Species: Ceylon Cardamom
Origin: Sri Lanka
Crop: June - January
Moisture : 13%

* Popularly known as Queen of Spices as opposed to Black Pepper hailed as King of Spice, Cardamom, sometimes spelled as cardamom or cardamom, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. The cardamom plant is a perennial herbaceous plant with a pseudostem and thick irregularly shaped rhizomes. Dried fruit or cardamom pod is traded as a spice.

* Cardamom pods are spindle-shaped and have a triangular cross-section. The pods contain several seeds, which are small and black, while the pods differ in color and size by species. Cardamom is generally available in the form of whole fruit as a primary product, in-ground form as secondary processed products, and extractions of oil and oleoresin as value-added products. Cardamom lands are generally termed spice forests. Sri Lankan Cardamom suppliers export light green cardamom variety (Elettaria cardamom), which is one of the most expensive spices by weight.

* Due to the unique flavour of green cardamom cultivated in Sri Lanka, formed by the country's unique terroir, green cardamom produced in Sri Lanka is known as Ceylon Cardamom.

* In Sri Lanka, cardamom is mainly cultivated in the districts of Kandy, Matale, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, and a part of Galle. Three types of Cardamom are found in Sri Lanka and they're categorized based on the shape of the inflorescence.

* Cardamom has a complex flavor profile it's citrusy, minty, spicy, and herbal all at the same time while being highly fragrant too. Cardamom is mainly used in the food industry as a flavoring agent. Cardamom Oil is used for flavoring beverages and drinks such as coffee and tea while cardamom pods and ground cardamom is used to spice up both sweet and savory dishes. It is widely used in Indian, Middle Eastern, Arabic, and Swedish cuisine. Cardamom is found in the garam masala spice mixture that seasons meat and vegetable dishes, and in hot beverages such as masala chai and Turkish coffee.

* Cardamom possesses many health benefits; namely, antiseptic (pulmonary), antispasmodic (neuromuscular), aphrodisiac, expectorant, anthelmintic, antibacterial (variable), cephalic, cardiotonic, diuretic, emmenagogue, sialogogue and stomachic. It's also anti-inflammatory and is reportedly an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom. It's also hepatoprotective and anti-ulcerogenic.

Health Benefits
Green cardamom comes with numerous health benefits including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic properties. It is also used as an antidote for snake poison, and scorpion venom and treatment for kidney stones and .

Grades
Ceylon cardamom is available in two grades namely,