Cardamom Organic Essential Oil from Guatemala
Regular price
€14.60
Cardamom Organic Essential Oil from Guatemala
Batch: CA2023001B
CARDAMOM
Other common names: True Cardamom, green cardamom
Botanical name: Elettaria cardamomum syn. Cardamomum elettaria
Botanical Family: Zingiberaceae
Method of extraction: steam distillation
Plant part used to extract the oil: dried seed pods
Cultivation method: organic farming
Country of origin: Guatemala
Historical notes:
Cardamom isnative to the moist forests of southern India. The fruits (seed pods) can be collected from wild-growing plants but nowadays, cardamom is wildly cultivatedin Kerala, Sri Lanka, andGuatemala (Central America).It is said that it was a German coffee planter, Oscar Majus Klöffer, who introduced Indian cardamom to cultivation in Guatemala before World War I. By 2000, Guatemalaovertook India and had become the biggest producer and exporter of cardamom in the world!
Reputed to be one of the oldest spices known, cardamom has been used in Greece for thousands of years. Known as ‘karthamo’, it is used in sauces and as a seasoning for vegetabledishes, fish marinades, lemon cakes, etc.
The word "cardamom" is derived from the Latinisation of the Greek ‘καρδάμωμον’ (kardámōmon), a compound of κάρδαμον (kárdamon, "cress")and ἄμωμον (ámōmon), which is thought to be the name for a kind of Indian spice plant.The earliest known form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek ‘ka-da-mi-ja’, written in Linear B syllabic script, identified in the list of flavourings on the "Spice" tablets found among palace archives in the House of the Sphinxes - aBronze-Age house within the outer town of ancient Mycenae, one of the major centres of Greek civilization.
Ancient Greeks used cardamom in their perfumes.
Biochemical class: ester/oxide
Main chemical constituents: 1,8-cineole,α-terpinyl acetate,linalyl acetate, sabinene, linalool,limonene, myrcene, α-pinene, α-terpineol, geraniol, terpinen-4-ol, trans-nerolidol, others
Colour :clear, very pale yellow
Consistency: thin
Aroma strength: medium
Perfumery note: middle
Aroma: spicy-sweet, woody, rich, fresh, slightly camphoraceous, with a hint of floral.
Traditional Aromatherapy Uses:
Traditionally in aromatherapy treatments cardamom essential oil is associated with the following therapeutic properties: antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac, anticatarrh, anti-infectious, antibacterial, carminative, cephalic, digestive, diuretic, expectorant, stomachic, stimulant and a nervous tonic, general tonic, uplifting
Qualified aromatherapists may use cardamom essential oil for common complaints such as:
- digestive complaints - flatulence, nausea, diarrhoea, heartburn, indigestion, colic, anorexia, digestive cramp, nausea, etc. Loss of appetite
- nervous exhaustion and mental stress, depression; to uplift and refresh the mind
- respiratory issues – coughs, catarrh, chronic bronchitis
- others
How we use it:
Inhalation / Vapourisation:
- Vapourise a couple of drops or use in an aroma inhaler for mental fatigue. Try blended with, , frankincense, sweet orange or bergamot
- Vapourising a couple of drops might also help with nausea. Try in combination with a drop of ginger, peppermint or spearmint.
- Vaporising a couple of drops might also be useful for respiratory congestion. Try blended with lemon, pine, Eucalyptus globulus or E. radiata, or niaouli.
Skin applications:
- For digestive issues - try with coriander seed, black pepper, sweet orange, sweet marjoram or sweet fennel. Dilute well in a suitable medium and gently apply to the abdomen.
Please, also see our How to Use Essential Oils Safely page for more information
Safety considerations:
Tisserand and Young indicate that due to its 1,8-cineole content, Cardamom Essential Oils may cause CNS and breathing problems in young children. They caution against using Cardamon Oil on or near the face of infants and children.Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, 'Essential Oil Safety' (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 332.]
Please, also see our How to Use Essential Oils Safely page for more information.