Cardamom: health benefits and harms

“Queen of spices” – cardamom has earned such a reputation. What is so special about it?

The fruits of the perennial plant Elettaria cardamomum are small three-chamber yellow-green boxes, inside of which there are several hard seeds. This is cardamom: the most expensive spice in the world after saffron and vanilla. Its bright sweetish aroma with notes of camphor, citrus and eucalyptus cannot be confused with any other.

Types of cardamom

Traditionally, there are two types of cardamom: black and green, or, as it is also called, real cardamom. The latter is more common in the world, it will be about him. 

Green cardamom is in demand in cooking, perfumery, cosmetology, medicine and pharmaceuticals. We tell you why this spice should be included in your daily diet and how cardamom can be beneficial to health.

The history of the appearance of cardamom in nutrition

Cardamom began to be grown on the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and in South India. These regions are still the main suppliers of cardamom to the world market. 

Europe learned about cardamom thanks to the Arabs. Its seeds were highly valued for their characteristic pleasant taste and medicinal properties. In medieval Europe, the spice was considered a panacea for all known diseases, especially gastrointestinal and respiratory ones. Europeans began to grow cardamom on an industrial scale only in the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries on the plantations of India, Sri Lanka, China and Guatemala. Today, cardamom is an integral part of many spice mixtures in the cuisines of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and other countries of the East. 

It is mainly added to snacks and hot dishes: sauces, marinades, minced meats, soups, stews, stews, curries. Many desserts and drinks are also not complete without a spicy note of cardamom. For example, Arabic coffee.  

Composition and calorie content of cardamom

 – Cardamom seeds are 8% composed of essential oil, which gives the spice a lemon-spicy aroma, – says endocrinologist, candidate of medical sciences Yulia Shishkova. – The components of this essential oil have an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect on the human body. Cardamom also contains phytosterols, starch, vegetable fats, fiber, minerals and vitamins. Among the trace elements, it is important to highlight iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Of the macronutrients, cardamom contains calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium. Of the vitamins, cardamom contains B vitamins, including B1, B2, B3, as well as vitamin C and PP. 

The benefits of cardamom

“The spice has a powerful antioxidant potential, which partially neutralizes the action of free radicals,” the expert continues. – This mechanism may potentially have an anticarcinogenic effect. In addition, cardamom has a stimulating effect on the digestive system, improves appetite. Due to the presence of antibacterial properties, cardamom has an auxiliary effect in the treatment of colds: it relieves sore throats and softens coughs. 

Cardamom has the greatest effect on the nervous system: improves mood, promotes emotional relaxation. 

“The aroma of cardamom essential oil relieves headaches, helps to cope with stress, invigorates, improves tone, relieves depression and apathy, thanks to which it is successfully used in aromatherapy,” emphasizes the endocrinologist. 

Benefits of cardamom for women

Cardamom has a good effect on the female body. Its calming, antispasmodic and mild analgesic effect is especially appropriate for menstrual cramps. The spice also promotes the production of collagen, which underlies the beauty and health of hair, skin and nails.

“It is believed that cardamom essential oil increases attractiveness for people of the opposite sex,” notes Yulia Shishkova. 

The benefits of cardamom for men

Cardamom is a powerful natural aphrodisiac. Folk remedies based on it are used to restore sexual activity and prevent problems with potency in men.

Harm of cardamom

For most people, cardamom is completely harmless. But it has some contraindications. According to doctor Yulia Shishkova, these include: 

• the period of pregnancy due to the lack of knowledge of the effect on the body of the mother and child;
• age up to 14 years – due to the lack of studies on the effect on the body of children and adolescents;
• individual intolerance to cardamom and an allergic reaction;
• hypersensitivity;
• ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.

In other cases, subject to moderate consumption of cardamom, there is no health hazard from cardamom. 

The use of cardamom in medicine

Studies show that cardamom is one of the best remedies for bad breath. Scientists from the Indian University of Kurukshetra found that the spice has a pronounced antimicrobial effect due to cineole, a natural antiseptic in the composition of cardamom oil. (one) 

If you need to freshen your breath, just chew a few cardamom seeds. 

The spice can also be effective in the fight against hypertension – another group of Indian scientists came to this conclusion. The study involved 20 patients with the first stage of hypertension. For 3 months, the subjects took 3 grams of cardamom powder daily, as a result of which their blood pressure decreased. (2) 

Cardamom is showing promising results in the fight against cancer. Animal studies have shown that the spice can act as a chemoprophylactic agent – to help reverse the development of a tumor or delay its growth. (3)

The use of cardamom in cooking

A rare dish of oriental cuisine does without cardamom. It is added almost everywhere: from desserts and fruit cuts to hot, hearty dishes of legumes, potatoes or rice. In addition, cardamom is great in drinks, for example, it is often added to mulled wine, coffee or tea.

Sbiten honey 

Sbiten is a traditional Slavic drink, a mixture of water, honey and various spices. Fragrant, warming, delicious sbiten is a godsend during the off-season, when the immune system especially needs to be strengthened and protected

Combine water, honey, and sugar. Add spices. (When choosing spices, you can rely on your taste. The above list is just one of the possible sets of ingredients for sbiten). 

Put the mixture on the fire, bring to a boil and cook for half an hour, without covering with a lid. Remove the sbiten from the heat and let it cool and infuse for another 30 minutes. Strain and serve with a little lemon juice and garnish the glass with a slice of lemon.

Tea mat

The tea cup does not contain animal products, so it can be prepared for fasting, vegetarians, as well as for everyone who watches their figure

Brew tea and let it brew for 10 minutes. Add apricot jam, sugar, sunflower oil and mix everything thoroughly. 

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Pour the dry mixture into the liquid and mix until smooth. Add chopped walnuts and raisins. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 180°C. 

Cool the finished gingerbread a little, cut into portioned squares. Then you can serve it to the table.

How to choose and store cardamom

It is better to buy cardamom in its entirety. Firstly, it is easier to distinguish a quality product from a low-quality one, and secondly, the ground spice quickly loses its essential properties and nutrients, the taste of crushed cardamom will not be so bright. 

When choosing cardamom, pay attention to the boxes: they must be airtight, without damage and dark spots, and have a uniform greenish color. You can try to open them: if you fail to do this, then everything is in order with the freshness of cardamom. Gray, yellowed, wrinkled boxes indicate that the spice has already run out of steam. There will be no strong harm from its use, but you should not expect a rich, burning taste that cardamom is famous for. 

Store the spice in a tightly closed jar at room temperature in a dry place, protected from sunlight. Under such conditions, cardamom can retain its beneficial properties for up to 3 years.

Popular questions and answers

Sources of

1. Kamal Aneja, Radhika Joshi. Antimicrobial Activity of Amomum subulatum and Elettaria cardamomum Against Dental Caries Causing Microorganisms. URL:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50874100_Antimicrobial_Activity_of_Amomum_subulatum_and_Elettaria_cardamomum_Against_Dental_Caries_Causing_Microorganisms
2. S. K. Verma, Vartika Jain, S. S. Katewa. Blood pressure lowering, fibrinolysis enhancing and antioxidant activities of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20361714/
3. Samir Qiblawi, Awdah Al-Hazimi, Mohammed Al-Mogbel, Ashfaque Hossain, Debasis Bagchi. Chemopreventive effects of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum L.) on chemically induced skin carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22404574/