Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum, - elaichi The first recorded use of cardamom appears in Ayurvedic texts from around 4th century BC as a cure for urinary tract infections and as a weight loss aid, and the ancient Greeks were already trading the spice by that time. It also gained an early reputation as an aphrodisiac and accordingly, Nicholas Culpeper assigned it the astrological ruler Venus in his work, The English Physitian, published in 1652 - even though it is actually a member of the same family as ginger, which is ruled by Mars. In herbalist witchcraft, the essential oil of cardamom is used in magic for love and lust! Cardamom grows wild in the southern Indian tropical mountain forests and it is now cultivated in India, Thailand, and Central America. However, it is generally agreed that the best cardamom comes from its native Cardamom Hills of Kerala, where it is known as elettari, altered to elaichi in other parts of India, hence its Latin generic name, and over 2,500 tons are exported from India annually. This rush-like shrub, which grows to around 2m (over 6 ft) produces the small greenish-brown fruit pods. Trilocular, nut-sized capsules, containing 4-8 seeds each, which are dried in the semi-ripe capsules and have an aromatic odour and a sweetish, warm, pungent taste. Around 5% of these are bleached white and fumed with hydrogen peroxide, although many people feel that this detracts from their quality. A further 10% are shucked for their seeds, and, although convenient, this becomes an expensive way of buying cardamom, as 101b of pods yields just 6oz of seeds. This places it third in the ‘expensive spice’ pecking order, below saffron and vanilla. Unani Tibb, the ancient Persian medicine and dietetic regime, recommends cardamom for all stomach disorders, as a heart stimulant, a tonic, an aphrodisiac and as a condiment. From Persia, too, comes the ancient recipe for regaining an errant husband. Apparently, wronged wives were advised to place cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a jar, over which she was to recite a passage from the Koran seven times backwards. The jar was then to be filled with rosewater and left to steep. The water was then used to soak the husband’s shirt, together with a piece of paper bearing his name and the names of four angels. The mixture was then heated over a fire and, as the mixture boiled, the husband’s affections would return. An essential Indian food ingredient and a traditional Arabian coffee flavouring, cardamom is used as a breath sweetener, and to stimulate appetite and to relieve flatulence in aromatherapy. 1tsp of ground spice = 6 cals, and the spice contains vitamin Bl, B2, niacin, trace sodium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.