Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also known as cilantro, Chinese parsley or dhania, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia.

Soares BV, Morais SM, Dos Santos Fontenelle RO, Queiroz VA, Vila-Nova NS, Pereira CM, Brito ES, Neto MA, Brito EH, Cavalcante CS, Castelo-Branco DS, Rocha MF. Antifungal Activity, Toxicity and Chemical Composition of the essential oil of Coriandrum sativum L. Fruits. 1. Molecules. 2012 Jul 11;17(7):8439-48.

The aims of this study were to test the antifungal activity, toxicity and chemical composition of essential oil from C. sativum L. fruits. The essential oil, obtained by hydro-distillation, was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Linalool was the main constituent (58.22%). The oil was considered bioactive, showing an LC₅₀ value of 23 µg/mL in the Artemia salina lethality test. The antifungal activity was evaluated against Microsporum canis and candida spp. by the agar-well diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were established by the broth microdilution method. The essential oil induced growth inhibition zones of 28 ± 5.42 and 9.25 ± 0.5 for M. canis and candida spp. respectively. The MICs and MFCs for M. canis strains ranged from 78 to 620 and 150 to 1,250 µg/mL, and the MICs and MFCs for candida spp strains ranged from 310 to 620 and 620 to 1,250 µg/mL, respectively. C. sativum essential oil is active in vitro against M. canis and candida spp. demonstrating good antifungal activity.