Carolyn (Central, Va) on 12/04/2009:

After recovering from pneumonia, I continued to have chronic lung congestion. Coincidentally, my son in Texas mentioned a salsa recipe he'd made and suggested I give it a try. He insisted I use fresh cilantro for superior taste. Well, within 5 minutes of making and sampling the salsa, I coughed up an enormous amount of thick phlegm and breathed easier for the rest of the night. By morning, some sleep congestion returned. I made eggs, and since I had fresh cilantro left over from the salsa, I put it on the eggs. Once again, the congestion cleared, with lots of phlegm purged. All within 5-10 minutes of eating the cilantro.

Thinking maybe I had imagined the results, I went a week without trying the cilantro again. The congestion came back. I ate cilantro again, and the phlegm cleared again. I've repeated that test many times since then, and each time cilantro has proven to be my hero. My aunt, who has emphysema (COPD), tried it and got similar good results.
My lung doctor, originally from India, swears by cilantro (and coriander, which includes the whole plant, not just the leaves). The last time I went for a checkup, he declared that my lungs were completely clear and told me to keep eating cilantro.

So now I cook with cilantro several times a week, no matter what. And whenever I travel, I take a small bottle of dried cilantro to sprinkle on my food.