Popularly known as ‘Queen of Spices’ as opposed to Black Pepper hailed as ‘King of Spice’. Cardamom has a complex flavour profile - it's citrusy, minty, spicy, and herbal all at the same time while being highly fragrant too. Cardamom is mainly used in the food industry as a flavouring agent. Cardamom Oil is used for flavouring of beverages and drinks such as coffee and tea while cardamom pods and ground cardamom is used to spice up both sweet and savoury dishes. It is widely used in Indian, Middle Eastern, Arabic, and Swedish cuisine. Cardamom is found in the garam masala spice mixture that seasons meat and vegetable dishes, and in hot beverages such as masala chai and Turkish coffee.

Cardamom Medicinal Uses

Cardamom possesses a number of health benefits; namely, antiseptic (pulmonary), antispasmodic (neuromuscular), aphrodisiac, expectorant, anthelmintic, antibacterial (variable), cephalic, cardiotonic, diuretic, emmenagogue, sialogogue and stomachic. It’s also anti-inflammatory and is reportedly an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom. It’s also hepatoprotective and anti-ulcerogenic.

Cardamom’s many health benefits include ;

• Reduces blood pressure

• Protects from chronic diseases

• Reduces the occurrence of ulcers and other digestive problems

• Improves oral health

• Reduce blood sugar

In addition, cardamom’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties are believed to reduce the occurrence of cancer and improve general health.