Botanical Name - Elettaria cardamomum Category - Aromatic/Spices Form - Dry Part Used - Pods General Information - Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is an aromatic spice cultivated mainly in southern India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Guatemala, the Malabar coast and in Ceylon. It is a native crop of India. Also known as lesser or true cardamom, the spice is very important in world trade. Cardamom belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. It has well-established culinary value and is used in a wide range of sweets and confectionery. Cardamom is an important ingredient of garam masala, a combination spice for many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. In traditional medicine, cardamom seeds are used for the treatment of a variety of ailments including acute respiratory disorders, stomach complaints, bad breath, sore throat, colds, fever, bronchitis, gallbladder problems, flatulence, and colic. Phytochemicals - Cardamom is a rich source of the compound 1,8-cineole, which is present in most oils used by aromatherapists to treat various ailments and relieve tension. The oil extracted from cardamom seeds is a unique gift of nature, containing combinations of terpene, esters, flavonoids and other compounds. Cineole, the major active component of cardamom oil, is a potent antiseptic that kills the bacteria in bad breath and treats other infections and is also known to have expectorant activity for clearing breathing passages.
