Known as the Queen of Spices, there is something extraordinary about cardamom. With a sharp taste and rejuvenating aroma, the world’s third-most expensive spice finds a place in almost every cuisine. Loved by people all across the globe, cardamom is the soul of numerous recipes, whether savory or sweet. Besides, its amazing flavor, the spice has much more to offer. This article shares with you the incredible Cardamom benefits that make it a must in your diet.
Cardamom is a popular spice native to India, Bhutan, Indonesia, and Nepal. It belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae. It has a sharp taste and is slightly sweet. It is not only used in food but also finds use in medicine. The oil and seeds of cardamom have medicinal properties.
There are two varieties of cardamom:
It belongs to genus Elettaria Cardamomum and is also known as true cardamom. It has green or greenish yellow skin.
It belongs to the genus Amomum Subulatum. It is bigger than green cardamom and has dark brown colored skin.
Cardamom provides loads of health benefits owing to its incredible nutrition profile. It serves as a rich source of manganese and also provides you with an abundant amount of iron.
Besides, it also contains a good amount of minerals like potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and copper along with Vitamin C, B complex Vitamins, thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, and riboflavin.
It also is an excellent reserve of essential oils that are great for your skin and hair. Also please note that cardamom has low amounts of sodium which makes it great for your heart.
Cardamom has a sharp and distinct aroma. It has a complex taste which is citrusy, minty, herbal and spicy all at once. Green cardamom has an aromatic taste while black cardamom has a smoky flavor.
Those who are serious about boosting their overall health can do it simply and easily by adding cardamom to their diet. This spice is much more than just a flavoring agent. Below mentioned are some of the fantastic ways in which cardamom benefits you:
Cardamom is well known for its potent ability to promote the functioning of your digestive system. It not only improves the flavor of your dishes but also enhances your digestion. It has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and benefits you by stimulating metabolism, thus ensuring that the body adequately absorbs every nutrient and there is minimal deposition of fat.
Further, cardamom also aids in the secretion of bile acid in the stomach which plays a vital role in digestion. Consuming cardamom every day keeps your digestive system healthy and also prevents gastrointestinal troubles like heartburn and acid reflux.
Consumption of cardamom benefits you in the long run as it has potent properties against fatal diseases like cancer. Studies say that cardamom exhibits anticancer properties. It being anti-inflammatory and antioxidant prevents inflammation in your body and inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
The antioxidants present in it fight off the free radicals that may cause cancer, thus inhibiting their growth. The spice is known to treat forestomach cancer.
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Stress is a part of your life but how you deal with it entirely depends on you. Excessive stress, whether emotional or mental may cause depression which has become a common condition nowadays. However, you can easily evade the state by including cardamom in your diet.
It exhibits wonderful properties that can help you out in fighting depression. Just add some powdered cardamom to the boiling water of your regular tea and consume it every day. You will witness incredible results soon. Cardamom dramatically enhances your mood and helps you in fighting off stress and anxiety.
For a happy and healthy heart, include cardamom in your daily diet. It has incredible properties that work wonders for your heart. The high amount of fiber present in it helps in eliminating the cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels, thus enabling the smooth flow of blood and preventing any strain on the heart.
Drink the concoction of cardamom and coriander along with peach juice for a healthy heart. It helps in lowering blood pressure and preventing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Black cardamom is explicitly great for the health of your heart. Studies have shown that consuming black cardamom on a regular basis improves the antioxidant status and plasma lipid profiles in your body. Further, it also boosts the fibrinolytic activity which prevents the blood clots from growing.
Cardamom has diuretic properties and thus benefits in cleansing your body. Being diuretic, it increases urination and helps in flushing out the toxins accumulated in the body. It eases the functioning of your kidneys and prevents the build-up bacteria in the urinary tract. In all, cardamom benefits in keeping urinary tract infections at bay and boosts the health of your excretory organ.
