Health Benefits of Cardamom
Cardamom is a robust and flavorful spice that was once highly-championed in the East for its many medicinal properties, and it’s an item worth keeping in your kitchen cabinet. Not only does it boost the taste of certain foods with its potent, spicy taste, but it offers several health benefits.
Great-tasting food and better health to boot? It doesn’t get better than that! Here are more details about the ten most exciting ways in which cardamom improves health.
1. Regulates Blood Pressure
Cardamom is considered to be a very good source of potassium, which is a key mineral linked to controlling heart rate and keeping blood pressure in check.
2. Fights Free Radicals
When the body’s cells undergo extreme stress, changes take place that can damage the body and possibly lead to degenerative diseases. Stress, environmental pollution and improper diet are some causes for the toxicity that free radicals create in the body.
Here’s where cardamom comes in handy. It’s high in iron and manganese, both of which work to aid cellular metabolism and red blood cell formation, keeping destructive free radicals at bay at the same time.
3. Potential Cancer-Fighter
Some studies have shown that adding cardamom to the diet is able to reduce colorectal cancer by 48%. The finding brought hope to those fighting this kind of cancer, and is encouraging news for people who prefer natural healing methods over more conventional ones.
Other supporting research has found that the spice can help regulate gene activity in skin cancer cells. while also lessening the activity of genes associated with cancer growth.
4. Anti-Depressant
When used as an essential oil in aromatherapy, cardamom has been found to be effective in diminishing levels of depression.
5. Treats Stomach Issues
Cardamom extract has successfully improved gastrointestinal issues. Ayurveda and Chinese medicine practices have found that it reduces flatulence (a problem that can be both painful and embarrassing). Cardamom also helps relieve stomach cramps and acidity.
6. Protects Against Food Poisoning
Every so often, there’s news of a serious food poisoning outbreak. In most cases, people become weak and nauseated, but in other cases the results are more devastating.
However, testing on cardamom has revealed that its oils contain infection-fighting properties that ward off the harmful microbes that often cause of food poisoning. The growth and spread of these microbes are halted due to its cardamom’s antimicrobial properties.
7. Boosts Weight Loss and Maintenance
Cardamom is a good source of fiber, so it should be considered as a wise addition to a healthy diet. Two tablespoons of ground cardamom contain 3.2g of dietary fiber, which meets 8% of a man’s daily fiber needs and 13% of a woman’s needs.
This is not only great news for those who wish to maintain their healthy habits, but also for those wanting to lose weight or keep lost weight from returning. Why? Fiber makes people feel full for longer, which keeps hunger pangs at bay and reduces the chance that individuals will reach for more food.
8. Better Tissue and Bone Health
Cardamom’s levels of manganese and iron don’t just help with fighting the damaging effects of free radicals—they also keep tissue and bone very healthy. Both manganese and iron allow proper function to ensue, so bones stay strong and tissues have the oxygen they need to thrive.
9. Treats Urinary Problems
In Ayurveda, people turn to cardamom as a healing remedy that can help treat urinary tract infections and diseases such as cystitis and gonorrhea.
10. Maintains Good Dental Health
Finally, cardamom has been used to treat dental problems in both Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. It’s been found that it preserves oral health by keeping dangerous microbes away while leaving helpful probiotic bacteria intact. Compared to antibiotics that are often designed to produce the same effects, cardamom comes without many of the side effects and questionable results.
