When it comes to cardamom spices, it often means two different spices – black cardamom and green cardamom. They have similar flavors, in particular the uplifting menthol element, since they are actually relatives in the same ginger family (Zingiberaceae). However, the black one belongs to genus Amomum while the green one is of genus Elettaria (true cardamom). The main difference between these two spices' look, as their names implies, is their pods' colors – light green or dark brown. What’s more, green cardamom is with no bold, smoky, and brash in flavor since it doesn't go through the process of drying over open flames just like black cardamom does. So, don't get them mixed up in culinary uses and medicinal uses because they have their own distinct features respectively.

Medicinally it mainly refers to the dried ripe fruits or seeds of Amomum villosum Lour., Amomum villosum Lour. var. xanthioides (Wall. ex Bak.) T. L. Wu & Senjen, and Amomum longiligulare T.L. Wu. Hence other names of this herb also include Nepal cardamom, brown cardamom, Fructus Amomi, kravan, Grains of Paradise Fruit, red cardamom, Java cardamom, Cardamon, Indian cardamom, Bengal cardamom, Amomum Fruit, Siamese cardamom, cardamom seed, white cardamom, hill cardamom, greater cardamom, winged cardamom, and more. The first species is mainly produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Fujian; the second species is mainly produced in Guangdong and Yunnan; the third species is mainly produced in Hainan and the Leizhou Peninsula. Among them, Amomum villosum Lour. enjoys a relatively high reputation in the international herbal medicine market, thanks to its high quality and good curative effect. It is usually harvested during summer and autumn when the fruits are ripe, dried in the sun or at a relatively low temperature, and used raw broken.

Black Cardamom

BLACK CARDAMOM BENEFITS 
As previously mentioned, in China cardamon has been used as cooking spices and medicine for more than 1,300 years because of its intense aroma. Traditionally it is viewed as a warm tonic that is ideal for the treatment of gastrointestinal problems. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, stomach is an organ like warm and moist environment while disliking cold and dampness. And stomach and spleen play a role of transportation and transformation of the essence of water and grain. Once the damp-stagnation is formed in intestines and stomach, food will fail to be digested and transferred to the small intestine and the large intestine, which therefore will produce cause foul air and discomforts, such as abdominal pain, burp, or a cold and painful sensation in the abdomen.

BLACK CARDAMOM FORMULAS ON HERBAL REMEDIES
According to "The Chinese Materia Medica", it is spicy in flavor and warm in nature and goes to meridians of spleen, stomach, and kidney. Essential functions are resolving dampness, promoting appetite, activating qi to resolve stagnation in middle burner, warming spleen and stopping diarrhea, and preventing miscarriage. Main black cardamom uses and indications include retention of dampness and stagnation of qi, abdominal fullness and distention, no desire to eat, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, morning sickness, and fetal irritability. Recommended dosage is from 3 to 6 grams in decoction, pills, or powder. And it needs to be decocted later. Besides, it can be used in other forms, such as black cardamom tea, essential oil, extract, and so on.

1) Suo Sha Yin from Huo You Xin Shu (The Heart Book of Pediatrics). It is formulated with Chen Xiang (agilawood), Wu Yao (Lindera), Xiang Fu (Cyperus), and Gan Cao (Licorice Root) to harmonize stomach qi, eliminate the indigestion, stop stomachache, relieve hiccup, and regulate spleen.

2) Suo Sha Jiu from Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica). It is fried, ground, bagged, and soaked in wine to help digestion, regulate the middle warmer, descend qi, and non-cardiac chest pain.