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Healthy Diet Plans >>  Health Food >>  Cardamom Health Benefits

Cardamom Clove Uses And Cardamom Health Benefits

What is cardamom? Cardamom or cardamom seeds is a popular spice used in India and in the Middle East. The cardamom herb or cumin cardamom is referred to as the Queen of spices and is popularly referred to as cardamom elaichi in India and the Indian subcontinent. Apart from its aromatic fragrance used for flavoring foods, cardamom uses range from it being a digestive system tonic to an essential oil in aroma therapy.

Health Benefits Of Cardamom

Cardamom oil is popularly used in massages and is known to relieve mental strength is and ease muscle tension.

Cardamom extract contains a number of volatile oils that provide numerous health benefits such as aiding digestion and improving metabolism. Cardamom cloves are used as a versatile spice for pungent and sweet dishes and can be ground into a powder after having the seeds removed. Cardamom medicinal uses range from relieving stomach dyspepsia, increasing appetite, soothing the mucus membranes, relieving gas and heartburn, and eliminating bad breath. Cardamom spice substitutes are easily available in tinctures as volatile oil extracts of black cardamom seeds. These can be used in enhancing the flavor of food dishes, however a very small quantity must be used as it is in a highly concentrated form. The health benefits of cardamom are seen in treating diseases such as gonorrhea, urinary tract disorders, cystitis and nephritis.

Tea blended with the powdered seeds of the herb helps in relieving depression and is one of the many cardamom health benefits offered. The herbalists also use cardamom seed extracts in treating sexual dysfunctions such as impotency and premature ejaculation. However care must be taken not to exceed more than a pinch of cardamom seed extracts, as excessive use may lead to impotency. In herbal tea made of cardamom and cinnamon extract helps in relieving sore throat, throat disorders and hoarseness during a bout of flu. The essential volatile oil in cardamom is used in many pharmaceutical preparations and is also an important ingredient in perfumes and flavoring liquors and bitters. The pharmacological effects of cardamom seeds or cardamom oil can be used as a form of treatment for inflamed nerves and backaches.  A pinch of cardamom powder also helps in preventing nausea and vomiting, due to the antispasmodic properties of the herb. In a particular medical study cardamom oil was shown to have a possible analgesic effect, and further research revealed its potent anti-inflammatory effect. Cardamom seed oil can also be applied to external swellings especially pain in the joints, as it helps to control the swelling and east of pain.


Cardamom Benefits

Cardamom is a perennial herb native to Southeast Asian countries such as India and Sri Lanka. Mainly, the seed of the cardamom herb is put to use in cooking. The botanical name of cardamom is Elattaria Cardamomum. It has a very sweet and pleasant aroma. Cardamom has been widely used since ages as a wonderful spice. For its excellent aroma and health benefits, cardamom is often referred to as the queen of spices. Some of the popular cardamom benefits are as follows.

•  Cardamom is a great appetizer. If you feel like you’ve lost your appetite, use powdered seeds of cardamom to spice up your food. Alternatively, you can also chew one or two cloves of cardamom. It will help in increase your appetite. It also acts as a great mouth freshener and eliminates bad breath.
•  Cardamom is very beneficial for problems related to your digestive system. It improves the process of metabolism in your stomach. Therefore, it is used in making a number of digestive formulations. It also cures the problems of flatulence by removing gas naturally.
•  As a spice, it is widely used for adding sweet flavor to foods such as puddings and other desserts. You could also add powdered cardamom seeds while preparing tea to get a wonderful taste and flavor. You can find several similar cardamom inclusive recipes.
•  Cardamom essential oil is greatly used in aroma therapy by most aroma therapists. A massage with cardamom oil helps relieve mental strain and emotional stress. It also makes you feel fresh and active. Also, a massage with cardamom essential oil provides immediate relief from joint and muscular pain. This is one of the most important cardamom health benefits.
•  Another of the essential cardamom benefits is that it is very helpful in removing toxins from your body. Regular use of cardamom gradually removes the accumulated toxins and improves the blood circulation. In this aspect, cardamom benefits are similar to cinnamon benefits.
•  Cardamom also has antispasmodic properties. If you feel like vomiting or if you are nauseous, simply take a small quantity of cardamom seeds powder in your mouth and swallow it with water. You will get immediate relief from the pain and spasms.
•  Cardamom is also known to have exquisite aphrodisiac properties. It is therefore used for making certain formulations for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and other similar problems related to impotency.

These are some of the great cardamom benefits. Although there are no known side effects of cardamom, it should be avoided during pregnancy.

Submitted on January 16, 2014