Add THIS Spice for Better Digestion, Blood Sugar, BP, Metabolism, Sleep, and Natural Cleanse

Many of us have a love and hate relationship with this spice, especially when you are in the middle of eating a biryani or a lazzatdar pulao and biting on it. It is native to India and a staple ingredient in the cluster of spices that make the traditional garam masala. It even has many songs and popular memes dedicated to it. Thanks to its unique aroma and rich flavor, it has been given the moniker of the queen of spices. Yes, we are speaking about cardamom, also known as elaichi in Hindi.

Cardamom comes from the family of ginger and has fantastic antiseptic, antimicrobial, and calming properties. This powerful spice can help you with several conditions like indigestion, sleep issues, bloating, acidity, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

Our parents and grandparents kept it in their kitchens to help us treat common colds, coughs, fever, and everyday health issues. Cineole, a phytochemical in cardamom, is used to treat dental, throat, and digestive issues, and also as an antidote for poisons and venom!

Most of us have this spice freely lying in our pantry. And for those who don’t, it is easily available at local kirana stores. You can also find it on online portals across the world. Shop for it here.

Here are 10 benefits of cardamom:

Helps neutralize acids in tea and coffee

You may have heard that when you drink a lot of tea or coffee, it can make you acidic. And clearly, acidity is not good for your system. But by simply adding this spice to your tea or coffee you can neutralize the acid levels. Your chai becomes the king of chai when you add cardamom to it. When you boil your tea leaves, just add crushed cardamom to them.

In my travels to the Middle East and interacting with locals, I realized it has been a long tradition to add a pinch of cardamom powder to their tea or coffee. Cardamom is rich in the phytochemical cineole which neutralizes the acidic effect of tea and coffee.

Acidic foods irritate the mucosal lining of your stomach and create excess which isn’t good for your health. When you ingest cardamom, it helps neutralize this. It lines your mucosal system not allowing the acids of your coffee tea or your food to create irritation.

Bad breath? Suck on a cardamom pod

If you suffer from bad breath, suck on a cardamom pod. Cineole is also used to treat bad breath, tooth, and gum infections.

Improves digestion by secreting digestive enzymes

As I mentioned, cardamom aids digestion too. When you are severely acidic, have a poor or sedentary lifestyle, constantly overeat, or keep irregular intervals between meals, you do not produce enough digestive enzymes to break it down and in turn, suffer from gastrointestinal issues.

The chemicals in cardamom help food move through your intestines effortlessly. When you go back to traditional Indian food, even heavy meals like curries and biryani have elaichi/cardamom. Why? It helps your body digest heavy/difficult foods.

For instance, meat being rich in protein can take a long time for your body to break down and put a lot of burden on your digestive system. In the olden days, this is why cardamom powder was added to the marinade. The spice helps you secrete digestive enzymes which do the work of breaking down everything you eat the right way. This ensures you absorb and assimilate nutrients well.

Like I always say, it is not just about what you eat, but how your body assimilates it. The next time you know you are stepping out or getting ready for a big meal at parties, weddings or even drinking make sure that you get elaichi/cardamom into your system.

How to do this? Make this simple cardamom concoction to boost digestion:

• Take 2 to 3 cardamom/elaichi pods of elaichi.
• Crush and add it to boiling water. Now, this is the base. You can also opt to add ginger, peppercorns, cinnamon, turmeric, and so on based on your taste requirements. Add raw unpasteurized honey, once it cools a little (optional).
• Sip this concoction.
• You can add cardamom to your green or black tea or coffee. If you don’t have tea or coffee, you can just do a plain cardamom-water concoction too.

Helps manage high blood pressure

Studies show the connection between cardamom and blood pressure. Usually, we do not recommend people with high blood pressure have too much tea and coffee because it has a direct impact on their levels. Just one cup a day. Adding cardamom to this one cup can help because the spice is also a rich source of essential minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It helps regularize heart rate and control blood pressure.

It is also very rich in manganese and improves blood circulation among people with high blood pressure who tend to struggle with poor circulation. This is one of the reasons that pressure goes up because your heart is trying to pump blood through arteries and is unable to do so effectively.

Ayurveda also claims using elaichi can help dilate your blood vessels and allow the easier flow of blood. Does this mean cardamom is a magic spice that can replace your medication? No. But it can assist you in managing your condition better.

