Food For Beauty: Charmed by Cardamom
~ edited by Diana Cohen
The benefits and properties of plants have been revered for thousands of years. Herbs and spices are an incredible, if not necessary, addition to any healthy lifestyle. Science is finally catching up with this wisdom our great ancestors and indigenous peoples had known all along.
Here we’ll be looking into a princess among spices, Cardamom.
We think you’ll be charmed by cardamom and all this frisky, aromatic spice has to offer!
Hooking Up With Herbs for Beauty
I always thought that I looked pretty young for my age. Boy, was I wrong! I was recently in a dressing room at the mall and when I looked at myself in the mirror I was shocked. Staring at my face and body, I thought to myself, “You’re really aging”. I never realized I had dark circles under my eyes. Pretty depressing I must say! I immediately headed home and went on the computer only to find the be. beauty program. I signed up immediately and I can’t wait to see the results.
To prepare for this beauty makeover, I’ve already begun taking baby steps to improve my health and wellness. After the dreaded shopping trip, I stopped having my morning cup of black tea with cream and sugar. I realized I could replace this with healthier, beautifying teas. While doing some research on this, I stumbled upon different herbs and spices which are used for teas. I found some of the medicinal properties of cardamom pretty interesting and I wanted to share them with you.
Therapeutic Properties of Cardamom Revealed
Cardamom, a member of the Ginger family, is one of the world’s most ancient spices. It comes from the seeds of a ginger-like plant. This lovely spice does more than add flavor to various dishes. It also has many health benefits such as improving digestion and increasing one’s metabolism. Even though the Cardamon Spice originally came from India various types exist in other areas such as Scandinavia. It works well in herbal infusions and teas. The small black seeds of the Cardamom are where the aroma comes from. They’re contained within the pod.
Some of the health and beauty benefits of Cardamom are:
- It acts as a detoxifier which improves your skin
- Contains anti-aging antioxidants
- Improves hair strength and shine
- Helps with excessive stomach acid
- It sweetens the breath
- Cleanses the Kidneys, Liver and Bladder
- Helps with lung congestion
- Helps with indigestion, nausea, and vomiting
- It’s believed to lower the risk of heart disease as well as lower cholesterol.
- It can be used as a laxative, to prevent stomach pain, griping and gas!
- the aroma is known to uplift and invigorate
- It has aphrodisiac properties!
Cardamom is known for its nutritional benefits as well. It’s high in vitamin and mineral content including Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Folate.
Preparing Cardamom
You can use the pod whole or remove the seeds and discard the pod. Since Cardamom is one of the strongest spices, however, most preferred to use the whole pod in a majority of dishes as well as in making teas.
With no sugar and a low-calorie content, this is a great spice to use on a regular basis.