Garam Masala is a very popular and aromatic blend of spices that originates in India and Sri Lanka. It represents to Indian cuisine what Herbes de Provence represent to French cuisine and five-spice powder to Chinese cooking – a base for many authentic dishes that enhances the taste of recipes and gives a flavorful note to food.
Beyond adding that zing note to many recipes, Garam Masala is believed to yield healing properties. In Ayurvedic medicine, spices are often associated with aiding and healing illnesses, and when it comes to this particular blend, it is cardamom – one of the principal spices in the mix that has a good dose of aromatic properties and health benefits.
Where cardamom comes from
Cardamom seeds come from several plants native to India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Indigenously, it belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, and it is thus related to galangal, turmeric, and ginger.
There are two main varieties of cardamom, Malabar, and Mysore but many other inferior substitutes to them. For example, Siam cardamom is a species from South East Asia that boost a flavor similar to the Indian green cardamom, but is, however, milder and often rendered inferior.
In southern India, cardamom still grows wild as in the ancient times when the seeds were used for their culinary purpose but medicinal too.
- Ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom to clean teeth.
- Greeks and Romans used cardamom as a perfume.
- Indigenous Arabs believed cardamom possessed aphrodisiac properties and often included the spice in cooking.
- Ancient Indians endowed cardamom with weight-loss properties.
Cardamom – A healing food
There are many health benefits linked to cardamom today, and it has been scientifically proven that cardamom has anti-carcinogenic, antimicrobial and anti-spasmodic properties.
A research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology indicates that cardamom inhibits gastrointestinal lesions and protects against ulcer.
Another study conducted on patients with stage 1 hypertension revealed that cardamom “effectively reduces blood pressure, enhances fibrinolysis and improves antioxidant status.”
Moreover, researchers at the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata, India found that cardamom is a potential protective agent against skin cancer. Not only did the researchers’ study demonstrate that “cardamom has a potential to become a pivotal chemopreventive agent to prevent papilloma genesis on the skin,” but it also reinforced other health benefits. Cardamom was acknowledged for improving digestion and boosting metabolism.
Other health benefits tied to cardamom consumption on a regular basis
- Neutralizing dental bacteria.
- Helping with weight-loss and weight control.
- Relieving digestion problems.
- Treating flatulence.
- Soothing urinary problems.
How to consume cardamom to rip all the benefits of the spice
In foods
Adding cardamom to recipes is one of the best ways to ensure daily consumption and extra benefits to a diet. Also, cardamom used alongside cumin or coriander, for example, provides additional benefits.
Cardamom complements sweet potatoes and pastries a lot, but it can also be used to spice coffees and teas. For cooking purposes, to retain flavor for a long time, it’s best to purchase cardamom seeds and then ground as needed.
In beverages
Another way to consume the spice is making cardamom tea by crushing the seeds and adding them to hot water. Cardamom tea can be enjoyed with honey and milk and in combination with other spices such as cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and ginger – a really powerful mix that wards off colds.
As oil
Extracted from the plant’s seeds, cardamom oil is safe to be ingested in which case it supports good digestion and healthy gastrointestinal function.
Also, the oil can be diffused or applied topically, alternative medicine tying cardamom oil to mental clarity and emotional balance.