A pinch of cardamom will make your dishes even tastier. Cardamom is a widely used spice that originated in India, but is now an unavoidable culinary ingredient worldwide. It has a fresh and aromatic flavour that enhances the flavour of the dishes. Scientifically, cardamom is known as Elettaria cardamomum maton, but widely, it is known as “the Queen of Spices.” Not only cardamom’s exotic flavour and aroma but also its medicinal properties made it popular, and it has been used for over 4,000 years. Here are 10 health benefits of cardamom.
Improves digestive health: Cardamom is a widely used home remedy for digestive problems. Cardamom can increase the secretion of bile acid in the stomach as well as supporting digestion and healthy fat metabolism. It is frequently combined with other therapeutic spices to treat discomfort, motion sickness, and vomiting. Cardamom’s potential capacity to treat ulcers has garnered the most research in terms of its potential to ease stomach discomfort. A common anti-ulcer drug was outperformed by cardamom extract in terms of effectiveness. Other gastrointestinal conditions like acid reflux, heartburn, diarrhoea, etc. can be reduced by using the spice.
Helps oral health: Cardamom has antimicrobial properties that improve oral health. Cardamom can protect against oral pathogens like Streptococcus mutans. Cardamom’s strong flavour even stimulates saliva production, which can help prevent dental caries. Using cardamom is a small tip to avoid bad breath because of its ability to fight common mouth bacteria. Eating entire cardamom pods after a meal will freshen your breath.
Promotes heart health: Cardamom’s antioxidant properties benefit heart health. Cardamom contains fiber, a nutrient that can improve heart health and lower cholesterol levels. Its diuretic properties help lower blood pressure, which is also good for the heart. A study in ischemic heart patients discovered that black cardamom consumption improved the plasma lipid profiles, antioxidant status, and fibrinolytic activity. According to a report by the Harvard Medical School, cardamom is one of the ingredients that heart specialists frequently include in their dinners.
Avoid blood clots: Cardamom prevents platelet aggregation and adhesion to artery walls, which lowers the risk of life-threatening blood clots. According to the Central Food Technological Research Institute in India, cardamom has a number of components that help dissolve blood clots. However, there hasn’t been enough research done on this topic.
Provides Protection to the Liver: Cardamom’s detoxifying properties made it popular in Ayurvedic medicines. Increased liver enzyme, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels may be reduced by cardamom extract. Additionally, they might stop liver weight gain and enlargement, which lowers the risk of fatty liver disease. Cardamom does appear to have some beneficial effects on the liver, which is essential for removing toxins from the body, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support this claim.
Improves sexual health: An established aphrodisiac is cardamom. Just a tiny pinch of cardamom powder can release nerve stimulants and ignite your passions because the spice is abundant in the compound cineole. Cardamom may be used to treat impotence, according to some reports. More research is required in this area.
Reduces blood sugar: Cardamom can be consumed by diabetic patients, which can lower blood sugar. Manganese, a mineral that can lower the risk of diabetes, is extremely abundant in cardamom. In a study where two groups of people were tested, they either drank black tea alone or black tea with three grams of either cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger every day for eight weeks. Cinnamon, but not cardamom or ginger, appeared to improve blood sugar regulation, according to the findings. More research is required to fully comprehend how cardamom affects human blood sugar levels.
Aids in cancer prevention: Cardamom has been shown in studies to be effective in the fight against cancer. Many studies done in animals have found that the usage of cardamom can prevent, delay, and even reverse the development of cancer. Cardamom powder reduces the risk of tumour development. It also lessens all-around inflammation, which slows the development of cancer cells and promotes their demise. It may be used to treat stomach cancer. Additionally, the spice had beneficial effects on mice with chemically-induced colorectal cancer. The spice might also improve the tumour-attacking capacity of natural killer cells. Similar findings have been found in studies using cardamom and human cancer cells.
Has diuretic properties: Cardamom has diuretic effects, which are helpful in treating hypertension, heart failure, and epilepsy. Its diuretic effect encourages urination to eliminate water that builds up in your body. Cardamom’s diuretic effects support detoxification as well. It is also helpful in lowering blood pressure. The use of cardamom helps clean out the urinary tract, bladder, and kidneys.
Provides the Skin with Therapeutic Benefits: Cardamom has a therapeutic effect, which is very beneficial for the skin. It can be used to calm and soothe skin by adding in skin care products for antiseptic and anti-inflammatory purposes. It can arouse the senses when added to perfumes. Cardamom is used in facial soaps to give the skin a warming sensation. These cosmetics are classified as aromatherapy products because they use cardamom for therapeutic purposes.
Cardamom is the most well-known Kerala spice, and it is used in many dishes all over the world. The use of cardamom can avoid many health problems and can also benefit our health. As a result, it has been used as a medicine since ancient times. Adding cardamom to your dishes could be a secure and efficient way to enhance your health as well as make them delicious.
