C A R D A M O N

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Elettaria cardamomum, Elettaria repens

HISTORY: It is said that cardamon grew in the gardens of the King of Babylon in 720 B.C. The ancient Egyptians chewed cardamons to whiten their teeth and simultaneously sweeten their breath.


As early as 4 B.C., Indian Ayurvedic medicine texts used the spice to remove fat and as a cure for urinary and skin complaints. Cardamon was used in perfumes by ancient Greeks and Romans, and also recommended by Apicius, a famous Roman epicure, to counteract over-indulgence.


DESCRIPTION: Cardamon is a perennial plant found commonly in southern India. The simple, erect stems grow to a height of 6 to 10 feet from a thumb-thick, creeping rootstock.

The leaves are lanceolate, dark green and glabrous above, lighter and silky beneath. The small, yellowish flowers grow in loose racemes on prostrate flower stems. The fruit is a three-celled-capsule holding up to 18 seeds.


USED PARTS: the seeds and the capsule of the fruit.

ACTIONS: Appetizer, carminative, stimulant, stomachic. Cardamon seeds are useful for flatulence, but they are usually used as adjuvants with other remedies.

They are also used as a spice in cooking and as a flavoring in other medicines. The seeds and pods contain a volatile oil which is used in perfumes and as a stimulant.

Cardamon is a stimulant, it cools the body in extreme heat and it aids digestion. Remedy for Celiac Disease: Chinese use powdered cardamon sprinkled on cooked cereal to correct celiac disease (intolerance for the gluten commonly occurring in children, marked by frequent diarrhea and continual digestive problems).

Nonetheless, the aphrodisiac properties of cardamon are extoled in Arabian Nights - the people in Middle East still believe that cardamon possesses such properties. It is one of the stimulant aphrodisiacs, and the volatile oil may be quite an attraction if added into the massage oil.


AYURVEDIC APPLICATIONS:
Carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, digestive stimulant, stomachic Absorption of nutrients, asthma, bronchitis, colds, cough, excellent for stomach complaints, hoarseness, indigestion, loss of taste, helps the spleen and pancreas, reduces Kapha in lungs and stomach, stimulates the mind, with milk it reduces mucus formation, detoxifies caffeine in coffee, nervous digestion, vomiting, headache, belching, acid indigestion, nausea, expels " vayu " in colon and digests foods in colon, convalescing from diarrhea, biliousness, respiratory disorders, involuntary urination. Relieves nausea in small dose but causes vomiting in large dose.


CONSTITUENTS: N=fixed oil, volatile oil of seeds, terpinyl acetate, cineole, free terpineol, limonene, potassium salts, starch, nitrogenous mucilage, yellow coloring matter, ligneous fibver, ash with manganese K = essential oil 4-8% = cineol, terpinene, limonene, sabinene, terpineol if form of formic and acetic acids. Cardamon capsules = moisture 20%, protein 10%, ether extract 2%, mineral matter 5%, crude fiber 20%, carbohydrate 42%, calcium1%, phosphorus.


RECIPES:
For the aphrodisiac effect: Take sublingually powder made of the dried seeds, in quantities of 0.5-1.5 grams, every six hours, four times a day, for five months.

Keep the powder under your tongue for 15-20 minutes, then swallow it with some water, and maybe honey. For its aphrodisiac effects, take 3-4 grams at one time, four hours before lovemaking.

Chew the seeds until they become like a powder, and then keep them under your tongue for 5-10 more minutes.

Macerate prepared from one tea-spoon of powdered seeds in 250 ml of mineral or spring water, for 6-8 hours. Drink two coups a day.

Make a tincture of 10 g of whole seeds in 150 ml of alcohol at 60 degrees. Leave for 14-21 days and then use 0,5 g a day, with honey or water. This tincture is unbelievably useful to enhance sensuality and erotic magnetism.

Make a mix of cardamon and cinnamon, as this will make the erotic passion more intense.