Cardamom refers to two varieties of spice from the ginger family: Ellettaria, commonly known as green cardamom, which has small, light green pods; and amomum, known as black cardamom, with larger, dark brown pods. Both species of cardamom can be used in cooking and for their health benefits.

Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. It is loaded with essential oils such as terpineol, myrcene and limonene, which have high antioxidant properties. Cardamom is commonly used to flavor baked goods, curries and beverages, and to treat a range of digestive ailments, infections and inflammations.

Health Benefits

• Digestive health: Studies have shown that cardamom posses the ability to kill harmful H. pylori bacteria associated with ulcers. It also has a calming effect on the rest of the digestive tract and has been used to treat dyspepsia (indigestion) and gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach).

• Anti-inflammatory: A study found that mice who received cardamom extract daily for eight weeks had significant reductions in many markers of inflammation. Increased death of colon cancer cells was also observed in the group that received cardamom extract.

Tips for Using Cardamom

• Cardamom is best purchased and stored whole in pod form, because once the seeds are exposed or ground, they quickly lose their flavor.

• Add cardamom to rice pudding and other milk-based dishes, and beverages like tea.

• Cardamom pods can be chewed as a breath freshener after meals.

References

• al-Zuhair H, el-Sayeh B, Ameen HA, al-Shoora H. Pharmacological studies of cardamom oil in animals. Pharmacol Res. 1996 Jul-Aug;34(1-2):79-82.

• Mahady GB et al. In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to botanical extracts used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Phytother Res. 2005 Nov;19(11):988-91.

• Jamal A, Javed K, Aslam M, Jafri MA. Gastroprotective effect of cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum Maton. fruits in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Jan 16;103(2):149-53.

• Sengupta A, Ghosh S, Bhattacharjee S.Dietary cardamom inhibits the formation of azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci in mice and reduces COX-2 and iNOS expression in the colon. Asian Pac J cancer Prev. 2005 Apr-Jun;6(2):118-22.

• Suneetha WJ, Krishnakantha TP. Cardamom extract as inhibitor of human platelet aggregation. Phytother Res. 2005 May;19(5):437-40.