Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum · Green cardamom

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Triglyceride lowering^1–3 Inflammatory markers⁴ Diastolic blood pressure⁴ Insulin resistance⁵ Fatty liver markers⁶ Polycystic ovary syndrome^7–9 Chemotherapy-related nausea¹⁰	Pregnancy¹¹ Unmonitored antidiabetic co-therapy

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is a seed spice of the ginger family whose compounds show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity¹². It is taken to support cardiometabolic markers: triglycerides, inflammatory signaling, and insulin resistance. Further uses are fatty liver markers and, as inhaled essential oil, chemotherapy-related nausea, where trials are few. Typical patients are adults with metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease⁶.

Meta-analyses of randomized trials show lower triglycerides but no significant change in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol^{2, 3}. Inflammatory markers and diastolic pressure fell, while systolic pressure did not⁴. Glycemic findings are mixed: insulin resistance and glycated hemoglobin improved, fasting glucose did not⁵. In vitro, a 2024 study found a spice blend containing Siam cardamom inhibited alpha-glucosidase, with no human trial of that blend¹³. About 835 products list cardamom, mostly liquid oils, capsules, and powders; see Form comparison.

Two of 30 United States labels say not to use cardamom in pregnancy¹¹, though one systematic review lists it among options for pregnancy nausea¹⁴. An umbrella review states that careful monitoring for hypoglycaemia is essential when herbal medicines are combined with antidiabetic medications¹⁵.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

43 sources, 35 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources