Cardamom: health benefits and harms

Without fragrant spicy spices, culinary delights would become boring and monotonous. Many love the bright and rich taste of oriental seasonings. And if you know how many beneficial properties the fragrant herbs and oils conceal, you can significantly improve the well-being and condition of the body by eating delicious food. Let's talk about the benefits and possible dangers of cardamom - the most valuable spice from the East.

What is cardamom and how does it look

Cardamom plant is a relative of ginger, which came from India and spread throughout the world. Many centuries ago, healers and priests knew it as a healing potion, saving from many ailments. Cardamom in the East is called the divine seed or the queen of spices, it occupies a central place in Ayurveda - the teaching of how to care for your health at all levels, starting with the bodily.

The plant has long arrow-shaped leaves, which surround with a corolla a twig with flowers, the fruits look like pods-boxes of green or whitish color, depending on the variety. Inside these containers cardamom grains are collected, containing many essential oils and exuding a pronounced aroma. They are used in seasonings and as a therapeutic agent.

Types of Cardamom

You can meet two varieties of seasoning, which is called cardamom:

1. Green is the same “real” species, the botanical name is Elettaria. Its boxes are thin and soft, have an elongated shape, similar to a peanut kernel. The aroma of this plant is different in intensity and freshness - it is a sharp, slightly minty and sour shade, reminiscent of lemon balm and thyme. The taste of the grain is sweetish, creating a feeling of warmth.
2. A brown, or dark, cardamom is a fellow of Eletharia called Amomum. It is also called Bengal, Siamese or Nepalese cardamom. This subspecies has brown rounded capsules, more reminiscent of an apple seed. They are larger than green cardamom, in addition, they have a smoke aroma and taste, and their essential oils are not so harsh.

In general, both subspecies have the same properties, but green cardamom is endowed with greater healing power. It is considered one of the most expensive spices in the world: 10 grams of such raw materials cost about 70 rubles, only vanilla and saffron are sold more expensive than cardamom.

On sale seasoning cardamom can be found in several forms:

• in the form of ground powder;
• refined grains;
• whole boxes.

Powder spice is usually offered cheaper because in place of the selected cardamom there is a mixture of similar cheaper spices, including ginger powder.

Composition and calorie content

Cardamom grains are rich in oils, so about 100 kcal per 100 g of product. But since seasoning is used in small portions, one does not have to think about its energy value.

At the same time, cardamom fruits are rich in useful compounds: vitamins, trace elements, antibacterial substances, antioxidants. The whole group of vitamins B, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, zinc, selenium, sodium, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin E and other valuable elements are represented in the grains.

Useful properties of cardamom

Seasoning is distinguished not only by an unusual filling taste, but also by a beneficial anti-aging effect.Cardamom is a pleasant way to get rid of many ailments and ailments.

General benefit

1. Antimicrobial. The tool effectively fights viruses and infections, protecting the body from colds and poisoning, especially in the transition season.
2. Anti-inflammatory. An infusion of cardamom grains is used to stop the inflammatory process, especially in the respiratory organs, gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system. Also, the tool helps to eliminate joint pain.
3. Analgesic and antispasmodic. Chew spice from bouts of nausea, with motion sickness, with intoxication, heat, general malaise, and weakness. This brings the body into tone, allows you to gather strength, relieves stomach and headaches, and alleviates fatigue and muscle pain.
4. Antibacterial. Among other things, cardamom perfectly freshens the breath, so it is chewed to clean the mouth of food debris and stop the formation of plaque and unpleasant odor.
5. Immunomodulatory. Thanks to the regular use of cardamom, you can significantly increase the body's resistance to diseases, increase stamina.

Cardamom also strengthens nerves, stabilizes sleep and mood, helps fight stress, invigorates.

Its substances are involved in the production of red blood cells and support the health of blood vessels and the heart.

Cardamom is very useful for the health of the gastrointestinal tract and digestion: it has a choleretic effect, helps regulate sugar levels, eliminates nausea, bloating, has a carminative, mild laxative effect, helping the body get rid of toxins and preventing the formation of protein processing products.

Cardamom warms perfectly in the cold season and makes hot dishes even more enjoyable for the body.

For women

Women have long been using seasoning to relieve pain, malaise, and nervous irritability during critical days and after menopause. Spice calms cramps, indigestion and helps restore normal blood composition.

Cardamom also cleanses the skin of acne, comedones, irritations, and heals microdamages. It helps to retain more moisture in the skin and hair, stimulates the production of natural collagen, due to which freshness, youth and elastic contours of the face and body last longer.

