With the essence of cardamom still surrounding me—and therefore still very much on my mind—I thought I’d write a follow-up blog post about another way to enjoy it in your healing repertoire: cardamom essential oil (made from green cardamom, Elletaria cardamomum). While not one of the more commonly found essential oils, cardamom can be a great addition to your personal apothecary.

If you’ve never used essential oils before, here’s a very quick primer. These distilled fragrant essences are extracted from different flowers, leaves, woods, or, in the case of cardamom, seeds. These oils, owing both to their chemical properties as well as their fragrances, have physical and emotional healing properties. They can be used in personal care (for example, as part of a massage oil or body lotion), environmental fragrancing (in a diffuser or room spray), or as a perfume. While there are healing traditions that may use high-grade essential oils internally, I would not advise using essential oils this way unless under the guidance of a trained healthcare practitioner.

Using Cardamon Essential Oil

Cardamom’s aroma is well rooted is history. It was one of the scents used in ancient Egypt for perfumes as well as spirit-revering incenses.

As noted in my article about this spice, one of cardamom’s most well- supported uses is for enhancing digestion, a benefit for which its essential oil is also known. To use it for this purpose, add a few drops to a plain carrier oil—such as almond or jojoba—and give yourself a relaxing stomach massage.

Cardamom oil is also a very helpful fragrance to calm stress and mental worry. You can create a calming environment by using some in an aromatherapy room diffuser, or carry a vial of the oil with you and inhale its fragrance when your mind needs some settling. As nervous agitation may impede optimal digestion, enjoying its fragrance this way may also help to settle a stomach full of butterflies.

In addition, the oil has expectorant properties, reflecting cardamom’s use in Ayurvedic medicine for lung health. In Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, Gabriel Mojay notes that cardamom oil can stimulate the vital energy (Qi) of the lungs and is especially beneficial when coughing or bronchial mucus is the result of digestive weakness. One of the best ways to use cardamom for bronchial support is to add a few drops to a basin filled with hot water and do a steam inhalation for several minutes.

Cardamom’s exotic fragrance is also said to have aphrodisiac properties, as extolled in the classic tale of the Arabian Nights. So if your hots need some heating up, consider using this warming fragrance. Mix a few drops with water in a mister bottle and use as a room spray, or spritz some of this aromatic mixture onto your bed linens. You could also add it to some unscented body oil and use for an enchanting couple’s massage.

Look for cardamom essential oil at natural food stores and holistic pharmacies. As it is not one of the more popular oils they may have to special order it for you. Alternatively, you can purchase it from one of the many online retailers that sell it.

With its exotic fragrance, cardamom essential oil is certainly a very enjoyable way to enhance your health.

If you’ve used cardamom oil, please consider sharing your experience with other readers in the Comments section.