Cardamom
Parts Usually Used
Seed
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Cardamom is a perennial plant; the simple, erect stems grow to a height of 6-10 feet from a thumb-thick, creeping rootstock. The leaves are lanceolate, dark green and glabrous above, lighter and silky beneath. The small, yellowish flowers grow in loose racemes on prostrate flower stems. The fruit is a three-celled capsule holding up to 18 seeds.
Where Found
Found commonly in southern India but also cultivated in other tropical areas.
Medicinal Properties
Appetizer, carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic
Biochemical Information
Essential oil including D-borneol, bornylacetate, d-camphor, nerolidol, linalool
Legends, Myths and Stories
A seed pod with an exotic fragrance of the Far East where it is used in curries and many Oriental dishes. Arabians and Persians steep a cardamom pod in their coffee after it has been brewed for its agreeable aroma and flavor. The French use it in their demi-tasse. Cardamom added to milk neutralizes its mucus forming properties and it detoxifies caffeine in coffee. Cardamom is an ingredient in Christmas cookies, Danish and Swedish cookies, coffee cakes, pastries, and candies.
It adds a delightful essence to applesauce, sliced oranges, grape jelly, fruit salads, spiced wines, and liqueurs. ” In Europe, the seeds are sometimes seen in fancy dishes in cocktail lounges and bars. The seeds are also used in potpourri, sachets, and sweet-scented mixtures. A natural perfume of the vegetable kingdom; the seeds were often an ingredient of old-time love potions.
Seeds come from the dried fruit of the cardamom plant, found in India and other tropical areas. Their flavor is slightly gingerish, leaving a medicinal aftertaste. Used in Mexican, Spanish, and East Indian dishes. A mild stimulant, cardamom is a standard ingredient of curry. Cardamom is a relative of the ginger family and a native to the Orient. Old-fashioned sweet bags, perfume powders, and incense contained cardamom seeds.
Oil of cardamom is used to make Lily-of-the-valley perfume. It is said the Syrians used 1 or 2 cardamom seeds with coffee.
Uses
According to historical Chinese Materia Medica texts, herbalists prepared a tea from cardamom seeds intended to address stomach acidity, stimulate digestion, and ease flatulence. Traditional practitioners in that system also utilized cardamom for gastralgia, involuntary urination, spermatorrhea, phlegm, colds, coughs, hoarseness, and kidney complaints. In Turkish folk tradition, the seeds were chewed to sweeten the breath and to mask the odor of alcohol.
Historically, cardamom seeds also served widely as a culinary spice and as a flavoring agent in various medicinal preparations.
Warning
Care should be taken if internally ulcers are present. Consult medical supervision.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co.
(1988). The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974