An equally important role is played by the properties of aphrodisiac. The use of cardamom helps maintain sexual sensitivity and elasticity of organs, increases libido, and reduces the likelihood of developing fungal and other diseases.

Another valuable spice property for many women is the contribution to the fight against overweight. With external and internal use, seasoning accelerates metabolism, stimulating the burning of adipose tissue, helps to get rid of cellulite, normalizes appetite, removes toxins, and also supports the nervous system, protecting it from exhaustion during diets.

For men

Cardamom is useful to men for the general strengthening of the body, increasing stamina, and toning. The use of seasoning during strength training will reduce muscle pain and return to shape faster.

Cardamom is an excellent tool in the fight against impotence, adenoma, and circulatory disorders. This tool acts comprehensively:

• strengthens nerves, helping to fight over-exertion;
• stimulates a healthy blood supply to the pelvic organs;
• participates in the production of male hormones;
• strengthens muscles and soft tissues, increasing their durability;
• eliminates inflammatory processes.
• Also spice will be useful for maintaining healthy hair.

During pregnancy

It is important for pregnant women to maintain strong immunity and body strength for the development of a healthy fetus. Drinking tea with cardamom can help overcome nausea, mood swings, drowsiness, and puffiness. Seasoning will also contribute to the normal development of the child’s immune, nervous and circulatory system.

Nevertheless, do not get involved in exotic spices.Use it only if there is no allergy to cardamom, ginger and other related spices no more than 2 times a week.

When breastfeeding

During lactation, at first, pediatricians and nutritionists recommend that you refrain from using cardamom so as not to provoke an allergic reaction in the newborn. After 3 months, cardamom can be administered a little. It will improve the quality of milk by enriching it with calcium, help cleanse the mother’s body of toxins and infections, and help to recover faster in the postpartum period.

Some sources claim that cardamom is used when a woman does not have milk to stimulate its production.

For children

You need to gradually introduce the seasoning to the kids to allow the body to get used to and make sure that there is no rejection. If the spice came in handy, you can enter it in small portions for the overall strengthening of the baby's body, the normal development of the skeleton and nervous system and the stabilization of digestion.

Cardamom is often used for colic, swelling, with nausea and vomiting. This is a safe means of prevention and treatment for colds, SARS, angina, especially for children visiting playgrounds, kindergartens, schools. It perfectly fights with a runny nose, liquefies sputum and improves expectoration, relieves fever and inflammation, eliminates weakness and supports normal appetite.

Children are also given tea and coffee with cardamom, since the supplement reduces the negative effect of caffeine on the nervous system. Drinking milk or tea with cardamom at night helps to calm down and fall asleep, so it can be given to active children to calm the nervous system. Such drinks help calm down even after the vagaries, children's tears, improving mood.

Why cardamom is useful for losing weight

Cardamom drinks are often recommended to cleanse the body and lose weight. Cardamom normalizes appetite and metabolism, stimulates the blood supply to the digestive system, which improves the absorption of beneficial elements and eliminates all unnecessary.

The product cleanses the liver and choleretic pathways, normalizes acidity, removes toxins from the body, due to which, in the process of losing weight, complexion improves and other processes in the body normalize.

The ability of seasoning to increase the production of skin collagen helps to tighten the shape after losing weight, stimulates cell renewal, and helps to rebuild to a new regimen.

The healing properties of cardamom

Cardamom is different in that it can quickly eliminate a number of unpleasant symptoms. To get rid of nausea, headache, bad breath, drowsiness and fatigue, just chew a few grains of cardamom. Please note that after such a reception, it is undesirable to use cardamom again as a seasoning or as an additive to drinks on the same day, so that an overdose does not occur.

From a sore throat, runny nose, to relieve inflammatory processes in the body, as well as to stimulate erectile function, they drink a warm drink with milk: it needs to be boiled, add cardamom, let it brew for 5-6 minutes, cool slightly, add honey (a required component) to taste.

Folk recipes using cardamom

1. For the treatment of joints, cardiovascular diseases, nervous disorders and impotence, alcohol tincture with cardamom is used. To make it, take 250 ml of 40% alcohol, the same amount of water, 150 g of sugar and 2 g of cardamom grains. Grains must be poured with alcohol and insisted for 2 weeks, then strain and introduce sugar syrup into the liquid (bring water to a boil, add sugar, stir until dissolved, cool). After thorough mixing, the tincture must be cooled and taken 50 g with food.
2. To prepare a cleansing infusion for weight loss, you need to boil water and pour it with grains at the rate of 1 tsp. fruits (whole) per 250 ml of liquid. Insist 20 minutes. A filtered drink to take in portions before meals, 250 ml is enough for 1 day (3-4 times). The course of cleaning and losing weight is 2 weeks. After that, you will need to take a break.

