AMOMUM CARDAMOMUM L.
( Zingiberaceae)
Round or cluster cardamom. An herbaceous perennial, the stem leafy, fleshy, about 1.8 m. tall. Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 20-30 cm. long, margin entire. Floral stalk growing directly from the creeping rootstock, much shorter than the stem. Flowers in dense spicate clusters, brownish yellow, tubular, 2.5 cm. long, with a distinct lip. Fruit a capsule, growing in clusters, green when immature, white when ripe, with 3 blunt angles, 3-celled, containing 9-12 seeds. East Indies.
The fruit occur as golden caspules, globular, villous, glabrous, 16 mm. in diameter, 3-celled. The seeds contain an essential oil comprising cineol, camphor, d-borneol, terpineol. The taste is pungent and slightly bitter, the odor aromatic.
The seeds are used as an aromatic stomachic with antiemetic action.
Clinical Usage and Indications
- Transforms dampness - low appetite, greasy tongue coat, stifling sensation in the chest.
- Warms the middle warmer (stomach/spleen) and descends rebellious qi - vomiting due to cold from spleen/stomach qi deficiency or stomach cold.
- Transforms stagnation - fullness in the chest.
Functional Groups (Click for Summary/Study Notes)
- Aromatic Herbs That Transform Dampness
Dosage and Preparation Notes
- Dosage: 3-6g (add at end of formula)
Channels/Meridians Influenced
Associated Temperature and Taste
- Acrid
- Aromatic
- Warm (Wen)
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