Dorothy FarrarGreen cardamom
Green cardamom , which is one of the oldest medicines in the world, is known to most people as a food spice. Ayurvedic nutrition and traditional Chinese medicine have valued it for thousands of years because of its many positive effects on human health. Although the green cardamom came to Europe with oriental traders as early as 1214, western naturopathy was not interested in the oriental spice for a long time.
Definition and Occurrence
Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) belongs to the botanical ginger family (Zingiberaceae). In addition to the sweetish-spicy green cardamom, which tastes slightly of eucalyptus , there is also black cardamom, which has a spicy-resinous aroma. In this country, green cardamom is mainly known as a gingerbread spice. The herbaceous perennial plant usually grows to a height of 2 to 3 meters and has lanceolate opposite leaves with a sharp tip.
Its inflorescence develops from a side shoot that grows horizontally near the ground and can reach a maximum height of 1.50 m. The white and violet flowers are arranged in panicles. The green cardamom grows from a robust rootstock (rhizome). The yellow-green, hard and three-sided capsules are harvested by hand shortly before they are ripe, so that they do not open on their own and their seeds cannot be lost. They are dried in the sun or over an open fire.
The user opens them shortly before use so that the intense aroma of the 4 to 8 irregularly shaped, dark gray to brown-black oily seeds in the three compartments does not evaporate. Before being used in the kitchen or in tea or tincture, they are ground up in a mortar. Green cardamom originally comes from southern India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Iraq. Today, the green cardamom is also cultivated in the countries of Central America and in Nepal.
Ingredients, effect and dosage
The most important ingredients of green cardamom are the more than 120 essential oils . These include, for example, cineole, alpha-terpinyl acetate, borneol, myrcene, alpha-terpineol, limonene , linalyl acetate, linalool, hydroxycinnamic acid, stigmasterol, campesterol, camphor, salicylates, fatty oils and plant starches. Green cardamom is available vacuum packed as a ready ground powder and as peeled seeds. The powder also contains the tasteless ground capsules. Therefore, the user who values a 100% effective natural product should only buy the seeds and grind them just before use.
Green cardamom is used internally as a tea and tincture and also externally (tincture, washes, poultices, balm, bath additive) against many diseases and ailments. In particular, the essential oils cineole and borneol come to the fore with their antibacterial , antiviral and antifungal effects . The camphor also contained in the green cardamom has a circulation-enhancing effect.
The popular spice can also come up with digestive, antispasmodic , diuretic , circulatory, anti-inflammatory , calming, mood-enhancing and pain-relieving properties. Applied externally as an ointment to skin diseases or injuries, burns and chemical burns, green cardamom disinfects the wound and thus contributes to faster healing. Washing with the tea decoction has the same effect.
To prepare a medicinal green cardamom tea, the patient pours 1 teaspoon of freshly crushed seeds into 1 cup of boiling water and lets the tea steep, covered, for 10 minutes. After sifting, he then drinks 1 cup of it 3 times a day before the main meals. To prepare the tincture, 10 seeds are crushed and placed in a tightly closed jar with 250 ml of vodka. After 20 days, the liquid is then strained and filled into dark bottles.
To promote digestion, the user then takes 20 drops of it per day. Green cardamom is usually well tolerated. However, it can lead to allergic reactions in sensitive people . Under no circumstances should it be used if the patient has gallstones (risk of colic!). If he is taking medication, green cardamom can increase or decrease its effect.
What does it help against?
importance to health
Green cardamom has a strong digestive effect: just 1 crushed seed and added to the herbal tea stimulates the production of bile secretion , gastric juice and saliva . Even after heavier meals, there is no flatulence, feeling of fullness, nausea and vomiting. Strong Arabic coffee becomes more digestible and tastes more aromatic if you add a whole green cardamom pod to it.
In addition, the old oriental spice plant heals respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma: the cineole has a mucus and antispasmodic and decongestant effect. When you have a cold, the spice clears your nose. Because of its antispasmodic and pain-relieving properties , it also helps with severe menstrual and menopausal symptoms and epilepsy. Green cardamom also prevents urinary tract diseases and kidney stones by stimulating urination. Since it also stimulates the circulation, it warms the body well – an effect that was already appreciated in Ayurvedic medicine .
Because of its anti-inflammatory effect, the spice can also be used successfully for throat , tooth and stomach infections. It also prevents colds and flu. To get rid of bad breath, the user simply chews some seeds. Green cardamom seeds also increase memory. In Arab countries it is valued for its libido-enhancing effect and is used to treat functional sexual disorders. If you have trouble falling asleep, drink a glass of warm milk with some green cardamom and saffron in it.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.