Cardamom

Cardamom is in the Zingiberaceae family, along with ginger and turmeric.  There are two genus of plants in this family that are called Cardamom.

 

Elattaria (native to India) and Amomum (native to China).  The Amomum genus can be found as dark brown seed pods or white seed pods.

Cardamom is native to South West India and Sri Lanka.  It is harvested starting in October and going into December. In the regions of India, it is known as the "Queen of Spices," due to its medicinal and culinary virtues. 

 

Cardamom is a tall tropical perennial, that grows 5-10 feet tall.  It prefers to grow in partly shaded forests between 2,500-5,000 feet above sea level.

 

Cardamom is the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla.  This is due to its limited growing regions and its intensive harvest process.

It was traditionally used to benefit digestion, ease piles, jaundice, and urinary complaints.

Flavour

It is warming, pungent, and sweet with hints of citrus and ginger. 

It is used a lot as an ingredient in cooking, in teas and in coffees in India and the middle east.  It is used in both savory meals and baked treats. 

The seeds can be chewed as a sweet breath freshener.

The seed pods, themselves, do not have much flavor, but they protect the seeds from losing their volatile flavour. Keep the seeds in the pods until you are ready to use them.  

 Before adding them to food or tea, crush the pods, to expose the seeds and the flavorful volatile oils.

Fun Facts of History

Whisperings throughout history rumor that Cleopatra found the scent of cardamom so alluring that she made incense from the seeds to perfume her palace when Marc Antony came to visit.

Spices were the symbols of royalty and luxury and cardamom was used in the manufacture of perfumes during the Greek and Roman times. (Prabhakaran Nair)

For centuries Arabs have added cardamom to coffee as an aphrodisiac and stimulant. They have also enjoy it as a digestive spice.

 Egyptians used cardamom for perfume and incense.  They chewed the seeds to keep their teeth white.

 Romans traditionally used cardamom to settle stomachs during large feasts and festivities.

 Eastern Europeans are known to add cardamom to their cooking to disguise the smell of garlic.

 Cardamom essential oil is said to have been first distilled in 1544 by the Portuguese, upon their domination of the spice trade.

 

Benefits of cardamom

Core therapeutic actions include: Carminative, Digestive, Antispasmodic, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Antiemetic

Cardamom as both a herb and essential oil are indicated for: Colds, coughs, bronchitis, foggy thinking, chronic indigestion with bloating, nausea, belching, indigestion from stress/tension, upper respiratory tract infection, and nerve weakness.

Cardamom is believed to be one of the most powerful mucus destroyer. As with all aromatics, cardamom is a diaphoretic that opens your pores, encouraging a mild sweat that cleanses the skin, aids low grade fevers, and cleanses the lymphatic system. It is a bronchodilator - helping to improve breathing in asthmatics.

The aroma Clears the mind from over thinking, creating a peaceful place to make decisions.

Cardamom can also have a rejuvenating effect on those who feel exhausted by the challenges of life or support altering a perception that ‘life is difficult.

 

  

 

 

 

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