Cardamom (Elettaria cardamum) is a perennial plant belonging to the Family of Zingiberaceae that grows in tropical climate countries, especially in India.

Primary Uses.

Culinary: Used as a flavoring in desserts, drinks like tea and coffee, and in numerous traditional dishes across various cuisines including Indian, Middle Eastern, and Nordic.

Traditional Medicine: Believed to have digestive properties and is utilized in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.

Essential Oils: Essential oils extracted from cardamom are used in aromatherapy and perfumery.

Properties.

Cardamom has a distinct aroma and a sweet-spicy flavor. It contains compounds like terpinene, limonene, and borneol, which give the spice its unique aromatic profile.

Safety and Health.

Generally considered safe when consumed in food amounts, but as with all spices, excessive intake can cause adverse effects.

Environmental Impact.

Intensive cultivation can have an environmental impact, especially if farming practices are not sustainable. However, there are initiatives promoting sustainable cardamom cultivation.

It has antioxidant properties (1), contributes to lower blood pressure (2) and sedative properties (3).

Subs: Limonene, Fenchone, Valerianol (4), Kaempferol, Quercetin (5).

Cardamom oil serves as a grain protein potential by killing various life stages of wheat attacking insects, such as Tribolium castaneum and Sitophilus zeamais, through contact and fumigating action (6).

Cardamom studies

References_______________________________________________________

(1) Das I, Acharya A, Berry DL, Sen S, Williams E, Permaul E, Sengupta A, Bhattacharya S, Saha T. Antioxidative effects of the spice cardamom against non-melanoma skin cancer by modulating nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 and NF-κB signalling pathways.  Br J Nutr. 2012 Sep 28;108(6):984-97. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511006283. 

(2) Verma SK, Jain V, Katewa SS. Blood pressure lowering, fibrinolysis enhancing and antioxidant activities of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). Indian J Biochem Biophys. 2009 Dec;46(6):503-6.

(3) Gilani AH, Jabeen Q, Khan AU, Shah AJ. Gut modulatory, blood pressure lowering, diuretic and sedative activities of cardamom.  J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Feb 12;115(3):463-72. Epub 2007 Oct 22.

(4) Asakawa Y, Ludwiczuk A, Sakurai K, Tomiyama K, Kawakami Y, Yaguchi Y.  Comparative Study on Volatile Compounds of Alpinia japonica and Elettaria cardamomum.    J Oleo Sci. 2017 Aug 1;66(8):871-876. doi: 10.5650/jos.ess17048. 

 (5) Masoumi-Ardakani Y, Mandegary A, Esmaeilpour K, Najafipour H, Sharififar F, Pakravanan M, Ghazvini H.   -  Chemical Composition, Anticonvulsant Activity, and Toxicity of Essential Oil and Methanolic Extract of Elettaria cardamomum.   -    Planta Med. 2016 Nov;82(17):1482-1486. 

(6) Abbasipour H, Mahmoudvand M, Rastegar F, Hosseinpour MH.   -  Fumigant toxicity and oviposition deterrency of the essential oil from cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, against three stored–product insects.   -  J Insect Sci. 2011;11:165. doi: 10.1673/031.011.16501.