Cardamom is native to the tropical forests of the Western Ghats in southern India, where it has been harvested for thousands of years, earning it the historical nickname "Queen of Spices" (a companion title to black pepper's "King"). It was one of the earliest spices to enter long-distance trade, reaching ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where it was used in perfumes, medicine, and as a breath freshener.
Along its trade routes, cardamom became deeply embedded in the cuisines and medicine of the Middle East and Scandinavia — an unusual geographic pairing explained by Viking trade routes that carried the spice north over a thousand years ago, where it remains a beloved baking spice in Scandinavian countries to this day. In Ayurvedic medicine it has long been used to support digestion and freshen breath, uses that persist in South Asian households today, particularly the custom of chewing cardamom pods after a meal.
Cardamom's best-documented modern evidence relates to cardiovascular and metabolic markers. A meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials (595 patients) found green cardamom significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure and inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, though notably found no significant effect on systolic blood pressure specifically.
Individual trials add useful nuance: one randomized trial in overweight, pre-diabetic women found favorable changes in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol but no significant change in blood pressure or blood sugar measures compared to placebo. Researchers consistently note that the overall evidence base, while promising and mechanistically plausible, rests on a fairly small number of trials with modest sample sizes — enough to support a real, moderate rating, but not yet enough for a "Strong" one.
Whole pods crushed lightly to release the seeds inside, used in cooking, chewed directly after meals, or brewed into tea and coffee (a defining ingredient of Middle Eastern cardamom coffee).