Cardamom in cosmetology

Cardamom has been used in cosmetology for many centuries, and ancient recipes are modified, keeping up to date, and used in cosmetic production. Spice is added to many lifting creams and scrubs, which give:

1. Antibacterial effect, relieve acne, heal irritations, peeling even on very sensitive skin.
2. Nourishing and moisturizing dry, aging and problematic skin.
3. Tightening effect, stimulating cell renewal and smoothing wrinkles.
4. Gentle exfoliation of dead cells.

Cardamom seed powder or their infusion can be used at home for masks and emulsions that can help cleanse, rejuvenate and refresh the skin, as well as nourish the hair.

The use of cardamom in cooking

Seasoning has been added to food for centuries, not only to give it a special spicy taste, but also for practical purposes. Cardamom kills pathogens, so in the south it was added to marinades to extend the shelf life of meat products, soften hard fibers.

In dessert dishes, such as sweets, Turkish delights, sorbets, an oily additive allows you to keep products fresh longer.

Cardamom is added to fatty foods to stimulate digestion and the choleretic effect. Due to this, the meat does not burden the digestive tract and is better absorbed.

Where cardamom is added

In cooking, cardamom is seasoned with many dishes, both dessert and main: first, second, all kinds of snacks and pastries. A feature of cardamom is that its true taste is revealed during heat treatment, so it is added to hot dishes and drinks, as well as those that are boiled, stewed, and baked.

1. Cardamom is added to the dough instead of vanilla to give it a pungent flavor. Typically, muffins, cookies, pies.
2. Often a sweet spice is added to marzipan or other fondant sweets with nuts and seeds, alcohol.
3. Spice brightens up boring cereals for breakfast, protein smoothies and other “healthy” mixtures well.
4. Seasoning sounds good in vegetable broths and mashed soups, in stews, hummus.
5. From vegetables, cardamom goes well with potatoes, legumes, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger, beets.
6. Cardamom also perfectly emphasizes the taste of stewed and steamed fish, meat, including poultry. It is added to pilaf or lasagna with seafood.
7. Another unusual combination is pickles and pickles. Cardamom suits pickled cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic. It is used to create a pickle for billets, as well as a marinade for meat and fish.
8. Cardamom grains are uniquely filled with the tastes of black tea, coffee, chocolate drink and even stewed fruit, fruit drinks and herbal teas.

Experienced chefs recommend adding cardamom to stews and drinks in general, along with a box - this way its flavor is better revealed. But the confectionery and cream snacks seasoned with powdered peeled grains. For this, it is advisable to use not ready-made purchased mixtures, but fresh, freshly ground powder.

Cardamom has a very bright, intense taste, so it must be added to dishes carefully. When familiar with the spice - 1/3 of the amount proposed in the recipe. So that the spice does not give the dish too much ether, it is customary to get it in advance, add it before turning off the fire or filter liquid dishes - drinks and broths.

How can I replace cardamom

In the kitchen, cardamom can be replaced: if you do not have the opportunity to find or purchase an expensive seasoning, use a combination of its other taste analogues. Here are a few secrets:

1. In meat dishes 1 tsp. ground cardamom will be equal to 0.5 tsp.allspice.
2. In desserts, it is replaced with cinnamon and nutmeg, mixed in equal proportions.
3. A mixture of ginger with cinnamon or cloves is suitable for meat with vegetables.
4. In seasoning curry or garam masala cardamom can be replaced with caraway seeds and coriander in a ratio of 1: 2.
5. In teas, they suggest using a mixture of lemon balm, cinnamon and ginger.

Of course, this will not repeat the unique aroma and taste of cardamom, but it can emphasize the dish and give it the necessary spicy notes.

Coffee and tea with cardamom: benefits and harms

Spices have long been used to give tea and coffee a refined flavor. Spice and smoky spices with a sweet taste are especially good for the taste of coffee, chocolate and black tea. Therefore, cardamom is used as an additive to hot drinks. But not everyone knows about the beneficial properties that are revealed at the time of adding fragrant spices to tea or coffee.

