Elettaria cardamomum – dried whole fruit

Native to India and Southeast Asia, cardamom is a herbaceous plant in the ginger family. The fruit, a pod containing highly aromatic seeds, is hand-harvested and then dried. It is one of the world's oldest and most refined spices.

Description

Pale to dark green, slightly wrinkled pods containing small, shiny black seeds. Intense, fresh, lemony, and camphor aroma. Dry, brittle texture.

Nomenclature

• Common names: Cardamom, green cardamom
• Latin name: Elettaria cardamomum
• Family: Zingiberaceae
• Part used: Whole fruit (pod)
• Form: Whole, dried
• Origin: India, Sri Lanka, Guatemala
• English name: Cardamom pod
• German name: Kardamomkapsel
• Name in Spanish: Cardamom
• Name in Italian: Cardamomo
• Name in Arabic: هيل (Hāl)

Main virtues

Cardamom is used for its refreshing, invigorating, and digestive properties. It is also appreciated for flavoring infusions, coffees, spicy dishes, and desserts. In cosmetics, it is sometimes used in natural tonic preparations.

Main constituents

Essential oils (cineole, terpineol, linalool), starch, tannins, resins, organic acids.

Use and dosage

• Infusion: 2 to 3 lightly crushed pods for 250 ml of hot water, infuse for 10 minutes.
• Cuisine: Used whole or powdered in Indian dishes, desserts, coffees or teas.
• Cosmetics: in tonic decoction or combined with homemade mouthwashes.

Precautions, side effects and contraindications

• Moderate use recommended.
• Avoid if known to be allergic to spices of the Zingiberaceae family.
• Store in an airtight container away from light.

History and origin

Cardamom is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit and Arabic texts as a valuable spice and remedy. Imported to Europe since ancient times, it remains a key spice in Ayurvedic medicine, oriental herbal teas, and festive cuisine in the Middle East and India.

Miscellaneous information

• Storage: glass jar or opaque bag, in a dry place.
• Packaging: bulk in whole pods.
• Appearance: oval capsule, containing seeds.
• Smell: fresh, lemony, spicy.

Sources and references

• Pl@ntUse – https://uses.plantnet-project.org
• Ancient Ayurvedic and Arabic Literature
• Corpus on ancient trade spices
• References in gastronomy and aromatherapy

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