Cardamom: Extraction, chemical composition and biological activities Book in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • © 2018 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.Cardamom, named the "Queen of Spices," is well-known for its distinct and sweet aroma. It is the world's oldest spice, and is the third most expensive spice following saffron and vanilla. Cultivation of cardamom is concentrated in the evergreen forests of Western Ghats in South India, but also in Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Guatemala. Cardamom has an important culinary value throughout the world. It is featured heavily in curries, pickles, custards and spice blends such as garam masala in India, and is also chewed as a nut and used as an aromatic and essential oil in perfumes. Moreover, it has numerous medicinal and therapeutic properties, and is prescribed as the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda. This chapter is focused on exposing the scientific evidence of various features of cardamom such as composition, biological activities, extraction methods, and application in commercial uses.

publication date

  • November 26, 2018