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The Unsuspecting Herb That Boosts Collagen Production + A Quick Smoothie Recipe

Author:

Hannah Frye

August 17, 2024

Beauty & Health Editor

By Hannah Frye

Beauty & Health Editor

Hannah Frye is the Beauty & Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including beauty, women’s health, mental health, sustainability, social media trends, and more. She previously worked for Almost 30, a top-rated health and wellness podcast. In her current role, Hannah reports on the latest beauty trends and innovations, women’s health research, brain health news, and plenty more.

Image by HERNANDEZ & SOROKINA / Stocksy

August 17, 2024

Skin smoothies are all the rage right now, but aside from loads of antioxidant-rich fruit, what else can you add to your smoothie to make it beneficial for your skin?

Here, find a common and unsuspecting cooking herb that will load your smoothie with collagen-boos

Why cilantro is good for your skin

beauty & gut collagen+

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The surprising skin-loving ingredient: cilantro (no, not parsley). Yep, you read that right: Research shows that cilantro can help reduce the aging effects of sun damage 1 in mice in addition to boosting—you guessed it!—collagen. Pretty cool, right?

Of course, you can always just add a scoop of collagen powder to your smoothie for those firming, plumping benefits. But why not double the perks with some cilantro?

That being said, this herb isn't the first ingredient you might reach for when whipping up a tasty smoothie. If you do it right, however, the flavor will actually enhance your blend rather than dominate it. In my experience, the best way to add cilantro is with a tropical base. To come, my go-to recipe:

Tropical Cilantro Detox Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup clean cilantro
1 small thumb ginger
1 cup frozen pineapple
½ cup frozen mango
1 scoop collagen powder
½ frozen banana
½ peeled lime
2 cups coconut milk

How to:

If you want your blend on the sweeter side, toss in a few ripe strawberries, frozen or fresh. Blend everything up, and you'll have a refreshing, collagen-boosting blend. If you're not sure which collagen powder to use, take a look at this list for some expert guidance.

The takeaway

If you want to make a skin-loving smoothie, try adding cilantro to your blend for its collagen-boosting power. Of course, it's not the only way to boost your collagen production naturally: Check out this guide for a full breakdown.