Aromatic Cardamom and It's Health Benefits
Most people are familiar with cardamom
through chai, as it’s an essential ingredient of the flavorful Indian
specialty. Apart from being a popular spice all across India, the Middle
East and all the way to China, cardamom is a key ingredient in
traditional medicines all across these lands. In fact, cardamom has been
used to detox, treat digestion issues and a sore throat for thousands
of years, but modern science further expanded its healing potential to
things like antimicrobial and cancer-preventing properties, and more. In
this article, we list 7 proven health benefits of cardamom and explain
how you can use this herb at home.
What Is Cardamom?
Cardamom Health Benefits a bowl full of cardamom
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Cardamom, the spice, comes from several plant species from the genera
Elettaria and Amomum, and these plants are closely related to ginger.
Both the pods and the seeds of the spice have a pleasant, sweet and
spicy aroma, and the pods are typically harvested whole and dried.
Dried cardamom pods are sold whole, ground up into a powder, or as an
herbal supplement in capsule form. Fresh cardamom can also be turned
into an essential oil, which is often used in fragrances, topically or
as aromatherapy. The plant originated from India, but it’s widely used
and easily available all across the globe today.
Both in India and in the Middle East, the
spice is used to add flavor to warm beverages, such as tea and coffee,
but it’s also commonly used as a spice in both sweet and savory foods in
a number of eastern countries. The first recorded mentions of the spice
are from Ancient Sumer around 2,000 BC and Ayurveda, and already then,
cardamom was used for medicinal purposes.
Today, we know a lot more about the positive effects of cardamom on our
health and are aware that the spice is a good source of zinc, potassium,
and magnesium (for full nutrition info, see the table above). All this
makes cardamom an excellent dietary addition. More on the specific
health benefits of cardamom below.
1. Diabetes Prevention
Type 2 diabetes and heart disease are both
often preceded by metabolic syndrome, a complex systemic condition that
affects 60% of the population past the age of 50. The primary cause of
the condition remains unknown, but researchers believe that a
combination of a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, aging, and even stress
construct metabolic syndrome.
Animal studies in those suffering from type 2 diabetes showed that
supplementing with cardamon improved blood sugar levels and metabolic
symptoms. Another study showed that the waist circumference in
overweight women with metabolic syndrome decreased after 2 months.
All this evidence suggests that cardamon may lower the level of
inflammation in the body and protect you from metabolic syndrome,
diabetes and even heart disease (we'll discuss more on the latter
later).
2. Cancer Prevention
Cardamom contains specific phytochemicals that were suggested to help
the immune system to fight off cancer cells. More specifically, cardamom
may boost cancer-fighting enzymes and certain immune cells that
eradicate cancer cells.
Though scientists aren’t sure which compounds in cardamom are
responsible for the cancer-fighting effects, they believe it may be some
of the antioxidants the spice contains. Cardamom has been found to
reduce the risk and severity of cancerous tumors in animal models and
test-tube studies.
3. Oral and Dental Health
Cardamom Health Benefits
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For centuries, if not millennia, people have been using cardamom to
soothe a sore throat, get rid of bad breath and prevent cavities. The
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of the spice combined make
it excellent for killing harmful bacteria that impair oral health.
In vitro research showed that cardamom extract lowers the number of
bacteria in saliva by 54%. One study also found that chewing on a
cardamom seed for 5 minutes helped balance the pH in the mouth, with the
latter being a marked cause of infections and cavities.
4. Antimicrobial Properties
Studies suggest that cardamom essential oil may possess powerful
antifungal and antibacterial compounds that act by damaging the
microbes’ cell membranes. Reportedly, the oil is effective against a
wide range of microbes, such as the Candida fungus, E. coli,
Staphylococcus and Campylobacter, which are known to cause a wide range
of dangerous diseases throughout the body.
Do note, however, that ingesting the oil is toxic and even when used
topically, the essential oil should be diluted by a carrier oil.
5. Digestive Issues
Cardamom Health Benefits peptic ulcer
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One of the most ancient Ayurvedic uses of cardamom is for detoxification
and digestion issues. Science, too, seems to support the claims that
cardamom can improve the body’s detoxing abilities by boosting liver
health in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Cardamon can
also help prevent liver damage, and this way, it may help maintain the
body’s blood-cleaning capabilities.
Apart from that, cardamom can also help prevent nausea and vomiting, as
well as the development of peptic ulcers in some individuals. To prevent
ulcers, cardamom is added into beverages, and to deal with nausea,
people typically smell cardamom essential oil.
6. Lung Health 
One of the most unique capabilities of cardamom is its ability to relax
the airways and increase your breathing capacity. Inhaling cardamom
essential oil may be especially beneficial for those of you suffering
from asthma or even stress-related breathlessness, as the invigorating
smell of the oil when used in aromatherapy will help your lungs relax
and help them breathe in more deeply.
7. Heart Health
As we mentioned previously, cardamom can reduce one’s risk of heart
disease by preventing and contributing to the treatment of metabolic
syndrome. However, the rich antioxidant content of cardamom, as well as
its possible diuretic and cholesterol-lowering capabilities may help
people with high blood pressure lower it slightly.
Studies have found this to be the case, but medical professionals don’t
recommend relying on cardamom completely to treat your blood pressure,
but you may still benefit from adding the spice into your drinks and
meals.