Cardamom and its Health Benefits

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2. Cardamom &
Health Benefits.
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3. Kainat Majeed
Roll No. 16341
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4. Contents:
Definition
Pharmacognostic features
Morphology
History
Chemical Constituents
Common Useable Part & Traditional Uses
Therapeutic & Medical Uses
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5. Contents:
Drug Interaction
Dosage & Caution
Side Effects
Contraindication
References
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6. Introduction:
World’s 3rd most expensive spice and known as ‘Queen of Spices
First introduced in Guatemala by Oscar Majus Kloeffer.
It is now biggest producer and exporter followed by South Asia
Specially by India.
Cineole and α- terpenyl acetate is index of aroma flavour in
cardamom.
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7. History:
The world doesn’t know the actual time period when cardamom
originated but it is considered that the cardamom plants firstly came
into existence in the monsoon forests of western ghats in southern
India as wild herbs.
A medicinal literature summary written in between 2nd century BC
to 2nd century AD in India named Charak Samhita provides us with
the first ever written inscriptions about cardamom. . .
Cardamom was written in an article of Greek trade during the 4th
century B.C.
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8. History:
Assyrians and Babylonians were also familiar with the uses of
cardamom.
In the 11th century in Indian cardamom was included in the list of
ingredients for panchasugandha-thambula.
The cultivation of cardamom in India was actively taken up by the
Travancore Government in 1823 A.D.
Till 19th century, cardamom grew wild and was searched in the
monsoon forests.
Nowadays it is grown as a secondary crop with the coffee
plantations.
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9. Pharmacognostic Features:
Common Name : Cardamom : in Bangla- Alach Elakkayi
(Telugu),Yelakki (Kannada), Ela (Sanskrit)
• Scientific name : Eletarria cardamomum
• Family: Zingiberaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: zingiberales
Genera: Elettaria Amomum
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10. Morphology:
Origin: Western Ghats of South India. It is a Shade bearer species.
Grows well in well distributed rainfall areas (1500-3000 mm in
western Ghats.)
Temperature required 10˚- 35˚C.
Suitable soils – sandy clay to sandy clay loam texture, acidic (pH 4.5-
5.8)
Raised by suckers or seedlings of high yielding varieties.
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11. Map showing the study area of
cardamom hill reserves in Indian
cardamom hills.
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12. Active Constituents:
The essential volatile oil in the seeds contain;
i. A-terpineol 45%,
ii. Myrcene 27%,
iii. Limonene 8%,
iv. Menthone 6%,
v. ß-phellandrene 3%,
vi. 1,8-cineol 2%, sabinene 2% and heptane 2%.
Vii. Abundant starch in perisperm.
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13. Active Constituents:
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14. Composition: (per 100g of dried seeds)
Moisture 7 – 10%
Protein 7 – 14%
Carbohydrate 42.1%
Crude Fibre 6.7 – 12.8%
Starch 39.0 – 49.9%
Volatile Oil 7.4%
Calcium 0.3%
Iron 0.012%
Phosphorus 0.21%
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15. Common Useable Parts:
Part use:
Dried unripe seeds of Elettaria cardamomum.
Family: Zingiberaceae. “Recently separated from the fruits”
The seed: Embryo; straight Kind; albuminous
Ovule; anatropous Outgrowth; arrilus
The fruit: Kind; loculicidal capsule
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16. Black Cardamom
Brown Cardamom
Green Cardamom
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17. Uses:
Traditional Uses:
 The leaves are cooked and eaten as greens and the roots are said to be sweet
succulent and delicious when boiled like potatoes.
 Flowers are a sweet addition to salads or as a garnish and young seedpods
are steamed.
 It is used in pickles, especially pickled herring and flavors custard.
 It is often used in baking in Scandinavia and in Danish pastries.
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18. Uses:
Traditional Uses:
Throughout the Arab world, Cardamom is one of the most popular
spices, with Cardamom coffee being a symbol of hospitality and
prestige.
In Sri Lanka, the pods are added to fiery beef or chicken curries.
A small amount of Cardamom will add a tempting flavor to coffee
cake.
Add whole cardamoms to flavour tea drunk with milk.
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19. Uses:
Medical uses:
A stimulant and carminative, it is used for indigestion and flatulence
In South Asia, green cardamom (A. subulatum) is broadly used to
treat infections in teeth and gums.
It is used to prevent and treat throat troubles, congestion of the
lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis.
Used in inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders.
It is also reportedly used as an antidote for both snake and scorpion
venom.
Cardamom is used as a breath-freshener, but it is said that excessive
use thins the blood.
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20. Doses:
The appropriate dose of cardamom for use as treatment depends on
several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other
conditions.
At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine
an appropriate range of doses for cardamom.
Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe
and dosages can be important
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21. Health Benefits:
Digestive problems:
Because it contains carminative properties, cardamom can help
smooth the digestive process making it more efficient and
comfortable.
Cardamom can ease cramping, flatulence, bloating and even help to
treat colic. Experts say that cardamom can promote the flow of bile
which is necessary to digest fats and other nutrients efficiently.
Because of these abilities, cardamom is an excellent natural remedy
for numerous stomach conditions such as indigestion, constipation
and stomach infections.
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22. Health Benefits:
Detoxification:
Because it is a rich source of natural antioxidants, eating or drinking
a tea made from cardamom regularly can help to remove dangerous
toxins from your body.
It is important that we try to detox from time to time to keep our
bodies in the best shape possible; a regular detox regime will ensure
that our immune systems are healthier and more capable of fighting
off infection.
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23. Health Benefits:
Bad Breath:
Cardamom was traditionally used in Chinese medicine and Ayurveda
to combat oral infections. It works because it is full of antibacterial
compounds that will help destroy and protect against the oral germs
responsible for gum disease and bad breath.
Cardamom has a delightful aroma which most people enjoy; try
making a tea from your cardamom and using it as a mouthwash a
few times each day. Alternatively, you can try chewing on a
cardamom pod whenever you feel the need to clean your mouth and
freshen your breath.
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24. Health Benefits:
Heart Health:
Making sure that you eat cardamom regularly may very well benefit
your heart and let’s face it; we all want a healthy heart.
The potassium, magnesium and calcium found in the spice are all
vital to heart function with sufficient potassium being responsible for
maintaining a steady hear beat and healthy blood pressure levels.
Research conducted on animals has demonstrated that oil extracted
from cardamom resulted in reduced heart rate, a more controlled
rhythm and lower blood pressure.
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25. Health Benefits:
Kidney Health:
According to experts, cardamom is an excellent remedy for kidney
troubles as well as urinary tract conditions. Cardamom has diuretic
properties which stimulates urination while it also removes the
build-up of toxins from the kidneys.
One of the traditional uses of the spice in medicine was to treat a
variety of kidney complaints including kidney stones and painful
urination. Of course, kidney stones can be a very serious issue and
you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
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26. Health Benefits:
Asthma & Congestion:
Cardamom may help ease breathing difficulties and other symptoms
of asthma such as wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest.
Cardamom is said to improve the circulation of blood in the lungs
while it also has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
It can help ease irritation in the sinuses and help you to expel
phlegm. It is also useful for those suffering from sinus conditions,
colds and bronchitis.
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27. Health Benefits:
Cancer:
Cardamom is a natural source of DIM and IC3 which are
phytochemicals known to combat certain types of cancer.
These phytochemicals can inhibit the proliferation of hormones that
cause prostate, breast and ovarian cancers.
Muscle Spasm:
Cardamom has proven anti-spasmodic properties; older people are
especially prone to muscular spasms which can occur suddenly and
lead to great pain.
Saudi Arabian researchers demonstrated that cardamom oil could
control muscular spasms in animals and that it had the potential to
treat spasms in humans
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28. Side Effects:
Cardamom is LIKELY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth ,
but the potential side effects of cardamom are :
Bowel disorder
Biliary colic
Contact dermatitis
Vomiting, nausea and diarrhea
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Gallstones: Do not take cardamom in amounts greater than those
typically found in food if you have gallstones. The cardamom seed
can trigger gallstone colic (spasmodic pain).
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29. Contraindication:
Ulcer
People with diverticulitis
Intestinal diseases
Gallstones and colic “but it is recommended in flatulence colic.”
Endometriosis
Pregnant woman
Essential oil shouldn’t be given to children
under 6 years
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30. References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25410063
www.medicationdaily.com
www.diethealthclub.com
www.rxlist.com
Pharmacognosy by William C Evans
Textbook of pharmacognosy and phytochemistry
Tapsell, L. C., Hemphill, I., Cobiac, L., Sullivan, D. R., Fenech, M.,
Patch, C. S., ... & Fazio, V. A. (2006). Health benefits of herbs and
spices: the past, the present, the future.
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31. References:
Iyer, A., Panchal, S., Poudyal, H., & Brown, L. (2009). Potential
health benefits of Indian spices in the symptoms of the metabolic
syndrome: a review.
Rakshit, M., & Ramalingam, C. (2010). Health benefits of spices with
special reference to antimicrobial activity and bio active
components. Journal of Experimental Sciences.
Jesylne, P., Soundarajan, S., Murthykumar, K., & Meenakshi, M.
(2016). The role of cardamom oil in oral health: A short
review. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, 9(3), 272.
Jiang, J., & Xiong, Y. L. (2016). Natural antioxidants as food and feed
additives to promote health benefits and quality of meat products: A
review. Meat science, 120, 107-117.
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