી દૂર ફેલાયેલી હોય છે. ફળ ૩-૫ મિ.મી. નાના ગોળ દાણાનાં આકારનું અને શુષ્ક હોય છે.

## ઉપયોગો 
કોથમીરનાં છોડનાં બધાજ ભાગો ખાદ્ય છે, પરંતુ તેના લીલાં પાન અને સૂકા બીજ/ફળોનો રસોઈમાં સવિશેષ ઉપયોગ થતો આવ્યો છે. કોથમીર ભારતીય, મધ્ય એશિયા, મધ્ય પૂર્વ, ભૂમધ્ય પ્રદેશ, દક્ષિણ એશિયા, મેક્સિકો, લેટિન અમેરિકા, ચીન, આફ્રિકા અને અગ્નિ એશિયાની વાનગીઓમાં સામાન્યપણે જોવા મળે છે.

### પર્ણ 
એના પાનને વિવિધ ભાષામાં *કોરીએન્ડર લીવ્સ*, **ચાઇનીઝ પાર્સલી** અને **સીલેન્ત્રો** તરીકે ઓળખાય છે. 

કોથમીરને કુલાન્ત્રો સમજીને થાપ ન ખાવી જોઈએ. કુલાન્ત્રો(Eryngium foetidum)એ કોથમીરના કુળની નજીકનો જ પણ અન્ય છોડ છે. આ છોડના પાનનો દેખાવ જુદો હોય છે અને તેના પાન વધુ તીવ્ર સુગંધી તેલ ધરાવે છે..

દાણા કરતાંં પાંદડાનો સ્વાદ થોડો ભિન્ન હોય છે, તેમાં હલ્કી ખટાશનો અનુભવ થાય છે. અમુક લોકોને તે સ્વાદ સાબુ સમાન કે સડનને લાગતો અપ્રિય લાગે છે અને તેઓ પાંદડા વાપરતા નથી. The flavours have also been compared to those of the stink bug, and similar chemical groups are involved (aldehydes). Belief that aversion is genetically determined may arise from the known genetic variation in taste perception of the synthetic chemical phenylthiocarbamide; however, no specific link has been established between coriander and a bitter taste perception gene.  

The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many South Asian foods (particularly chutneys), in Chinese dishes and in Mexican dishes, particularly in salsa and guacamole and as a garnish. Chopped coriander leaves are a garnish on cooked dishes such as dal and curries. As heat diminishes their flavor quickly, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish immediately before serving. In Indian and Central Asian recipes, coriander leaves are used in large amounts and cooked until the flavor diminishes. The leaves spoil quickly when removed from the plant, and lose their aroma when dried or frozen.

Fresh coriander leaves, known as кинза (kinza) in Russian (from Georgian ქინძი), are often used in salads in Russia and other CIS countries.

### ફળ 
The dry fruits are known as *coriander seeds*, *coriandi seeds*, or, in South Africa, *dhania*. The word *coriander* in food preparation may refer solely to these seeds (as a spice), rather than to the plant itself. The seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed, due to terpenes linalool and pinene. It is described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavored.

It is commonly found both as whole dried seeds and in ground form. Seeds can be roasted or heated on a dry pan briefly before grinding to enhance and alter the aroma. Ground coriander seed loses flavor quickly in storage and is best ground fresh.

Coriander seed is a spice (Hindi name: धनिया *dhania*), in garam masala and Indian curries, which often employ the ground fruits in generous amounts together with cumin. It acts as a thickener. Roasted coriander seeds, called *dhana dal*, are eaten as a snack. It is the main ingredient of the two south Indian dishes: sambhar (சாம்பார்) and rasam (இரசம்). Coriander seeds are boiled with water and drunk as indigenous medicine for colds.  

Outside of Asia, coriander seed is used for pickling vegetables, and making sausages in Germany and South Africa (see boerewors). In Russia and Central Europe coriander seed is an occasional ingredient in rye bread as an alternative to caraway. Coriander seeds are used in European cuisine today, though they were more important in former centuries.

Coriander seeds are used in brewing certain styles of beer, particularly some Belgian wheat beers. The coriander seeds are used with orange peel to add a citrus character.

### મૂળ 
કોથમીરનાં મૂળમાં તેનાં પર્ણો કરતાં પણ વધુ ગહેરી અને તિવ્ર સુવાસ હોય છે. મૂળનો ઉપયોગ અનેક એશિયન વાનગીઓમાં થાય છે, મોટે ભાગે થાઈ વાનગીઓમાં, ખાસ કરીને સુપ્સ અને શાકમાં તેને વાટીને નાખવામાં આવે છે.

