A popular social media claim alleges cilantro is more than just a popular herb for cooking.
"Cilantro removes toxic heavy metals from the brain," reads the text of a Facebook post shared Dec. 29.
The post generated over 5,000 interactions and close to 1,600 shares in less than two weeks. Several other social media users shared this post as well.
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But the claim doesn't tell the whole story.
Experts told USA TODAY researchers are still exploring the effectiveness of cilantro's healing properties in removing potential heavy metals from the brain.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.
USA TODAY reached out to 80 experts about the claim but received only four responses. Jane Flinn, director of cognitive and behavioral neuroscience at George Mason University, said in an email the idea seemed novel to her.
"I have to admit I had never heard of this," Flinn said. "Plants can absorb metals but I don't know how it would get it out of the brain."
Dr. Maida Galvez, professor of environmental medicine and public health at Mount Sinai, said in an email there is insufficient evidence to prove the claim.
Through a search on PubMed, a search engine containing over 33 million research studies, USA TODAY found two articles that explore cilantro and heavy metal in the brain. Both...
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