1. Cardamom significantly reduces the effect of caffeine on the nervous system, and also has a positive effect on blood pressure. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to drink coffee for hypertensive patients, pregnant women and children.
2. Regulating blood sugar and promoting weight loss make cardamom drinks good for diabetes and dieting.

However, in order not to harm the body with high-concentration essential oil, experts recommend drinking no more than 4 cups of such a drink per day, in each of which no more than 1 tsp. cardamom. You can drink them all day, but not one after another, so that the body has time to digest the received portion of useful substances.

Cardamom oil: properties and applications

Cardamom grains rich in valuable fats are pressed cold to get healthy oil. It is most often used for the healing of abrasions, burns and bites, added to cosmetics, and also used in aromatherapy.

Cold and hot inhalations with this tool help:

• get rid of a headache;
• relieve swelling and irritation of the respiratory tract with allergies and colds;
• eliminate nausea, cope with motion sickness;
• establish sleep and normalize mood.

When purchasing such an oil, you must pay attention to the packaging with a quality mark. Store the oil in a cool, dark place and use it drip, as an overdose can lead to irritation and poisoning reactions in the body.

Harm and contraindications

With all the indisputable advantages, cardamom also has disadvantages. You can not use seasoning in the presence of an allergy to ginger plants, as well as with increased sensitivity to essential oils. Cardamom is a fairly strong spice, the use of which in large quantities can lead to irritation of the gastric mucosa, excessive separation of bile, increased pressure, heat and nausea.

You can not use seasoning even rarely and in small quantities in such cases:

• acute gastrointestinal diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, cholecystitis;
• a tendency to diarrhea and loose stools;
• increased blood pressure (in acute form);
• acute infectious and fungal diseases.

In the presence of such disorders, it is necessary to consult with your doctor before introducing exotic seasoning into your diet.

How to choose and store cardamom

To buy a quality spice that can safely be used not only in cooking, but also in the preparation of home cosmetics and medicines, you need to pay attention to several important features.

1. Cardamom is an expensive and rare spice - you can find a real product in specialized online stores and shops. Cardamom can not be cheap, otherwise you have a fake.
2. It is better to choose whole boxes, since they naturally preserve the taste and aroma of seasoning, peeled and especially ground grains become tasteless much faster and lose their healing properties.
3. Packaging should be well sealed, airtight. Seasoning should neither erode nor absorb odors, dust and moisture.

Of course, natural green cardamom will be brighter in smell and more valuable in properties. But his brown brother is also useful in the kitchen and in the medicine cabinet. Therefore, if you can not afford the “golden” seasoning, it is quite possible to get by with the “copper” seasoning.

It is not worth stocking up with cardamom strategically: it is valuable only in the first few months, even when stored properly. The maximum period is 2 years, after which both the powder and the pods will have to be replaced.

In the case of buying cardamom powder, pay attention to its consistency: lumps and impurities are not allowed.

The color of the grains and powder is brownish-earthy, brown. The normal color of green boxes like corn tops is pale green or yellowish, large boxes are similar in color to star anise or chocolate.

Store seasoning in a glass jar or ceramic container with a tight-fitting lid, away from direct sunlight, since oxygen and ultraviolet are not best friends for products containing essential oils.

How to grind cardamom

To make cardamom powder yourself, you will need a coffee grinder or spice grinder. For 1 tsp seasoning you need to take 6 boxes.

You can immediately press on them with the flat side of the knife to extract the seeds, or calcinate the pods in a dry pan to enhance the aroma of the spice. After that, it is not necessary to remove all the husks: if a little dry debris gets into the powder, it will not spoil the taste. Grains must be chopped and used immediately. Culinary experts do not recommend storing the finished powder in order to avoid loss of taste and useful properties, including when used in marinades.

Interesting Cardamom Facts

1. With the popularization of cardamom, it began to be grown not only in India, where it comes from, but also on the Bengal peninsula. Today, natural seasoning is produced in France and the south of the North American continent.
2. Cardamom has entered many cuisines of the world. So, in India, desserts, rice and meat dishes are most often cooked with him. In African and Middle Eastern countries, cardamom is loved to add to traditional drinks and fries. Unexpectedly, in the Scandinavian countries they love to use this spice in baking and add it to confectionery.
3. White cardamom is the same spice treated with sulfur oxide for longer storage, as well as eliminating too sharp aggressive smell of ether. It can also be used in any recipes.

If you have heard about cardamom but have never tried it, now you know how to get to know this seasoning with great pleasure.

Cardamom photo