12 Health Benefits of Cardamom
Some people equate the strong, slightly sweet flavor of cardamom to that of mint.
For millennia, traditional medicine has utilized cardamom seeds, oils, and extracts because of its purportedly remarkable therapeutic qualities.
One herb that's frequently added to dishes as a spice is cardamom. Sometimes, medicine is made from the seeds and the oil that comes from them.
Chemicals found in cardamom may help boost immunity, lessen edema, and kill certain infections.
Although there is no solid scientific evidence to support the use of cardamom, it is used for several conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Further research is needed to see whether cardamom can help with conditions like infection, high blood pressure, and weight reduction. You can include it in your cooking, but before using cardamom extracts or supplements, consult your physician.
What is Cardamom?
Cardamom, a spice derived from the seeds of many Zingiberaceae plants, is commonly referred to as "Elettaria cardamom"The original home of the spice is in Asia, including Indonesia, Bhutan, Nepal. Cardamom pods are small, triangular in cross-section, and resemble spindles, which is how they are identified. which also contains ginger, and has white blossoms.
Dried seeds from this plant are frequently added as a spice to a variety of Asian dishes, such as curries, cakes, and coffee. For thousands of years, people have utilized various parts of the cardamom plant, such as the seeds, leaves, bark, roots, and flowers, due to its possible health benefits.
Known as the "Queen of Spices," cardamom is the third most costly spice in the world, with only saffron and vanilla surpassing it.
Health Benefits:
Cardamom helps shield the digestive system from harmful conditions like cancer. It also helps cure diabetes and improves depression management. To reap the wonderful benefits, you can either have cardamom milk, or incorporate cardamom into your diet as you normally do.
These 12 cardamom health benefits are supported by science.
1-Maybe Contains Compounds That Fight Cancer:
Cardamom's constituents may aid in the battle against cancer cells.
Cardamom powder has been demonstrated in mouse studies to enhance the activity of specific cancer-fighting enzymes.
The spice might make it easier for natural killer cells to target malignancies.
Compared to almost 90% of the control group, just 29% of the cardamom-eating group had cancer after 12 weeks.
Cardamom and human cancer cell research show comparable outcomes. According to one study, a certain spice ingredient prevented oral cancer cells in test tubes from proliferating.
The potential of cardamom as a natural cancer treatment has been demonstrated. The spice can be used to stop, slow down, or even reverse the development of cancer, according to several animal studies. Moreover, cardamom reduces systemic inflammation, which stops cancer cells from growing and promotes their demise.
2-Help in Depression Fighting:
A health survey claims that cardamom can aid with depression relief. Simply grind up a few cardamom seeds and steep them in water with your regular tea. For best effects, take the tea daily.
3-Improves Digestive Health:
For thousands of years, people have used cardamom to aid in digestion.
It is frequently combined with other therapeutic spices to ease pain, induce nausea, and stop vomiting.
When it comes to treating stomach problems, cardamom's potential healing power over ulcers has been studied the most.
In one study, high dosages of aspirin were given to rats to produce stomach ulcers after the rodents were given extracts of cardamom, turmeric, and sembung leaf in hot water. Rats who got these treatments had fewer ulcers than the rats that got aspirin alone.
In a related investigation, cardamom extract was shown to be able to either totally prevent or at least 50% reduce the size of stomach ulcers in rats.
4-Promotes Heart Health:
Because of its antioxidants, heart health may be improved. Additionally, fiber—a vitamin that might improve heart health and decrease cholesterol—is included in cardamom.
The spice lowers blood pressure, which is good for the heart. All you need to do is combine one teaspoon of coriander and one pinch of cardamom with one cup of freshly squeezed peach juice.
Black cardamom appears to be far more effective than its green counterpart. In one study, black cardamom supplementation improved the plasma lipid profiles, antioxidant status, and fibrinolytic activity (a mechanism that stops blood clots from forming and creating issues) of patients with ischemic heart disease.
5-May Treat Cavities and Bad Breath:
Cardamom has long been used as a dental health and foul breath treatment.
Eating whole cardamom pods after a meal is a typical way to freshen your breath in certain cultures.
Cardamom's potential to produce minty, fresh breath may stem from its antimicrobial properties against common oral germs.
The antibacterial qualities of cardamom improve dental health. Against oral infections such as Streptococci mutans, cardamom can offer protection. Cardamom's strong flavor even increases saliva production, which may help shield teeth from cavities.
