Herb of the Week: Cardamom

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is a very well known and well-used spice from India, sometimes called the "Queen of Spices". It's very fragrant and a little will go a long way. But, did you know that this is also a great medicinal herb?

It's an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well as a diuretic (reduces water retention). Use this to help support a healthy heart and cardiovascular system (as it can help lower blood pressure) and it can also help with digestion. There are even studies supporting the use of this herb to help with weight loss as it's been seen to increase fat metabolism. If you have occasional bad breath, chewing on a few seeds is supposed to help clear that up pretty quick, too! Honestly, I love making a rose and cardamom syrup with maple sugar to add to my homemade lattes -- it's sooooo good!

Folklore has it that cardamom was a divine gift from the Goddess Lakshmi and used for fertility and abundance in Indian culture. Traditionally, this herb has been often used for love potions and aphrodisiacs as referenced in the fairytale of "One Thousand and One Nights" (aka "Arabian Nights"). The scent can be used to ward off evil spirits - it is pretty powerful. There's an interesting South Indian legend surrounding a famine event which says that forest spirits showed the cardamom plant to the people which ended up saving them from starvation -- not sure people could survive just on cardamom though... but it's a cool legend. These pods are also used in coffees to welcome visitors to a home in many Middle Eastern traditions.

Witchcraft uses of cardamom aligned very much with it being for love, fertility, etc. But, it's also used for prosperity and abundance, as well as for focus and protection. Apparently, chewing on the seeds while giving a presentation or any type of performance with an audience (or even on a date), can help "charm" them and "sweeten" your speech. It's associated with Venus and the element of Water but also carries Mars' energy.