9 ways cardamom, the ‘queen of spices’, can boost your health

A cup full of cardamom pods. The seeds they contain have many potential health benefits, say practitioners of Ayurveda - traditional Indian medicine. Photo: Getty Images

Cardamom, consisting of the seeds of a plant in the ginger family, is one of the oldest known spices. Ancient Egyptians used it in medicine and as a breath freshener, and employed cardamom oil to mummify their dead.

It has a rich aroma and flavour, and is the third most expensive spice in the world after saffron and vanilla. Sometimes called ela, cardamom is known as the “queen of spices” because it – along with black pepper, the “king of spices” – was a vital part of the early spice trade.

Cardamom has been used extensively in India for centuries, in food and in brewing tea. It is also used in Ayurveda – traditional Indian medicine.

Dixa Bhavsar, an Ayurvedic practitioner in Gujarat in India, says spices generally “heat” the body and help to stimulate digestion. Cardamom, however, “helps in balancing thirst and hunger”.

Dr Dixa Bhavsar is an Ayurvedic practitioner in Gujarat in India. Photo: Dixa Bhavsar

“Most of the times when I consult patients with [an] hormonal imbalance and [a] compromised gut, they have excessive thirst. Cardamom is my go-to spice for [treating] this,” she says.

Cardamom is an important ingredient in chyawanprash, a jam-like health supplement made primarily with gooseberries and spices, and a staple in Indian households. It has been known to improve digestion, strengthen the respiratory system and boost immunity.

In India, cardamom tea is drunk to ward off coughs and colds. Cardamom is a rich source of minerals including iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc and manganese, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Its other nutrients include calcium, potassium, vitamin B and vitamin C, small amounts of protein and fatty acids.

“Ela is used in very small quantities but has far-reaching benefits,” says Madhumitha Krishnan, an Ayurvedic practitioner in Chennai, India. “It is one of a few spices that has a ‘cooling’ effect, and is ‘tridoshic’ and balances all three doshas [energy types in Ayurveda] – vatta, pitta and kapha – in our body.”

The spice is also good for skincare. “Cardamom powder can be used as an exfoliant [to] reduce itching, pigmentation and improve skin texture,” says Abhishek Lulla, an Ayurvedic practitioner also in Chennai.

Cardamom pods (front, centre) for sale in the Old Delhi spice market in India. Photo: Getty Images

You can buy cardamom as whole pods with the seeds inside, as powder, as an essential oil or as an herbal supplement – usually in the form of a capsule.

Three easy ways to have cardamom are to put some seeds into your tea; stir some powdered cardamom with honey into hot water; or to chew a whole pod.

Researchers are studying cardamom to find evidence to support Ayurvedic beliefs about its properties and to understand its potential in modern medicine.

Here are nine of cardamom’s potential health benefits:

1. Good gut health

Cardamom is an appetite stimulant and most commonly used for digestive issues. It can also be used to treat nausea, vomiting, bloating, heartburn – even stomach ulcers.

According to a study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, it was found to offer protection against Helicobacter pylori – a type of bacteria linked to stomach ulcers.

 2. Improved oral health

Cardamom has been used since ancient times to improve oral health and to treat bad breath. Research shows that the spice has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with one study finding that cardamom is effective in fighting five types of bacteria that can cause dental cavities, bad breath and gum disease.

Cineole, the major active component of cardamom oil, is also a strong antiseptic.

3. Improved lung function

Cardamom may help to improve lung function by relaxing the air passage to the lungs, according to a study published in the Journal of Health and Allied Sciences. Participants of the study who inhaled cardamom oil before a workout had higher oxygen uptake levels after exercise than the participants who had not.

4. Lower inflammation and blood pressure

Cardamom, which is rich in antioxidants, can help fight inflammation and can also regulate high blood pressure – the spice helps expel excess water from the body by encouraging more frequent urination.

In one study, researchers gave three grams of cardamom powder a day to 20 adults with high blood pressure. After 12 weeks, their blood pressure levels had fallen to within the normal range.

5. Body detox

Cardamom may help to clear toxins from the body.

