Cardamom was an article of Greek trade during the fourth century BC. It is doubtful whether the Greeks and Romans had the true cardamoms i.e., Elettaria. Marcopolo does not mention cardamom in his travel documents but the Portuguese traveller Parbosa in 1514 described its trade with the Malabar Coast. The earliest record of cardamom in India is in an Ayurvedic medical treatise compiled in BC 1000.

Popularly known as "Queen of spices", small cardamom of commerce is an important and popular flavouring material and spice. The useful part is the dried mature fruit. It is usually referred to as capsule. Cardamom is used for flavouring curries, cakes, and bread and for other culinary purposes. It is also used as masticatory and for flavouring coffee and confectionery. An essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the seeds, which is used for flavouring processed foods and liquors, in perfumery and beverages. The pleasant aroma and the characteristic warm, slightly pungent taste are due to numerous essential oil components present in the seeds.

Characteristics

Cardamom is a perennial bushy herb. The tuberous underground rhizome is its real stem and the aerial shoot is a pseudostem and formed by the encircling leaf sheaths. The leaves are long, alternate and lanceolate in shape. Flowers are borne on panicles and they emerge directly from the underground stem on long floral stalks. They are hermaphrodite and zygomorphic. The fruits are tri-locular, ovoid or oblong, greenish-brown capsules containing about 15-20 seeds attached to axil placenta. Light reddish or dark reddish brown seeds are irregularly three-sided, transversely wrinkled or furrowed and are covered by a membranous aril.

Cardamom essential oil has traditionally been used as a tonic to the digestive system, as well as a component of many sensual aphrodisiac blends . Cardamom oil may relieve spasm, making it possibly beneficial for colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion and cramps. Cardamom oil may be of benefit where the digestive system is affected by nervous tension. In addition, cardamom oil can relieve nausea and may be useful for morning sickness in pregnancy for some mothers-to-be.

Cardamom is ground and mixed with ground coffee and served as “KAWA”, a favourite drink among the Arabs. In America and Europe where the cardamom is used mainly in the grinding or distilling industry, the colour is of no importance.

The cardamom oil is a precious ingredient in food preparations, perfumery, health foods, medicine and beverages. A good portion is consumed for chewing or as a masticatory item. In medicine, it is used as powerful aromatic, stimulant, carminative, stomachic and diuretic, but rarely used alone. It also checks nausea and vomiting, helps in combating digestive ailments. Herbal lures on this spice suggest it can be used to freshen your breath and support smooth digestion.