Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum from Sri Lanka
Cardamom is warming, spicy, deeply refreshing and mildly sweet. It invigorates the senses, balances the mind and evokes images of mouthwatering culinary delights. Cardamom has been used in India and China as food and medicine for over 3000 years. It has established itself as an essential herb for alleviating digestive troubles like gas, constipation, nausea, calming nerves in the abdomen and indigestion. It balances the mind and emotions with its warming soothing scent bringing mental vitality, increased focus and a feeling of joy and comfort. Cardamom is also an aphrodisiac. It is supportive of respiratory health and opens the sinuses; it is good for coughs, asthma and bronchitis. It is non-toxic and non-sensitizing and can be used with people of all ages and during pregnancy cardamom is commonly used for nausea.
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) originated in south India and spread throughout the world. It is a perennial herb with silky blade shaped leaves. It produces small yellowish flowers which develop purple tips. Below the flowers develops seed pods which carry small black strongly aromatic seeds. The seeds are used for medicine, spice and are steam distilled to produce cardamom essential oil. There are numerous related species such as the Siam cardamom (Amomum cardamomum) in India and China however each variety has their own uses in food and herbal medicine.
Cardamom essential oil is colorless or pale yellow and light weight with a fluid viscosity. It is highly aromatic and alluring in scent. It blends delightfully with other essential oils for perfumes and aromatic pleasures. Blend cardamom, Douglas fir, and myrrh essential oils for a woody, fresh aroma. Cardamom, cocoa, peppermint essential oils make a beautiful sweet and stimulating aroma or a great addition to coffees and cakes. Cardamom, Cinnamon bark, clove, and orange makes a deeply warming and sweet diffuser blend. Cardamom blends well with rose, orange, ylang ylang, cedar, scotch pine, cypress, Douglas fir, bergamot, fennel, grapefruit, lemon, vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, lemongrass, neroli, and jasmine.
Tip: When blending hold the opened bottles up to the nose to get an idea of how they will blend. It also gives us an idea of how much of each oil to use in ratio to the others. For example, if the peppermint seems to overpower the smell of the other essential oils, we know to use less of the peppermint relative to the other oils in our final blend.
Cardamom essential oil from Melissa’s Botanicals is 100% certified food grade organic by both Ecocert and the USDA; it is pure and perfect for use in foods and drinks. A drop or two of cardamom essential oil is a great addition to breads, chocolate cakes, curries, liquor, coffee, hot chocolate, chocolate truffles frosting and much more.
In Ayurveda cardamom essential oil is considered cooling in contrast to western herbalism where it is considered warming. It is used to stimulate digestion, sooth digestive spasms and discomfort and reduce nausea. It is considered highly satvic meaning that it is highly balanced and cardamom stimulates the intake of prana which is the vitality and life-force in Ayurveda. It is considered light, dry, cool and sweet. It helps digestion through its influence on samana vayu and apana vayu. Samana vayu is the digestive circulating force with-in the abdomine and the center of our fire, agni. Apana vayu is the down and out force with-in the body and governs elimination functions within the body and our ability to let go on a mental emotional level. Cardamom acts as a tonic to these primary systems with-in the body.
In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) cardamom has a wide variety of time tested uses. It’s used to simulate the flow of chi through the digestive system bringing greater efficiency and balance to the whole digestive tract. It expels phlegm, moves stagnation bringing more chi to the spleen and lung channels. It is a tonic for wei chi which is the defensive immune system in the body and is strongly linked to the lungs. It is used to improve clarity of mind, decrease symptoms of worry, nervous exhaustion and to vitalize the blood.
RECIPES
Find your favorite chocolate chip banana bread recipe and add essential oil when blending the butter into the mixture.
For a 9x5x3 pan of banana bread used:
2 drops cardamom
1 drop clove
2 drops cinnamon bark
Yum!
Perfume with a rich earthy aroma:
6 drops sandalwood
3 drops cardamom
2 drops myrrh
3 drops cocoa perfume
3 drops rose absolute
Into ½ to 1 ounce carrier adjust for personal preferences on potency.
Aphrodisiac Blend:
10 drop cocoa perfume
5 drop cardamom
5 drops myrrh
7 drop jasmine perfume or 3 drops jasmine absolute
In 1 Ounce carrier oil.
