Cardamon has been used for centuries as a spice for cooking and healing and throughout history it has been one of the world’s most expensive spices. Many know this spice from culinary creations from India, Iran, Morocco and Arab nations. I first discovered it for it’s medicinal purpose, although it was in many Indian spice blends that I’ve used without my realizing it.
This healing spice has long been used for soothing the stomach to improve digestion by calming the gut lining. It is also used to prevent bad breath by killing some the bacteria that cause it. If you have ever eaten at an Indian restaurant, their “after dinner mint” is a spice blend that often includes cardamon.
In addition to supporting the digestive process, Cardamon can also help your respiratory system by relaxing the airways (similar to how it helps calm the digestive tract). Using the spice this way is how I first became aware of it’s medicinal benefits. I have grown quite fond of the smell of cardamon personally, which reminds me of eucalyptus.
There are a few varieties of cardamon available- Chinese brown cardamon, Thai green cardamon, Nepal cardamon and Java cardamon. However, these are not considered to be “true” cardamon, which is the green cardamon, the best of which comes from the rain forest of Southern India.
The best way to use this healing spice as part of your healthy lifestyle is to take culinary doses. That is, to deliberately incorporate it into your diet through cooking. There are recipe search engines at your fingertips where you can find different ways to do this, like cardamon ice cream, or you can use it in a more traditional way and make a dry rub for your lamb roast.
Of course the way that I personally enjoy cardamon the most is to make a simple chai tea. Here’s one recipe that I found:
Spiced Milk Tea
10 cardamon pods (or 1/2 teaspoon cardamon seeds)
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 white peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cups milk (or nut mylk)
3 tablespoons brown sugar (or raw honey)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (use less if using freshly grated ginger)
2 cups water
4 bags black tea
- Remove the seeds from the the cardamon pods and discard the pods.
- Dry roast the cardamon seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and fennel seeds in a hot skillet until they release their fragrance (about 5 minutes). Allow to cool then grind them to a fine powder. You can use a coffee grinder, spice grinder, food processor, or if you want an arm workout and you have time, you can use a mortar and pestle.
- Place milk into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the ground spices, ginger and brown sugar. If using raw honey, add it to the pan when it has been removed from the heat, just before serving (this will preserve the medicinal benefits of the raw honey).
- Heat the water in another pot and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and steep the tea bags for 3 minutes (longer if you want a stronger tea). Four the tea into the milk mixture and simmer for 1 minute.
- Allow the chai mixture to rest for a few minutes off the heat and strain. You can add the raw honey at this time.
- Serve and enjoy!