Cardamom oil is sweet oil which has a spicy and balsamic fragrance. The oil is clear and pale yellow in color with a thin texture and watery consistency. The oil is manufactured from cardamom plant, a plant which is found in India and is used as a spice. The cardamom plant has grown as a wild plant since ages, however, because of its sweet and refreshing taste; it is today largely cultivated in India and Ceylon.
Properties of Cardamom Oil
Cardamom is a perennial herb that looks a lot like reed. The herb can grow up to four meters long. The leaves are long, silky and blade like. It also has small yellow colored flowers that have a violet tip. The herb has a rhizome which is extremely fleshy – much like that of ginger. The fruits are oblong and grey in color. Each of these fruits has seeds which are commonly used in Indian kitchens – especially in the preparation of sweets.
Cardamom has been used for many of its properties in some of the most ancient civilizations. They have been used in the early Egyptian and Roman civilizations as mouth fresheners, teeth whiteners and incense. They were also used to enhance digestion after over eating. Some civilizations, like the Arabic ones, are also known to have ground the cardamom and used it with beverages like tea and coffee. Today, it is an important ingredient in the kitchen.
After the Portuguese discovered India, they were drawn to cardamom because of its sweet and refreshing taste as well as its aroma. The essential oil of cardamom was first distilled in 1544. The seeds of the fruits are used to make the essential oil. The fruits have to be picked just before they are ripe and the seeds should be distilled to get the oil.
Cardamom oil can be both topically applied and ingested. This is so because unlike many other essential oils, cardamom oil does not irritate the skin. It is non-sensitizing and non toxic, which makes it fit for being applied on skin or ingested.
Health Uses Of Cardamom Oil
The oil has many therapeutic properties.
- Though cardamom oil is considered milder than many others, it is considered an effective anti septic.
- It is a diuretic and can help enhance digestive functions.
- It is also antispasmodic, cephalic and carminative.
- Besides that, cardamom oil can be used as an expectorant and can prove to be a therapeutic tonic.
- The main use of cardamom oil is to improve digestion. It can work as a natural laxative and can soothe both colic and nausea.
- The aroma can be refreshing and uplifting, especially for those who feel mentally and physically fatigued.
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