Black cardamom indicated for gastrointestinal problems

What is black cardamom (Sha Ren)?
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 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.