In one study, overweight or obese people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease who were given cardamom saw improvements in their liver function markers. Another study, published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, suggests that cardamom helps reduce liver congestion.

6. Weight-loss aid

Since cardamom is high in melatonin, which boosts the metabolism, it may help in the fat burning and weight loss process.

7. Heart health safeguard

The use of cardamom may also help to prevent heart diseases. Studies in rats found it helped protect against heart attacks, improved heart function and lowered cholesterol levels. More research is needed to determine if these effects would be found in humans.

8. Relaxation aid

Cardamom oil is used in aromatherapy and, according to a 2011 study, can help patients to relax.

9. Improved sexual performance

Ancient medical texts list cardamom as an aphrodisiac that can help with erectile dysfunction and impotence by improving blood circulation.

 

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How to Easily Make Alkaline Water At Home

We all know there is no life without water. Water has many health benefits and drinking enough water is essential to your body. But have you heard about alkaline water and its many health benefits? There are people who claim that drinking alkaline water helps slow the aging process, promotes kidney health, regulates your body’s pH level, and even prevents chronic diseases like cancer. But what exactly is alkaline water?

What Is Alkaline Water

Alkaline water is water with a high pH rating, meaning that it is more alkaline and less acidic than tap water. A neutral pH rating is a 7—anything above it is considered alkaline, while anything below it is considered acidic.

The pH rating of water can be changed by adding ingredients to it to make it more acidic or more alkaline. By drinking alkaline water, you can alkalize your own body, bringing it back into balance and doing away with the problems associated with having an acidic body.

Why Alkaline Water Is Good for You

People whose bodies lean toward the acidic end of the pH scale often find themselves feeling less than optimal with regard to health and wellness.

Often, having an acidic body is attributed to certain lifestyle choices that can be corrected with changes to diet and way of life.

You can test your own body’s pH level by purchasing litmus strips and using them to test your saliva or your urine. If your pH test indicates that your urine or saliva is highly acidic, drinking alkaline water may be a good choice.

The Benefits of Drinking Alkaline Water According to Research

Maintaining a slightly alkaline body has been associated with several benefits, from improving cognitive function and reducing age-related cognitive decline to improving the function of various internal organs. There is even some evidence that alkaline water may halt cancer development. Here are some of the benefits that can come of drinking alkaline water:

Alkaline Water can Promote Kidney Health

Although alkalizing therapy has its critics and opinions on its effectiveness, a 2007 U.S. study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that people who consumed alkalizing foods and used alkalizing supplements could restore the pH balance to their bodies, thus making them better able to rid their bodies of toxins by improving kidney function.

Alkaline Ionized Water can Improve Gut function and Immune System

Another way that drinking alkaline water can help your health is by restoring the balance in your intestines, thus shoring up the body’s immune response and keeping nasty infections at bay.

In 2005, Nina Vorobjeva, a researcher from Lomonosov Moscow State University, published her preliminary findings about the gut health-alkaline water connection in the Medical Hypotheses journal. According to the research: “Drinking such water favours the growth of residential microflora in the gut.”

Alkaline Water Promote Liver health (for Diabetic or Pre-diabetic People)

Kidney function and gut health are not the only ways that alkaline water can help the body. Although human research is limited, one 2013 rat study performed by a Korean research team at Hannam University and published in Nutrition Research and Practice found that alkaline water can promote liver health.

According to the research, rats with blood sugar control problems (similar to those experienced by diabetic humans) that drank alkaline ionized water had improved liver function after drinking the alkalized water.

Alkaline Water Aids Rehydration for Athletes

Active people can deplete their electrolytes through vigorous exercise and extreme sweating. Exercise spurs muscles to produce more hydrogen ions than one can efficiently remove. Thus, acidity increases and fatigue sets in.

A 2010 study performed by a researcher from Montana State University and published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that people with rigorous exercise regimes were better able to maintain their pH balance and stay hydrated when they drank alkaline water. ⁴

Alkaline Water and Cancer

In vitro tests have shown cancer cells thrive in acidic and oxygen-free (anaerobic) environments. The first to describe the correlation between the acidic environment and cancer cell growth was Dr. Otto Warburg, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology in 1931.

