Cardamom

Elettaria Cardamomum

Cardamom is the dried, unripened fruit of a perennial native to Southern India and Sri-Lanka. The pods, containing highly aromatic citrus-like, floral flavoured seeds.

Cardamom is mostly consumed with coffee in Arab countries and specialty cuisine and pastries around the world. It is used as a flavouring agent in most meat and rice dishes - especially biryanis, which consist of layers of cooked rice and aromatic meat or vegetable dishes in a large vessel. Typically, cardamom pods are fried together with onion, Indian bay leaves and other sweet spices to intensify their fragrance.

In Sri Lanka, the pods are added to fiery beef or chicken curries, together with cinnamon. In India. Cardamom finds its way through most sweets.

In India, spiced tea (masala chai) boasts of the most favourite spices - cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and even black pepper.

Cardamom is also known as the "Queen of spices" (pepper is the King)..

Also Known as

Plant Family

Zingiberaceae (Ginger family).

Origin/ Where Found

Southern India and Sri Lanka. Indian cardamom is slightly smaller, but more aromatic. Guatemala has become the most important producer today.

The Cardamom is a native of Southern India, and grows abundantly in forests 2,500 to 5,000 feet above sea-level in North Canara Coorgi and Wynaad, where it is also largely cultivated. Cardamoms flower in April and May and the fruit-gathering lasts in dry weather for three months, starting in October.

(In Mumbai they are washed with water and pounded soap nut). Mumbai ships about 250,000 lbs. annually to the London market. They were formerly known by their shapes as shorts, short-longs, and long-longs, but the last are now rarely seen.

Indications

Carminative, stimulant, aromatic. Aids in expelling gas from intestinal, tract.

Sensoric Quality

Sweet and aromatic, very pleasant.

Part(s) Used

The dried, ripe seeds. They are sold in whole pods, as they tend to lose their fragrance pretty quickly.

Active Constituents

The largest constituent is alpha-terpineol followed by myrcene, limonene, menthone, beta-phellandrene, cineole (which is the principal flavouring agent), sabinene, and heptane, alpha-terpenylacetate, sabinene, and borneol.

The seeds contain volatile oil, fixed oil, salt of potassium, a colouring principle, starch, nitrogenous mucilage, ligneous fibre, an acrid resin, and ash. The volatile oil contains terpenes, terpineol and cineol.

It is colourless when fresh, but becomes thicker, more yellow, and less aromatic. It is very soluble in alcohol and readily soluble in four volumes of 70 per cent. alcohol, forming a clear solution.

Varieties

Madras Cardamoms (short-longs from Madras and Pondicherry), Alleppey Cardamoms (shorts from Alleppey and Calicut), Ceylone Wild Cardamoms (Long wilds from Kandy, Sri Lanka),

Bengal Cardamoms are known as Morung Elaichi or Buro Elaichi and are about an inch in length.

Nepal, Winged Java, Korarima, Madagascar and Bastard Cardamoms are other known varieties in the market.

Usage/ Dosage

Either crush the pod lightly and discard after cooking (the pod is not consumed), or open and remove the seeds which can then be used whole or ground.

Cardamom is an ingredient in various masalas and adds its unique flavour to curries. The seeds tend to lose their flavour quickly when ground. And, as such, the seeds (or pods) should be crushed just before adding to curries at the time of cooking. While purchasing, whole cardamom pods should be sought.

Green pods are significantly superior in fragrance to the yellow or white bleached ones. Flavour wise, the black (sun dried) cardamoms are very strong.

The seeds are helpful in indigestion and flatulence, giving a grateful but not fiery warmth. When chewed singly in the mouth the flavour is not unpleasant, and they are said to be good for colic and disorders of the head.

Powdered: 15 to 30 grains of the powdered seeds.
Tincture, 1/2 to 1 fluid drachm.
Compound tincture, B.P., 1/2 to 1 fluid drachm.
Fluid extract, 5 to 30 drops.

Decoction

While making your favourite blend of black tea, add two whole green cardamoms (split and crushed), a piece of Cinnamon, 3 Cloves and sugar to taste.

Side Effects

No effects are expected on the body, either good or bad, when herb is used in very small amounts to enhance the flavor of food.

Beneficial Side Effects

Acts as vigorous laxative. Causes explosive, watery diarrhea.

Contraindications

Don't take if you:

are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or plan pregnancy in the near future. (See beneficial side effects.) have any chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract, such as stomach or duodenal ulcers, esophageal reflux, ulcerative colitis, spastic colitis, diverticulosis, diverticulitis.