The Winter Solstice ushers in the start of a new cycle, bringing with it a time for thanks and a moment for sacred pause. Cultures, current and ancient, since the dawning of civilization, have marked each solstice with ritual; the winter solstice is celebrated thus for welcoming back the sun. These rituals included feasting or fasting, music and song, drama, gift giving, and an emphasis on fire and light. Every day, after the Winter Solstice becomes more light-filled, creating a dramatic difference to the earth energy surrounding us. In personal celebration of the return of the light, I select some of my favourite aromatics each season and express my thanks through a creative synergy of blends and formulations; each centred on nurturing, re-birth and healing.

2019 has been a year of ups and downs and challenges as I endeavour to create a brand and a company that stands true to my morals and values and adds enrichment and stimulation, physically, emotionally, and mentally, to past current and future clients.

Through this past year, one of my Go-To oils has been Cardamom. It is a beautiful and richly scented oil that stimulates internal peace, decreases anxiety and helps to provide clarity from a cognitive perspective. It is enriched with Carminative, Digestive, Antispasmodic, Anti-Inflammatory, Analgesic and Antiemetic properties and is a traditional plant remedy for colic, flatulence, cognitive dyspepsia, catarrh and bronchial congestion. (Mills and Bone)

Read more about Cardamom below, from one of my favourite aromatic experts, Jade Shutes!

SHARED FROM: https://aromaticstudies.com/cardamom-queen-of-spices/

The Aroma of Cardamom: Psychological and Spiritual affects

The aroma of cardamon essential oil is warm-spicy, sweet, somewhat floral and camphoraceous. Cardamom’s aroma can be intoxicating. Its nature is to clear what is muddled, confused, weighted down and/or heavy. Clears the mind from over thinking, creating a peaceful place to make decisions. When combined with Ylang ylang, cardamom makes a highly beneficial oil for alleviating or reducing feelings of depression or self worthlessness. Cardamom can also have a rejuvenating effect on those who feel exhausted by the challenges of life or support altering a perception that ‘life is difficult’.

According to Pole (2006), cardamom is very high in sattva and prana. It regulates the flow of prana in the digestive tract which also means it regulates the flow of prana in how we digest our perceptions of the world and how we assimilate them.

WESTERN THERAPEUTIC APPLICATONS:

Cardamom has traditionally been used for its aphrodisiac, digestive, carminative and flavoring properties. Cardamon has a special affinity for the mucosa of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. (Wood)

Core therapeutic actions include: Carminative, Digestive, Antispasmodic, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Antiemetic

Cardamom as both a herb and essential oil are indicated for: Colds, coughs, bronchitis, foggy thinking, chronic indigestion with bloating, nausea, belching, indigestion from stress/tension, upper respiratory tract infection, and nerve weakness.

Cardamom is considered to be a plant remedy traditionally used as an aromatic remedy and thus is indicated for colic, flatulence, congestive dyspepsia, and catarrh and bronchial congestion. (Mills and Bone)

AYURVEDA

In Ayurvedic medicine cardamom, known as Ela in Sanskrit, is utilized to stimulate digestion, alleviate intestinal spasms and pain, to stop coughing, to increase sexual potency, relieve hiccups, prevent nausea and to redirect the flow of vata downwards. The herb is considered to be very high in sattva and prana, regulating the flow of prana in the digestive tract, specifically samana and apana vayu. (Pole, 2006)

The herb and essential oil, according to Ayurveda, are: cooling, pungent, sweet, light and dry. (note: in western herbalism, cardamom is considered warming)

It helps to regulate samana vayu and direct apana vayu downwards and is thus indicated for nausea, vomiting, morning sickness, burping and acidity. (Lad and Frawley, 1986)

In Ayurvedic medicine cardamom is indicated for:

• Weak digestion, bloating, flatulence, colic, intestinal pain and indigestion
• Cough with mucus and asthma with wheezing
• Clears avalambaka kapha and regulates vata (Pole, 2006)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

In TCM, cardamom would be indicated for ‘damp’ conditions affecting assimilative functions (represented by the Spleen in TCM). Symptoms include abdominal and thoracic congestion (sometimes associated with cough and breathlessness), loss of appetite and loose stools. (Mills and Bones)

Dosages of the herb:

• Tea: 2-3 pods (remove seeds and steep in hot water, do not boil), 3 to 4 cups daily.

• Traditionally, the typical dose of cardamom is 1.5 grams of the ground seeds per day.

• As a digestive, a tea prepared from 1 teaspoon of freshly crushed cardamom seeds infused in 1 cup boiled water for 10-15 minutes has been used.

• Tincture: 1 to 10ml of a 1:3@45% tincture (Pole)

• Essential oil: Use in mixture with other oils or on its own at .5 to 15% dilution in carrier

Contraindications

• Considered non-toxic when used appropriately.

