Fwd: [mscured] Cilantro

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Abri328 wrote:

mscured From: Abri328Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 21:42:11 EDT[mscured] CilantroThe Nutritional Tidbit Food-borne illness affects 24 million to 81 million people each year and are caused by a multitude of bacteria. These bacteria are commonly found on many raw foods. Every year approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the United States. Because many milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be thirty or more times greater according to the Center for Disease Control. and far more prevalent in children. Cilantro has demonstrated effectiveness in treating salmonella. Salmonella is a group of bacteria with symptoms that include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever lasting up to 5 days. In some cases hospitalization is

necessary. Salmonella is usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but all foods, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Many raw foods of animal origin are frequently contaminated, but fortunately, thorough cooking kills Salmonella. Food may also become contaminated by the unwashed hands of an infected food handle.Cilantro, and coriander contain the compound dodecenal found in the leaves and seeds. According to a study published May 26 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, dodecenal was twice as potent as the commonly used medicinal antibiotic gentamicin at killing Salmonella, a frequent and sometimes deadly cause of foodborne illness. In addition to dodecenal, about a dozen other antibiotic compounds were isolated from fresh cilantro that

show some activity against a variety of harmful bacteria. Keeping an extract of cilantro around the house may be prudent for that rare occasion of exposure to Salmonella.