Elaichi, also known as the queen of spices, is a spice that comes from the seeds of various plants that belong to the ginger family. It comes in the form of a pod with black seeds inside. Elaichi in English is Cardamom or Cardamum and its scientific name is Elettaria cardamomum. This blog post will draw some light on its nutritional value and elaichi benefits.
Cardamom is native to Southern India and is one of the world’s oldest spice. There are two types of elaichi:
- Light Green or True Cardamom: Green elaichi is small and has a sweet and spicy flavor.
- Black or brown Cardamom- Kali elaichi or badi elaichi is bigger and has a strong and smoky flavor.
Although green cardamom goes well with sweet and savoury dishes, black cardamom is mostly used in savoury dishes. You can pair green elaichi with almost any spices, but you can’t always pair badi elaichi easily with other spices. Green elaichi is one of the famous ingredient of our famous masala chai.
Other than being used as a spice and flavoring food and drinks, it has impressive health benefits. In addition, it has a long history of being used for its medicinal properties.
Let’s give you a brief overview of elaichi nutrition value.
Cardamom/ Elaichi Nutrition Value
As per the USDA database, nutritional facts of 100 g serving of cardamom are given below:
| Energy | 311 Kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 68 g |
| Total Fat | 6.7 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Dietary FIber | 28 g |
| Sodium | 18 mg |
| Calcium | 383 mg |
| Phosphorous | 178 mg |
| Potassium | 1119 mg |
| Magnesium | 229 mg |
| Iron | 13.97 mg |
| Niacin | 1.102 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.182 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.198 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.230 mg |
| Vitamin C | 21.0 mg |
Cardamom/Elaichi Benefits
Let’s talk about cardamom benefits for health.
Elaichi Benefits 1: Improve Digestion
Cardamom improves your digestive health as it aid in proper digestion. It is the reason cardamon is added to almost every dish.
Consuming elaichi after a heavy meal helps regulate digestive enzymes and increases food movement through the intestine. Additionally, It helps to treat stomach ulcers, constipation, acidity, flatulence, other gastrointestinal problems.
Elaichi Benefits 2: Control High Blood Pressure
If you are someone with high blood pressure, eating elaichi can help you control your blood pressure. It improves insulin production and helps you manage your diabetes.
All you need to do is add a pinch of cardamom powder to your tea.
Elaichi Benefits 3: Prevent bad breath
Cardamom is an amazing spice when it comes to taking care of your oral health. Not only does it prevent bad breath, but it also promotes oral hygiene, thanks to its antimicrobial properties.
It is a natural mouth freshener we have been using since ancient times and is also an important ingredient of chew gums and mouth fresheners.
You can chew a pod of elaichi after a meal, and it will take care of your digestion as well as bad breath.
Elaichi Benefits 4: Treat Cough and Cold
Black cardamom or badi elaichi is an ancient home remedy for dry cough, sore throat, congestion and cold.
If you have any symptoms, you can try having a cup of cardamom tea to get some relief. Also, add a spoon of honey to your tea; this combination works as magic and will provide warmth to your body.
Ilaichi Benefits 5: Support Weight Loss
Cardamom improves your digestion which helps in boosting your metabolism and helps your body burn fat more efficiently.
Also, it helps to control your craving and thus reducing the calorie intake.
Ilaichi Benefits 6: Treat Nausea
The antiemetic properties of cardamom help in providing relief from nausea and vomiting symptoms.
If you have motion sickness, keep a cardamom pod in your mouth while travelling, it will help you getting relief from motion sickness.
Conclusion
Cardamom is an amazing spice that not only adds its pleasant aroma to your food but also takes care of your health. Elaichi benefits are truly amazing, from providing relief from bad breath to taking care of your digestion. So, make sure to chew a cardamom pod after a meal.
We hope our article was helpful for you. You can order cardamom online through the link given below:
If you have any queries, please drop us a comment in the comment section.
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