Yes, this amazing spice can also manage your blood sugar level. Cardamom powder, if consumed on a regular basis can help in keeping your blood sugar level under check. It is because cardamom contains a high amount of manganese. It is an essential mineral required by your body that inhibits the immediate spike in glucose levels in the blood.
Muscle and joint pain can be easily treated by cardamom. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties that can ease the pain. Studies show that cardamom has anti-carcinogenic properties that alleviate the pain in joints and that caused due to muscle spasms.
Yes, those looking for effective ways for losing weight can rely on cardamom for its ability in aiding weight loss. Cardamom owing to its magical oil composition stimulates body metabolism, thus enabling better digestion and eliminating unnecessary fat deposit in the body. Further, it also improves the blood circulation and helps in removal of the toxins from the body. In all, cardamom is a healthy fat burning food that aids in the proper utilization of calories consumed by you and aids in losing weight.
Bad, breath, dental cavities, etc., can be treated with cardamom. It has been used since ages to cure various oral problems. The unique cardamom taste and minty flavor are excellent for keeping your breath fresh; hence the spice is popularly used as a mouth freshener.
Further, some studies carried out on extracts of cardamom show that it is quite effective in fighting five types of bacteria that are known to cause dental cavities. Thus, cardamom is an excellent spice for your oral health.
Have a sore throat? Try cardamom. It has remarkable properties that work magically in treating sore throat. It soothes the throat and reduces irritation. Boil some cardamom in water and use the water for rinsing your mouth and ease the soreness of throat. Studies have also shown that cardamom reduces nausea and prevents vomiting.
Those wishing for healthy and beautiful skin can attain it with cardamom. Antioxidants present in cardamom help in fighting off free radicals that cause skin aging and prevent its pigmentation, dryness, and spots. Further, it detoxifies the skin and removes the harmful toxins from the body. Thus, it keeps your skin healthy, youthful and supple.
The antioxidant properties present in cardamom benefits your scalp and also boost the health of your hair. It strengthens your hair follicles thus eventually strengthening the strands of your hair and making them smooth and lustrous. Its antibacterial properties also prevent the build-up of microbes that may cause scalp infections. So what are you waiting for? Add cardamom to your daily diet and beautify your hair naturally.
Cardamom owing to its vast array of health benefits is used in treating numerous ailments like:
Cardamom tea is consumed all across the world for its numerous health benefits. It is an excellent remedy for boosting digestion. Here is an easy recipe for how to make cardamom tea.
Here are some of the best methods to enjoy the vast array of cardamom benefits.
The refreshing taste of this Cardamom Orange French Toast gives your morning a great start.
Pamper your taste buds with some delicious cookies.
Try this delectable Cardamom Honey Chicken recipe and pamper your taste buds with some great flavors.
Though there is a vast list of cardamom benefits, it has a few side-effects too:
Cardamom and coriander, both are popular spices with potent properties to treat various ailments like high blood pressure, digestive troubles, etc. However, there are some significant differences between them. Cardamom is a plant of the ginger family whereas coriander seeds come from the cilantro plant. Another major difference between the two spices is that the former one is a warming spice while the latter one is a cooling spice.
Cardamom is a popular spice with excellent medicinal properties. As such it is widely used in Ayurveda too. Whether you wish to improve your digestive health, oral health or cardiovascular health, include this amazing spice in your regular diet and see a visible difference.
Enjoy it in savory dishes or enhance the taste of your regular dessert to enjoy cardamom benefits. Drink cardamom tea is one of the best ways to include cardamom in your diet. Consume it in moderate quantity and enjoy excellent health.
A typical dose of 1.5 gram of cardamom powder is recommended in a day. If you wish to consume cardamom tea, then tea made using a teaspoon of cardamom powder in a cup of boiled water is recommended in a day.
Cardamom is known to lower blood pressure. Hence those taking medicines for reducing blood pressure must first consult their doctor.
Consuming excessive amount of cardamom may pose severe health hazards. It may cause allergic reactions and gallbladder stones. It may also interact with other medications and herbs leading to severe complications.