Ceylon Cardamom (එනසාල්)
Popularly known as ‘Queen of Spices’ as opposed to Black Pepper hailed as ‘King of Spice’, Cardamom, sometimes spelled as cardamon or cardamom, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. The cardamom plant is a perennial herbaceous plant with a pseudostem and thick irregular-shaped rhizomes. Dried fruit or cardamom pod is traded as a spice.
Cardamom is a spice with an intense, slightly sweet flavor that some people compare to mint.
VARIETIES
Pale green – Has delicate aroma,
Black (deep brown)- Strong and smoky, 3 times the size of the green one.
White cardamom is not a variety of cardamom: white cardamom is really the green ones bleached
APPEARANCE
They are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds.
BENEFITS
- It is not only used as a breath freshener but as a great “detoxicant.” Since it works as a diuretic, it helps the body flush out the toxins. It is also said to be great for liver cleansing and a home remedy for hiccups.
- The seed is considered an excellent source of limonene, a chemical typically found in the skin of citrus fruits. Limonene is an antioxidant and used to prevent and treat cancer.
- Cardamom essential oil was effective in killing several different types of bacteria and fungi due to its ability to damage the cell membrane of certain bacteria.
- In Ayurvedic medicine, people use cardamom for its detoxifying properties. Although there is a lack of scientific evidence to confirm this benefit, cardamom does appear to have some helpful effects on the liver, which plays a crucial role in removing toxins from the body.
- May protect from chronic diseases thanks to anti-inflammatory effects, help with digestive problems, including Ulcers and treat bad breath and prevent cavities.
Cardamom contains Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn, with varying concentrations. The volatile oil includes cineole.