Recipes

Soothing Warm Milk with Cardamom

• 1/4 teaspoon cardamon seeds, powdered or just the seeds will do too!
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 to 2 cups milk

Warm in sauce pan. Once warm, let stand for a few minutes and then pour into cup/s. Enjoy. Good right before bedtime especially for little ones. In the winter months, if a cold is coming on, you can add 1/8 – 1/4 tsp tumeric powder.

Aphrodisiac Massage Oil

• 1oz Organic Jojoba oil with:
• 5 drops Ginger Zingiber officinale
• 6 drops Ylang ylang Cananga odorata
• 3 drops Cinnamon leaf Cinnamomum zeylanicum
• 6 drops Mandarin Citrus reticulata
• 4 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum

OR

• 1oz vanilla infused jojoba oil
• 7 drops Ylang ylang Cananga odorata
• 10 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 5 drops Bergamot Citrus bergamia
• 3 drops Jatamansi Nardostachys jatamansi

Enkindle the Digestive Fire: Massage Oil

• 1 ounce sesame oil
• 14 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 10 drops Fennel Foeniculum vulgare
• 7 drops Coriander Coriandrum sativum

Combine and apply on the reflex zones for digestion on the feet and abdominal massage along the colon. Drink tea below to support this blend.

Cardamom, Coriander, Fennel Tea (Recipe from Maya Tiwari’s Ayurveda: A life in balance) She writes that the three herbs included in this recipe combine to form the sweet, bitter, and pungent tastes. Coriander and fennel have a cooling tendency while cardamom is heating. This combination makes a good year-round brew. Excellent for balancing pitta.

• 1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 tsp. maple syrup

Place seeds in warmed container (e.g. canning jar) and cover with boiling water. Steep for 5-10 minutes. Strain with fine mesh strainers and add maple syrup of unrefined brown sugar, if desired.

Cramps-Be-Gone

• 1 ounce jojoba
• 8 drops Clary sage Salvia sclarea
• 17 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 6 drops Sweet marjoram Origanum marjorana

Respiratory Health Synergy: Diffuser Blend

• 18 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 6 drops Cinnamon leaf Cinnamomum zeylanicum
• 7 drops Thymus vulgaris ct. linalol or thymol

Autumn Cardamom Salt Scrub

Combine two cups of sea salt with:

• 14 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 7 drops Juniper berry Juniperus communis
• 10 drops Grapefruit Citrus paradisi

and enough Jojoba or Sesame oil to ‘wet’ the salts.
Stir together and place in jar to store.

Love Love Massage Oil for Autumn Self-Abhyanga

• 1 ounce organic jojoba
• 7 drops Ginger Zingiber officinale
• 4 drops Rose Rosa damascena
• 7 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum

Deep Enlightening Meditation Synergy

• 20 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 7 drops Jatamansi Nardostachys jatamansi
• 5 drops Angelica root Angelica archangelica

Cough Syrup (with excess kapha/mucus)

• 1 1/2 cups honey
• 1 water (or more if desired)
• 8 drops Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
• 3 drops Cypress Cupressus sempervirens
• 2 drops Cinnamon leaf Cinnamomum zeylanicum

References

1. Al-Zuhair H, El-Sayeh B, Ameen H A, Al-Shoora H. Pharmacological studies of Cardamom oil in Animals. Pharmacological Research, Vol. 34, No. 1/2, 1996.
2. Dalby, A. Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000.
3. Harris, B. 1,8 cineole – a component of choice for respiratory pathologies. International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy 4:1, 2007.
4. Lad V and Frawley D. (1986). The Yoga of Herbs. Lotus Press.
5. Mills, S., and Bone, K. (2000). Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. London: Churchill Livingstone.
6. Marongiu B, Piras A, and Porcedda S. Comparative Analysis of the Oil and Supercritical CO2 Extract of Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 6278-6282.
7. Prabhakaran Nair, KP. The Agronomy and Economy of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum: The Queen of Spices. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India
8. Parthasarathy V A, Chempakam B, and Zachariah T J (2008). Chemistry of Spices. United Kingdom, CABI publisher.
9. Pole, S. (2006). Ayurvedic Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
10. Van Wyk, B., and Wink, M. (2004). Medicinal Plants of the World. Oregon: Timber Press.
11. Wood, M. (2008). The Earthwise Herbal: A complete guide to old world medicinal plants. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Resources

Image of Cardamom flower can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anujnair/3117256807/ Botanical image

http://cardamomindia.blogspot.com/

Additional resources or sites of interest:

http://www.hkjcicm.org/cm_database/plants/detail_e...

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Elet_car.html#top

http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/elettaria-cardamomum.html

Some more history:

http://books.google.com/books?id=tnH1bFGKuRoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Interesting videos:

This is a really interesting video although they are speaking in their native language. It is interesting to watch and observe the amount of work that goes into growing and harvesting cardamom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv4t4QHUmps&feature=related