Witnessed by: TCM
Tsaoko (Amomum tsaoko), of the Zingiberaceae family. Tall clumping perennial ginger of shaded stream banks; native range: warm valleys of Yunnan and Guangxi, and neighbouring highland Southeast Asia. Globally recognized as cao guo (草果) in Chinese, and tsaoko cardamom, black cardamom in English. The part used is ripe fruit. Large ridged reddish-brown pods enclosing pungent, camphoraceous seeds with a bitter aromatic warmth.
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.
TSAOKO
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- tsaoko
- Scientific name
- Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lemarié
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
Form
- Part used
- ripe fruit
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Spleen · Stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dries dampness, warms the middle, dispels cold, checks intermittent malarial disorders
Cautions
- Contraindications
- avoid in yin deficiency or heat without damp accumulation
- Toxicity
- essentially non-toxic in normal dose
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