## ઇતિહાસ 
Coriander grows wild over a wide area of the Near East and southern Europe, prompting the comment, "It is hard to define exactly where this plant is wild and where it only recently established itself." Fifteen desiccated mericarps were found in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B level of the Nahal Hemel Cave in Israel, which may be the oldest archeological find of coriander. About half a litre of coriander mericarps were recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamun, and because this plant does not grow wild in Egypt, Zohary and Hopf interpret this find as proof that coriander was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. This appears to be confirmed by archaeological evidence from the same period: the large quantities of the species retrieved from an Early Bronze Age layer at Sitagroi in Macedonia could point to cultivation of the species at that time.

Coriander was brought to the British colonies in North America in 1670 and was one of the first spices cultivated by early settlers.

## ભળતા-સળતા અન્ય છોડ 
These herbs are used where they grow in much the same way as cilantro is used.  

* *Eryngium foetidum* has a similar taste and is also known as *culantro*. Found in South America.
* *Persicaria odorata,* is commonly called Vietnamese coriander, or ram rau.  The leaves have a similar odour and flavour to coriander.  It is a member of the Polygonaceae, or Buckwheat Family. .
* *Bolivian coriander*, or *quillquiña*, has been described as "somewhere between arugula, cilantro and rue".
* *Papaloquelite* is one common name for *Porophyllum ruderale* subsp. *macrocephalum,* a member of the Compositae or Asteraceae, the Sunflower Family.  This species is found growing wild from Texas to Argentina. .

## ઔષધિય ઉપયોગો અને સ્વાસ્થ્ય પર અસર
**ધાણા**  ધાણા એ તુરા, સહજ, તીખા, કડવા, મધુરુ , સ્વાદિશ્ટ, સુગ્નધિત, પાચ્ય મધુરુ , ઠંડા, પચવામા હલકા, સ્નિગ્ધ, હ્રુદય માટે હિતકર, આન્તરિક માર્ગોની શુદ્ધિ કરનાર, જઠરાગ્નિ પ્રદિપ્ત કરનાર, આહાર પર રુચિ કરનાર, પાચન કરનાર, મળને બાધંનાર, મુત્ર પ્રવ્રુતિ વધારનાર, વીર્ય માટે અહિતકારી, તરસ શમાવનાર, ત્રણે દોષો શમાવનાર, આન્ખો માટે સારા, તરસ, બળતરા, દમ, ઉધરસ, ઊલટિ,ઉબકાના શમન કરનાર છે. તાવ મટાડનાર, મળને રોકનાર અને ત્રિદોષનાશક છે.
ધાણા અને સાકર પેટની બળતરા-એસિડિટિ માટે ઉત્તમ ઔષધ છે.

Coriander, like many spices, contains antioxidants, which can delay or prevent the spoilage of food seasoned with this spice.  A study found both the leaves and seed to contain antioxidants, but the leaves were found to have a stronger effect.

Chemicals derived from coriander leaves were found to have antibacterial activity against Salmonella choleraesuis, and this activity was found to be caused in part by these chemicals acting as nonionic surfactants.

Coriander has been used as a folk medicine for the relief of anxiety and insomnia in Iran. Experiments in mice support its use as an anxiolytic. Coriander seeds are used in traditional Indian medicine as a diuretic by boiling equal amounts of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, then cooling and consuming the resulting liquid. In holistic and traditional medicine, it is used as a carminative and as a digestive aid.

Coriander has been documented as a traditional treatment for diabetes.  A study on mice found that coriander extract had both insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity.

Coriander seeds were found in a study on rats to have a significant hypolipidemic effect, resulting in lowering of levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides, and increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein.  This effect appeared to be caused by increasing synthesis of bile by the liver and increasing the breakdown of cholesterol into other compounds.

Coriander juice (mixed with turmeric powder or mint juice) is used as a treatment for acne, applied to the face in the manner of toner.

Coriander can produce an allergic reaction in some people.

## આ પણ જુઓ 
* Katzer, Gernot Coriander Seeds and Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) 
* Noxon, Heather and Meyer, Alex (2004). Genetic Analysis of PTC and Cilantro Taste Preferences.  MindExpo 2004

## બાહ્ય કડીઓ
* http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123446387388578461.html Wallstreet Journal article covering people's strong feelings about cilantro/coriander (February, 2009).
* http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98695984 NPR story about how people taste cilantro/coriander (December, 2008).
* http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html New York Times column The Curious Cook on Cilantro (April, 2010).

## સંદર્ભ