Elettaria cardamomum - Ela, Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum, commonly known as green or true cardamom, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the ginger family, native to southern India. It is the most common of the species whose seeds are used as a spice called cardamom. It is cultivated widely in tropical regions and reportedly naturalized in Réunion, Indochina and Costa Rica.

Uses & Benefits of Elettaria Cardamom

1. Cardamom is used internally for indigestion, nausea, vomiting and pulmonary disease with copious phlegm.
2. It can be used with a laxative to prevent stomach pain, griping, as well as flatulence.
3. Cardamom seeds are chewed to sweeten the breath and to detoxify caffeine, in people taking excessive amounts of coffee. They are also used as a spice in cooking and as a flavoring in other medicines.
4. The oil made from cardamom seeds is very good for digestive system. It functions as a laxative and soothes colic, wind, dyspepsia and nausea. It also works to warm the stomach and helps with heart burn.
5. In South Asia, green cardamom is extensively used to treat infections in teeth and gums. It is also used to prevent throat troubles, congestion of the lungs, pulmonary tuberculosis and inflammation of eyelids.
6. Cardamom is also brought in used to kidney stones and gall stones.
7. The culinary uses of cardamom are enormous, notably in India. In a variety of dishes, the seeds are bruised and fried before the main ingredients. In Scandinavia, cardamom is often used in baking dishes.
8. Cardamom species, in a different genus Amomum, are used to make traditional Indian medicines.
9. Among the other species and varieties of cardamom, Amomum villosum is used in making some traditional Chinese medicine, which can treat stomachaches, constipation, dysentery, and other digestion problems.