Cardamom

Cardamom is a seed pod, recognized for centuries, because of its culinary and medicinal properties and known as “queen of spices”.

It is a perennial tropical herb plant and grows from a thick rootstalk up to around 6-10 feet.
Generally produced in the tropical regions of the world, particulary, in the evergreen forests of the western ghats in south india Botanically, it belongs to the ginger family of zingiberaceae and consists of two genera, elettaria and amomum both elettaria and amomum cardamom types feature three-sided fruits (pods) with a thin, yet tough, papery outer cover. Inside tiny, deep-brown, aromatic seeds arranged in vertical rows with each grain ensheathed again inside a delicate, transparent membrane.
Ekettaria pods are small and light green, while amomum pods are larger and drak brown.
Commercially, cardamom is used in every kitchen in the world for the spice and flavoring agent, both in sweet and salty foods besides in preventive and healing purposes.
Benefits

• It is a very nourishing spice full of multiple nutrients, minerals and vitamins. It contains dietary fiber, carbohydrate, protein, vitamin c, vitamin a, riboflavin, niacin, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and others.
• It is largely used for flavoring various food preparations, confectionary, perfumes, beverages, liquors and medicine permutations for healing.

Usage

• The spicy pods contain many essential volatile oils that have therapeutic properties for optimum health
• The major functional properties of cardamom are analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial