Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum), of the Zingiberaceae family. Tall leafy perennial rising from a creeping rhizome, with basal spikes of pods; native range: the moist sub-Himalayan forests of the eastern Himalaya, Sikkim and Nepal. Globally recognized as brihat ela / sthula ela in Sanskrit, badi elaichi in Hindi, heel kalan / qaqulla kalan in Urdu, and greater cardamom, Nepal cardamom, brown cardamom in English. The part used is dried fruit (pod and seed). Large ridged dark-brown pods holding sticky black seeds, strongly aromatic with a warm, camphoraceous, smoky pungency.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BLACK CARDAMOM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- black cardamom
- Scientific name
- Amomum subulatum Roxb.
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
Form
- Part used
- dried fruit (pod and seed)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- pungent · sweet (katu, madhura)
- Unani
- aromatic · pungent
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- stomach · heart · liver · kidneys
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- dipana-pachana (kindles and digests), kaphaghna, vatanulomana (settles wind downward), hridya (cardiac), mukhashodhana (freshens the mouth)
- Unani
- hazim (digestive), kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiac tonic), muqawwi-e-meda (stomach tonic), daf-e-ghasayan (relieves nausea)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- high pitta, acidity and bleeding tendencies; large doses in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- no notable toxicity in culinary or ordinary medicinal doses
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.