Cardamom: protect liver and treat ulcer

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Extract from the article: Cardamom is a spice with an intense and slightly sweet flavour that some compare to mint. Originally from India, it is now available on the Togolese market. Cardamom is used in culinary preparations and recipes.

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Cardamom is a spice with an intense and slightly sweet flavour that some compare to mint. Originally from India, it is now available on the Togolese market. Cardamom is used in culinary preparations and recipes.

Cardamom seeds and pods can be used in curries, desserts and meat dishes, as well as in drinks, such as coffee. Cardamom consists of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, malabaricones in mace (diarylnonadoide), lignans and neolignans, triterpenes, triterpene saponosides, starch, lipids.

Protecting the liver

Cardamom is rich in compounds that can fight inflammation. Inflammation occurs when the body is exposed to foreign substances. Antioxidants, which are found in abundance in cardamom, protect cells from damage and prevent inflammation from occurring. The study « The prophylactic efficacy of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) extract against aspirin-induced gastric ulcer in a rat model » done in Egypt by scientist Amal H Hamza, showed that cardamom extract was effective in inhibiting at least four different inflammatory compounds in rats. Consumption of cardamom powder reduced liver inflammation induced by a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.

Recipe: Take 0.5l of water or about 1 pure water, 1 teaspoon of honey, 3 teaspoons of cardamom powder, 1 ripe lemon. Heat the water without boiling it. Then add the cardamom and honey and stir before adding the lemon juice. Drink 1 glass every morning on an empty stomach for a week and then again after 3 weeks. 

Treat ulcers

The most studied property of cardamom, as far as relief of stomach problems is concerned, is its possible ability to heal ulcers. In a study « Gastroprotective effects of combination of hot water extracts of turmeric (Curcuma domestica L.), cardamom pods (Ammomum compactum S.) and sembung leaf (Blumea balsamifera DC. ) against aspirin-induced gastric ulcer model in rats » by Indonesian scientist Rina Susilowati, rats were given extracts of cardamom and turmeric in hot water before being exposed to high doses of aspirin to induce stomach ulcers. These rats developed fewer ulcers than rats given aspirin alone. According to the study, cardamom extract was more effective than a common anti-ulcer drug and may protect against Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium linked to the development of most stomach ulcer problems.

Recipe: Boil a cup of water, about 250ml, then off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds, 1 teaspoon of ginger and 1 teaspoon of turmeric.  Leave to infuse for about 10 minutes. Drink 2 cups a day on an empty stomach and in the evening after dinner.

Raymond DZAKPATA