FIFTEEN BENEFITS OF CARDAMOM

I grew up with cardamom as a staple in Jeja's, my mom, pantry.  She uses green cardamom to add an aroma and special flavor to in tea and desserts. On occasion, she uses the pungent black cardamom in savory dishes. I keep a small jar of ground cardamom in my fridge for the infrequent occasion when I want to Afghanify a non-Afghan food such as vanilla ice cream, coffee and on occasion oatmeal.

My recipes with cardamom:

Qabili Palau, Afghanistan's National Dish

Halwa with Saffron, Orange and Cardamom, Halwa-e-Naranj

Afghan Baklava with Cardamom

Afghan Creamy Tea, Qaymaq Chai

Afghan Oatmeal with Chicken and Cardamom, Haleem

Almond Cardamom Meringue, Kulcha-e-Badamee

Cardamom Almond Brittle

Rosewater Cardamom Fudge, Sheer Pera

Semolina Halwa, Sojee Halwa

Afghan Cutter Cookies, Kulch-e- Birinjee

Quince and Yogurt Trifle

Creamy Cardamom Rice Pudding, Sheer Birinj

Afghan Sundae, Falooda

Carrot Pudding, Halwa-e-Zardak

Article edited and reprinted from Sunwarrior.com 

Cardamom is native to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan. This spice is commonly used in Indian, Central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It has also made its way into Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for mouth ulcers, digestive problems, and even depression. Some of the health benefits of this peppery, citrusy spice are now making their way into modern studies. It’s well worth adding cardamom to your food for the flavor alone, but these health benefits are also something to consider whenever you break out the spices.

Digestion – Cardamom is related to ginger and can be used in much the same way to counteract digestive problems. Use it to combat nausea, acidity, bloating, gas, heartburn, loss of appetite, constipation, and much more.

Detoxify – This spice helps the body eliminate waste through the kidneys.

Halitosis – In India they chew cardamom after meals or whenever they need to freshen their breath.

Diuretic – Part of the reason cardamom is such a good detoxifier is thanks to the diuretic properties. It helps clean out the urinary tract, bladder, and kidneys, removing waste, salt, excess water, toxins, and combating infections too.

Depression – The science behind the antidepressant qualities of cardamom hasn’t been studied yet, but Ayurvedic medicine swears by the tea as a means to fight depression.

Oral Health – Apart from helping with bad breath, cardamom is used for mouth ulcers and infections of the mouth and throat.

Cold and Flu – This pungent spice may help prevent and relieve cold and flu symptoms. It’s also used for bronchitis and coughs.

Cancer – Animal studies are showing promise that cardamom protects against, inhibits growth, and even kills some cancers.

Blood Pressure – As a diuretic and fiber rich spice, cardamom significantly lowers blood pressure.

Blood Clots – Cardamom prevents dangerous blood clots by preventing platelet aggregation and the sticking to the artery walls.

Antioxidant – Many of the vitamins, phytonutrients, and essential oils in cardamom act as antioxidants, cleaning up free radicals and resisting cellular aging.

Pathogens – The volatile essential oils in cardamom inhibit the growth of viruses, bacteria, fungus, and mold.

Anti-inflammatory – Like ginger and turmeric, its relatives, cardamom has some anti-inflammatory properties that limit pain and swelling, especially in mucus membranes, the mouth, and throat.

Hiccups – Cardamom is an anti-spasmodic that can help get rid of hiccups. This also applies to other involuntary muscle spasms, like stomach and intestinal cramps.

Aphrodisiac – Traditional medicine lists cardamom as a powerful aphrodisiac that can help with erectile dysfunction and impotence.


ONE MAN'S DEVOTION TO SAVING AFGHAN CHILDREN

I’m always excited to see a comment from a reader at the end of my posts. It’s heartening to know that I’m sharing information that is creating dialogue. A few weeks ago, Lee Hilling, author of a newly published book A PLACE OF MIRACLE contacted me about his book. He had my attention at the mention of his 60 trips to Afghanistan.

Lee has been Chairman of French Medical Institute (FMIC) for Children which has provided life saving medical care to pediatric heart patience in Afghanistan. He has held board and senior executive management positions at academic health centers in the United States, Pakistan, and East Africa. After learning about his devotion to saving Afghan children's lives, I asked him to share his story with us. 

Lee donates all proceeds from the sale of A PLACE OF MIRACLE to FMIC for either patient welfare support of Afghan staff development. Go ahead, buy a copy.

Guest blogger, Lee Hilling

In February 2011, I attended the French Medical Institute for Children’s First International Pediatric Symposium. I had been deeply involved planning and implementing FMIC for nearly seven years and I had been chairman of its board for five years. FMIC had accomplished many miraculous things [in Afghanistan] in a short time.

By then, 1000 pediatric cardiac surgeries had been performed, half of which were open-heart cases, with results at or exceeding international standards. Best of all, for more than a year, FMIC’s cardiac surgery was being done by an all-Afghan team. Surgical procedures had been successfully performed that had never before been done in Afghanistan. Children’s lives had been saved that, without FMIC, would have been lost.

This symposium was the first such event ever held in Afghanistan. Despite security issues, nearly 250 Afghan nationals and thirty-two international participants from nine countries attended the conference. FMIC’s Afghan physicians and nurses presented case studies from their practices and presentations were made by physicians from the U.S., Spain, Pakistan, and Canada.

The pride of FMIC’s [Afghan] staff was palpable. They realized they could host and participate in an event wherein their experiences and accomplishments were respected and of interest to health care professionals from around the globe. I was sitting close to a doctor and nurse from the U.S. Navy. I overheard the nurse say,

“I never realized something like this could happen in Afghanistan.”

At that point I got goosebumps and almost teary. I realized FMIC had moved beyond just delivering the highest quality health care in the country and was now contributing to reconstruction of the nation. It was at that point I decided to write a book and to try to tell its marvelous story.

Salma, her father and Lee Hilling

The story had to be about the people whose lives had been changed by FMIC. I wanted to know how families’ lives were different after their children were treated. I wanted to meet children and their parent in their homes and hear their stories in their own words.

I visited families in Kabul and traveled to remote areas of Bamyan and Badakhshan Provinces. I met Frishta—a beguiling four-year old—in Koprok Village in the beautiful Band-e-Amir national park. I met Salma in Nawa Village, in one a sparsely populated districts in Badakhshan. I met Ismail and Yogana, both of whom would have died within days or weeks after their births, were it not for that care that could performed at FMIC.

Parents told me how their children couldn’t walk and were doomed to disability, even slow death, before being cared for at FMIC. Now they were able to attend school and play with friends. 

Afghan nurse at work at FMIC ICU

Afghan nurse at work at FMIC ICU

International combat forces and development agencies spent billions of dollars in Afghanistan in the years before and after FMIC’s inauguration. Hospitals and clinics were built, but in some cases they were of such poor quality they were useless, In other cases, patients, doctors, and nurses fearing Taliban retribution were afraid to use them.

Corruption was rampant. Sound oversight of contractors was often absent and  the quality of completed projects was poor. FMIC is one of Afghanistan’s most remarkable success stories. The story about FMIC is a story about miracles. My involvement with it has been one of the most uplifting experiences of my life.

“A PLACE OF MIRACLE: The Story of a Children’s Hospital in Kabul and the People Whose Lives Have Been Changed by It, by Lee Hilling. Available online at Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, and Outskirtspress.com.”