In his work he scientifically explained how the growth of cancer cells is triggered in the absence of oxygen, and as a result of sugar fermentation that occurs under such conditions.

Dr. Warburg was in fact describing acidic conditions. For cancer cells to maintain effective metabolism, they need a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Their tolerance for change is small, therefore it has been argued that by raising the blood’s pH, we will effectively target the cancer cell’s cycle, stop its growth and cause it to die.

The key is to make your body more alkaline, and different ways to do that have been proposed.

It has been shown that sodium bi-carbonate (baking soda) alkalizes the area around the tumor and prevents development of metastasis (spread of a cancer from one organ to another) in mice with breast cancer.

A study published in Cancer Research in 2009 confirmed that inhibition of tumor’s acidity reduced the number of metastasis in some cancers. A new study is underway at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, which will look specifically at the effects of sodium bicarbonate on breast cancer patients.

Lemons, too, help to balance the body’s pH. They have an alkaline effect on the body, despite their initial (citric) acidity. They contain limonoides which are phytochemicals and have anti-cancerous properties.

Vitamin C destroys free radicals, which damage our cells. An interesting thing about lemons is also that they act as an anti-microbial. Some researchers suggest that cancer is like a fungus, and should be treated in the same way, so lemons might be a powerful remedy.

According to The Cancer Alternative Foundation, when applied properly, alkalizing or ‘pH therapy’ has had a success rate of 80% and higher, which is a hugely significant rate when compared with some of the mainstream methods.

What Does the Research Say?

There isn’t any scientific evidence to support the idea that alkaline water can treat or prevent cancer.

A review of medical studies suggested that “there is no scientific literature establishing the benefit of an alkaline diet for the prevention of cancer at this time.”

It’s worth pointing out that the research about lemon and baking soda for cancer is extremely limited. Although the current results are encouraging, further research is needed.

There is no scientific information about the dosage that is needed for an effective treatment and there is no exact information about the quantities of each ingredient in the mixture. In addition, the scientific evidence is extremely limited.

Side Effects of Alkaline Water Consumption

Although drinking alkaline water can contribute to good health by battling an overly acidic body and restoring the pH balance, it does come with some side effects that are not always pleasant.

These side effects are how you know the alkalization is happening inside your body, and are considered a normal response to pH correction and the detoxification the body is undergoing.

Side effects may include:

• Headache
• Sore muscles (flu-like muscle aches)
• Tiredness and sleepiness
• Gas
• Sniffling (a runny nose)

Not everyone experiences the same side effects when alkalizing their bodies, and some people find the side effects more noticeable and irritating than others.

How to Make Alkaline Water

If you’re interested in making alkaline water a part of your health maintenance routine, you’ll be glad to know that you can make your own alkaline water with ease, using a couple of different methods which use ingredients you likely already have on hand.

Important note: Alkaline water should be drank before or after meals—either 30 minutes before a meal, or two hours after a meal—in order to be effective without interfering with the body’s digestive processes which requires acidic environment.

Alkaline Water Recipe #1: the Power of Lemon

Fill a tall pitcher (64-ounce capacity) with clean water. Cut one lemon into eight pieces and submerge the pieces into the water. There is no need to squeeze the juice from the lemon; just drop them into the pitcher with the water. Allow the lemons to soak in the water for 8 to 10 hours at room temperature.

Alkaline Water Recipe #2: Baking Soda

Please note that people on a strict low-sodium diet should avoid using this method, as baking soda is high in sodium.

To make baking soda water, simply dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda into an 8-ounce glass of clean water. Stir the mixture until you no longer see powder or crystals floating in the water, and then drink it down.

Alkaline Water Recipe #3: Adding pH Drops to Water

You can purchase alkalizing pH drops from online retailers or at health food stores and make high-pH water using those. These drops are highly concentrated, and formulations differ between manufacturers, so it’s important to follow instructions on the bottle carefully to avoid overdoing it.

Generally, a few drops may be added to a glass or pitcher of water and you can get the same alkalinizing benefits from this mixture as from drinking lemon water or baking soda water with the added convenience of having your alkalinizing agent stored in a handy dropper bottle for ease of use.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
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