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Cardamom oil, extracted from the cardamom plant, has been used for centuries in medicine and cuisine. It contains essential oils and vitamins, and is used for stomach ailments, as an antiseptic, and in Ayurveda. India is the top exporter of cardamom oil.
Cardamom oil is an oil extracted from cardamom, a perennial herb native to Ceylon and India, used since the 16th century in Portugal. Frequent uses of cardamom oil include common health ailments as a remedy for stomach cramps, flatulence, and improving digestion. In medicine, it is used as an antiseptic and supposedly has aphrodisiac qualities. Other parts of the cardamom plant are also used for various purposes: the fruit is used in Asian and Indian cuisine, the flower is often used for ornamental purposes, and the pods are sold as a spice.
Cardamom oil also contains over 19 volatile essential oils which are used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and the pods contain vitamins necessary for human health such as riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. Other health benefits include its rich source of vitamins, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. Cardamom oil’s many uses throughout history include Egyptian perfumes and tooth whiteners, as a Roman cure for stomach ailments, and Arab uses in coffee. It is also considered an important part of Ayurveda, the ancient Hindu art of medicine, mainly as a digestive tonic, but also as a muscle relaxant and with many other health benefits.
If the fruit of the cardamom plant is not consumed, it is harvested before ripening and yields approximately 1% to 5% cardamom oil by weight through a steam distillation process. Cardamom seed pods known as electari are also green crops, known as choti elaichi, which is a widely used spice and mint-like treatment for bad breath in India. Another version of the plant is known as black cardamom or Nepal cardamom and produces amomium pods, which are larger seed pods with a camphor flavor used in spicy foods common in Pakistan, Nepal and China. The pods are sold in open-air markets year-round and usually come in two varieties. Cardamom is also sold and exported as a ground powder, which can lose its flavor more quickly than the pods and must be stored in an airtight container.
India has been the top exporter of cardamom oil to the UK and lists it in its Commodity Exchange. The top domestic producer, however, is Costa Rica, and combined global exports are estimated at 35,000 tons annually as of 2011. Much of this export goes to the production of Arabic blends of coffee as a sweetener.
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