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Cardamom Essential Oil |
| Cardamon is a perennial, reed-like herb up to 4m high, with long, silk blade-shaped leaves. Its long sheathing sterns bear small yellowish flowers with purple tips, followed by oblong red-brown seeds. Essential oil by steam distillation from the dried ripe fruit (seeds). An oleoresin is also produced in small quantities. Native to tropical Asia, especially southern India; cultivated extensively in India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Guatemala and El Salvador. The essential oil is produced principally in India, Europe, Sri Lanka and Guatemala. |
| Botanical Name: | Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton
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| Family: | Zingiberaceae
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| Synonyms: | Elettaria cardamomum var. cardamomum, cardamomi, cardomom, cardamon seed, cardamom seed.
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| Similar Oils: |
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| Parts Used: | Dried Herb
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| Extraction Method: | Steam Distillation.
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| Appearance: | Colourless to very pale yellow liquid.
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| Aroma Description: | Warm spicy, camphor
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| Perfume note: | Middle
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| Blends well with: | Bergamot, cinnamon, clove, caraway, ylang ylang, labdanum, cedarwood, olibanum, orange, neroli (orange blossom), rose.
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| Historical Uses: | Hippocrates recommended cardamom for sciatica, coughs, abdominal pains, spasm, nervous disorders, and retention of urine and also bites of venomous creatures. It has been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for over 3,000 years, especially for pulmonary disease, fever, digestive and urinary complaints.
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| Modern Uses: | Current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific for flatulent dyspepsia. Employed in some carminative stomachic and laxative preparations; also to flavour pharmaceuticals. Extensively used as a fragrance component in soaps, cosmetics and perfumes, especially oriental types. Used as a flavouring especially in curries and spice products.
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| Cautions: | Non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing.
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| Aromatherapy Uses: |
Digestive System - Anorexia, colic, cramp, duspepsia, flatulence, griping pains, halitosis, feartburn, indigestion, vomiting.
Nervous System - Mental fatigue, nervous strain.
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| Main Constituents, % |
| Terpinyl acetate |
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| Cineol |
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| Limonene |
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| Sabiene |
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| Linalol |
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| Linalyl acetate |
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| Pinene |
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| Zingiberene |
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| Physical Actions |
| Antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, carminative, cephalic, digestive, diuretic, sialagogue, stimulant, stomachic, tonic (nerve). |
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| Toxicity |
| LD50 - (oral) rat >not known mg/kg; (dermal) rabbit >not known. |
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