Botanical Index No. 736

Nepalese Cardamom

amomum aromaticum

Medicinal Actions

Alexeteric, Astringent, Cardiotonic, Carminative, Diuretic, Hepatotonic, Hypnotic, Orexigenic, Stimulant, Stomachic

Primary Conditions Treated

Aphrodisiac Anorexia Biliousness Chill Cholera Cold Conjunctivosis Diarrhea Dyspepsia Enterosis Fever Gastrosis Gingivosis Gonorrhea Gravel Headache Hepatosis Impotence Malaria Nephrosis Neuralgia Odontosis Pain Proctosis Snakebite Sting Stomatosis VD Vomiting

General Dosage

30 grains with quinine for neuralgia; 10–30 seeds; 1–2 ml tincture; 3–6 g drug in decoction.

Safety & Contraindications

Not covered. “Health hazards not known with proper therapeutic dosages”. Overdoses may lead to poisoning. Over-rationalizing, the Herbal PDR hints that the efficacy, if any, of the drug, may hark back to its cineole content, yet speaks of the potential for life-threatening poisonings due to overdoses of cineole. Skillfully, PH2 says, “although scientific data regarding this are not available.” These are what I call hypothetical activities, positive and negative, often contemplated, the yea-sayers touting the goods of cineole, the nay-sayers touting the hazards of cineole. Certainly many species may be richer in cineole, including the well-known true cardamom, one of the more expensive of spices. Even if the EO were pure cineole, this species would contain only 10,000 ppm cineole.

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