Additionally effective in treating foul breath is cardamom. Bad breath would no longer be an issue if you took a combination of spices, such as cardamom, fennel, and anise seeds.
6-Reduces Levels of Blood Pressure:
Cardamom is a useful blood pressure reducer. To control your blood pressure, you can easily add cardamom to your baked goods, stews, and soups.
In one trial, twenty adults with recently diagnosed high blood pressure were given three grams of cardamom powder daily by the researchers. Blood pressure was considerably dropped to the normal range after 12 weeks.
The study's encouraging findings could be explained by cardamom's strong antioxidant content. By the time the trial ended, the subjects' antioxidant status had grown by 90%. There is evidence that antioxidants reduce blood pressure.
7-Liver Heath:
Cardamom is used in herbal remedies because of its ability to cleanse the body. The liver, which is essential for eliminating toxins from the body, seems to gain somewhat from cardamom, despite the lack of scientific proof to support this claim.
In one study, overweight or obese individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were included. Compared to individuals who received a placebo, those who took green cardamom pills showed improvements in liver health markers.
In another experiment, researchers assessed specific liver health markers while feeding rats a diet heavy in fat and carbohydrates. Compared to the rats that consumed an unsupplemented diet, the rats that got cardamom after eight weeks showed reduced liver stress.
This research implies that cardamom may be able to shield the liver from specific kinds of harm.
8-May have Antibacterial and Infection-Treating:
Outside of the mouth, cardamom possesses antibacterial properties that can be used to treat infections.
According to research, there are chemicals in cardamom extracts and essential oils that can combat some common bacterial strains.
Further studies in test tubes revealed that cardamom extracts and essential oils were equally, if not more, effective than prescription medications in combating the germs that cause food poisoning, Staphylococcus, and E. coli.
It was believed that cardamom had anti-infective qualities.
Unlike traditional herbal remedies that target harmful bacteria, contemporary antibiotics have been shown to cause adverse consequences, like inhibiting beneficial bacteria within the intestines. While cardamom and other spices might not be as consistently potent, they only suppress beneficial probiotics , not contagious microorganisms.
Experiments using its extracts tested this notion. The growth and spread of harmful bacteria that could result in food poisoning were able to be stopped by the cardamom oils.
Cardamom may potentially be able to be used as an alternate treatment against infections resistant to antibiotics, according to studies.
9-May Improve Oxygen and Breathing use:
The compounds in cardamom may aid your breathing by improving lung airflow.
Cardamom has a stimulating scent that improves your body's ability to use oxygen when you work out when used in aromatherapy.
In one trial, participants were instructed to inhale one minute of cardamom essential oil before engaging in 15-minute treadmill walks. The oxygen uptake in this group was noticeably higher than in the control group.
Cardamom can also help with respiration and oxygen use by opening up your airways. Treating asthma may benefit greatly from this.
Cardamom helps relieve wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest, which are symptoms of asthma. The spice improves blood circulation in the lungs, which facilitates breathing. Additionally, it reduces associated irritation by calming mucous membranes.
According to a different source, green cardamom can be used to treat bronchitis, asthma, and a host of other respiratory conditions.
10-Could Reduce Blood Sugar Levels:
Cardamom powder has the potential to reduce blood sugar.
According to one study, rats given a high-fat, high-carb (HFHC) diet had higher blood sugar levels for longer periods than rats given a regular diet.
Cardamom powder was given to rats on the HFHC diet, however, the rats' blood sugar did not remain raised longer than that of rats on a regular diet.
In people with type 2 diabetes, the powder might not have the same impact.
11-May Relieve With Vomiting & Nausea:
Cardamom has historically been used to treat nausea and may help to suppress the urge to throw up. It has been reported that using cardamom powder reduces the intensity of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
12-Benefits of Cardamom for Hair and Skin:
Clear Skin Cardamom is a skin-saving remedy for acne-prone skin. It removes imperfections and stops outbreaks. It unclogs all clogged pores and regulates sebum flow. Its anti-inflammatory components help to soothe and balance out skin inflammation.
Softer Lips: Thanks to the antioxidants in cardamom, chapped lips are no longer an issue. Lip balms contain cardamom essential oils to soothe the lips and give aroma.
0 Comments