It may help improve blood sugar levels

Yes, scientific studies suggest that cardamom in the powdered form may help lower blood sugar levels too. All you need to do is take a cup of hot water and add 2-3 cracked cardamom pods to it. Allow it to steep for 4-5 minutes. Drink this 40-45 minutes or an hour after your meal. It is extremely calming for your stomach and may help control blood sugar levels from spiking too.

Works as a natural cleanser

Cardamom is a rich source of antioxidants that fight and neutralize free radicals. Free radicals enter our system from the poor quality food we eat, our sedentary lifestyle, and exposure to environmental toxins (the air we breathe). When you are undergoing chemotherapy/radiation or certain health conditions, you may also have a toxin buildup. Antioxidants from natural sources neutralize the free radicals, flush toxins out, and maintain our immunity.

Cardamom can flush out toxins from your system which is why in spas and treatment center centers across Mexico and South America you are given a drink before your treatment. It is nothing but crushed cardamom boiled in water and then sweetened with raw honey. It works as a natural detoxifier.

The human body is equipped to naturally detoxify through your five eliminatory organs – skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, and bowels. But today we live in a world where we are constantly exposed to contamination and toxins. So, our bodies sometimes need help to detoxify. Cardamom is rich in manganese which is a powerful detox trace mineral. Simply boiling cardamom pods with ginger in water naturally becomes a detox concoction for your liver, lungs, and kidneys.

Reduces phlegm and acts as a natural expectorant

What’s lesser known about cardamom is its ability to boost lung health. The mucous build-up in our lungs is the natural defense mechanism in our body in response to pollution to trap toxins and pollutants. But excess mucous could cause breathing issues and act as a perfect breeding ground for pathogens.

According to Ayurveda, cardamom helps reduce Kapha – the body type that tends to hold on to mucus. Science points out that cineole in cardamom can break down mucous and expel it out of the system. It is particularly useful for those who are asthmatic, suffer from bronchitis, and pneumonia and have choked respiratory passages due to excess mucus and inflammation. Cineole has potent antimicrobial and antiseptic properties that help prevent any bacterial infection that could affect your lungs.

Ways to use it for better lung health:

• Add 1-2 cardamom pods to your tea while it is brewing.
• Add cardamom to your curry powders.
• Inhaling cardamom essential oil via steaming or diffusing it with the help of a vaporizer also works wonders.
• Add crushed and powdered cardamom to smoothies, laddoos, energy bars, and shakes.
• Brew coffee or tea with cardamom powder:
• Suck on 1-2 pods of cardamom pods like lozenges.

Boosts metabolism

People with a poor metabolic rate no matter how well they eat, exercise, or restrictively diet, struggle with losing weight. Even if they do, they put it back on. Cardamom can induce thermogenesis in your body and boosts your metabolism. Better metabolism helps you break down fat more effectively. Other ways to improve your metabolism include eating clean and balanced meals, muscle building, and deep quality sleep.

Improves sleep

If you struggle with sleep, use a cardamom essential oil, and mix it with a carrier oil. Rub it on your wrists or add a few drops to your pillow to induce better sleep at night.

It is portable to carry wherever you go

The beauty of cardamon is that you can carry it wherever you go. I prefer taking a small container of cardamom on my travels. Most hotel rooms have a hot water kettle. Brew your cardamom concoction and sip on it for the rest of the day. Remember, to not overdo it.

Green or black?

You get green and black cardamom. Each of these has several benefits for your health, but black cardamom is particularly potent for cold, cough, and viral flu.

Chai Masala

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup cloves
• 1/4 cup green cardamom
• 1/4 cup black peppercorns.
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 6-inch Sri Lankan cinnamon
• 2 tbsp dry ginger powder
• 1 nutmeg, grated

Method:

• Blend all the ingredients (except nutmeg) to make a coarse powder.
• Grate the nutmeg in the powder.
• Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
• Use 1/4 tsp of this powder for each cup of Indian masala chai or just add 1/4 tsp in 1 cup of boiling water, sip, and relish.

Word of caution:

• Avoid cardamom if you are allergic to it or if it causes any discomfort
• Those with very large gallstones should make an informed choice. Consult your doctor before adding cardamom to your meals. Do it only under professional supervision.
• Rule out any drug-cardamom interaction (especially HIV, IBS, antidepressant medications, or aspirin)
• Never consume any spice excessively, including cardamom. 1 to 2 pods are more than enough.

ALSO WATCH: Episode 109 – A Spice that can give Relief from Acidity & Indigestion

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