9 health benefits of cardamom (2024)

What is cardamom?

Cardamom – named the 'queen of the spices' – belongs to the same spice family as ginger. It's cultivated in India, Sri Lanka and Central America and has been used in culinary and traditional medicine practices since ancient times. It has warming properties, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger and enhances both sweet and savoury dishes from around the world. Whole pods feature prominently in meat and rice dishes such as curries, whereas the ground form is used in desserts, especially pastries and Scandinavian breads.

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Health benefits of cardamom include:

  • Aids digestion
  • Freshens breath
  • Balances blood sugar levels
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Helps treat bronchitis
  • Acts as a stimulant improving circulation
  • Helps manage diabetes
  • Alleviates gastrointestinal discomfort during pregnancy
  • Helps treat stomach ulcers

Check out some of our cardamom recipes from cardamom buns to butter chicken.

Nutritional profile:

One teaspoon (3g) of ground cardamom contains:

  • 6 kcal
  • 0.22g protein
  • 1.37g carbohydrate
  • 0.56g fibre

What are the top health benefits of cardamom?

1. Can help digestion

Cardamom seeds contain a large amount of volatile oils and have been used medicinally as a digestive aid for years. These volatile oils relieve excess gas, while improving digestive function and provide natural support to the intestine – easing bloating.

2. Can freshen breath

Chewing cardamom seeds is an ancient method for freshening breath. Seeds contain an oil called cineole, which is known for its antimicrobial properties. Cineole kills the unhealthy bacteria present on the palate and tongue, promoting oral health.

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3. May balance blood sugar

Cardamom powder may lower blood sugar. One study examining rats fed a high fat, high carbohydrate diet with cardamom powder supplements – it showed an improvement in blood sugar levels compared to those on the diet alone. However, more research in humans is needed. In addition, cardamom is a rich source of manganese, which may play a role in managing blood sugar levels.

4. May lower blood pressure

Cardamom contains antioxidants, which have been linked to lower blood pressure. It is also known to act as a diuretic further helping to reduce blood pressure.

5. May help treat bronchitis

Cardamom might be useful in managing bronchitis and associated symptoms due to its expectorant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps loosen mucus and congestion from the lungs to give relief in bronchitis.

6. May improve circulation

It's a warming, stimulant spice that improves circulation and acts as a diaphoretic (makes you sweat), moving heat out to the periphery of the body. The essential oil can be used in massage to boost circulation.

7. May have a protective effect on certain diseases

Similarly to the effects of cardamom on blood sugars, supplementation has been shown to have a protective effect on serum lipids, glycemic indices and blood pressure in overweight and obsessive pre-diabetic women.

8. May ease morning sickness

Cardamom has been shown to help with morning sickness during pregnancy. This is due to the essential oils – similar to those found in ginger.

9. May help treat gastric ulcers

The extracted volatile oils from cardamom may have a positive influence on gastric ulcers. It is also found to offer protection against Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium linked to stomach ulcers.

Cardamom pods vs cardamom seeds

Cardamom pods contain 8-16 seeds that are then ground to form powder. The pods, seeds and powder are all used in seasoning. The pods can be crushed to expose the seeds and their flavour during cooking. The seeds can also be toasted and ground with a pestle and mortar. A little goes a long way and watch out when cooking with whole pods as biting into them can be quite unpleasant.

Is cardamom safe for everyone?

There are no apparent risks of consuming cardamom, especially in cooking as part of a balanced diet.

Cardamom is one of the most widely used spices and features in many sweet and savoury dishes. The seeds found inside the green pods contain essential oils with a range of health benefits. It aids digestion, helps control blood pressure, and can even alleviate morning sickness. Additionally, it's rich in antioxidants, which can help boost the immune system. Experts continue to study cardamom's potential benefits, but in the meantime this spice can make a great addition to your cupboard.

Try these:

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  • Pilau rice is a classic dish using cardamom. Learn how to make it by following our easy pilau rice recipe.
  • Traditional cardamom biscuits – known as Nankhatai – go wonderfully with a serving of tea.
  • It's soup season. Consider adding in cardamom to some of these delicious autumn soup recipes.
  • Suffering from morning sickness? You can find loads more in our healthy pregnancy diet guide.
  • Interested in more information on what to eat for your health? Check out our health hub.
9 health benefits of cardamom (2024)

FAQs

9 health benefits of cardamom? ›

Cardamom features powerful therapeutic properties. These properties include supporting healthy blood pressure levels, and promoting heart health. Studies have found that Cardamom can reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease and stroke.

What happens if we eat cardamom daily? ›

Cardamom features powerful therapeutic properties. These properties include supporting healthy blood pressure levels, and promoting heart health. Studies have found that Cardamom can reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease and stroke.

How much cardamom per day for health benefits? ›

Cardamom study shows health benefits

The study also provided estimated dosages for humans – at least 77 milligrams of cardamom bioactives for an adult around 132 pounds. It stated this beneficial dose may be obtained from consuming at least 8 to 10 cardamom pods every day.

What are the scientifically proven benefits of cardamom? ›

Cardamom can ease inflammation and protect your cells against something called oxidative stress, an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants that can lead to a number of medical issues. It can also help your body handle insulin better. Keep your blood pressure healthy.

How to take cardamom for health benefits? ›

Dosing. Cardamom is often included as a spice in foods. As a supplement, it is most often taken by mouth as a dose of 3 grams daily for up to 4 weeks in adults. Speak with a healthcare provider to found out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

Who should not take cardamom? ›

Pregnant women should avoid cardamom because it might stimulate the uterus, causing miscarriages or premature labor. Cardamom supplements also increase stomach acid levels and heartburn, which some pregnant women already experience without adding herbs that make these symptoms worse.

Is it safe to eat raw cardamom? ›

Yes, you can eat cardamom pods whole, but they are usually used to add flavor to dishes. The seeds inside the pods can be used whole or ground to release their flavor. The pods themselves have a tough, inedible outer shell and are usually discarded after the seeds are removed.

Is cardamom good for the kidneys? ›

Packed with diuretic traits, cardamom aids in proper elimination of excess salts, liquids, waste materials in the system, thus averting surplus levels of toxins building up in the kidneys.

What does cardamom do for the liver? ›

The liver is a powerhouse organ. So, it's important that it stays in tip-top shape to ensure that it's capable of handling the many functions it's tasked with. Cardamom can help in doing so, as it has been shown to reduce liver fat, lower liver stress, prevent liver enlargement and simply improve overall liver health.

Is cardamom better than cinnamon? ›

Cinnamon contains higher carbohydrate and fiber contents, whereas cardamom has more fats and proteins. Cardamom is richer in minerals than cinnamon. But cinnamon has high levels of calcium. Cinnamon contains vitamin B complex and vitamins K, E, and A, whereas cardamom has more vitamin C content.

What are two medicinal uses of cardamom? ›

Cardamom is used for digestion problems including heartburn, intestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal gas, constipation, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite. It is also used for common cold, cough, bronchitis, sore mouth and throat, and tendency toward infection.

Does cardamom help you sleep? ›

Well, cardamom is known for its potent medicinal benefits, which when combined with milk helps in relieving stress, anxiety and helps in inducing sleep. A combination of milk and cardamom at bed time also helps in boosting libido and improves the metabolic rate during sleep.

Why do I crave cardamom? ›

I think you might be craving it becuase you have a mineral/vitamin deficiency. I used to eat it a lot too and I noticed I only craved it when I was low on iron. After using it for a long time it started being the cause of my low iron levels. I stopped taking it which was very hard to do and now my health is better.

What happens if we eat one cardamom daily? ›

Consuming cardamom may help with conditions such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes, as well as boosting oral, heart, and liver health. Cardamom may also offer antimicrobial properties, help prevent ulcers, and help fight against cancer.

How does cardamom reduce belly fat? ›

Cardamom is a diuretic and digestive stimulant that stimulates metabolism and helps the body burn fat more effectively. Cardamom, an Ayurvedic essential, can ramp up your digestion and alleviate problems like water retention by targeting fat in your body.

What does cardamom do for your bones? ›

In fact, men and women in India commonly chew the pods to improve breath. What are the health benefits of cardamom? For starters, it's rich in powerful phytonutrients. It is especially high in manganese, a trace mineral that helps the body form connective tissue, bones and sex hormones.

What are the pros and cons of cardamom? ›

Cardamom is a spice that's part of the ginger family. The benefits of cardamom are that it is an anti-inflammatory spice while side effects may include skin rashes, coughing, and other symptoms. Cardamom is a spice that's part of the ginger family.

What are the benefits of eating cardamom at night? ›

But do you know what happens when you add this spice to your bedtime drink? Well, cardamom is known for its potent medicinal benefits, which when combined with milk helps in relieving stress, anxiety and helps in inducing sleep.

Is it safe to eat cardamom pods? ›

The use of cardamom to treat bad breath and improve oral health is an ancient remedy. In some cultures, it's common to freshen your breath by eating entire cardamom pods after a meal (1). Even the chewing gum manufacturer Wrigley uses the spice in one of its products.

What does cardamom do to your skin? ›

Cardamom oil stimulates blood flow to the skin and removes blemishes, resulting in a more radiant complexion. It helps in giving you a clearer and even complexion. Originating from Southern India, the dried ripe seeds of cardamom offer incredible benefits to the body.

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