Amomum, Greater Cardamon, Sha Ren 砂仁 Greater Cardamon, Large Cardamon, Nepal Cardamon, Black Cardamon Sha Ren (TCM) Sthoolaila (Ayurveda) Heel Kalan (Unani) Ka Ko La  ཀ་ཀོ་ལ (Tibetan)

Amomum subulatum
Roxburgh, Plants of the coast of Coromandel, vol. 3, 1819

Lesser, Medium and Greater Cardamons
New Kreuterbuch, Matthiolus, 1563

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Botanical name:

Amomum spp:

1. A. villosum
2. A. villosum var. xanthioides
3. A. longiligulare
4. A. subulatum (given by numerous sources but listed as an adulterant by Bensky)

A number of other Amomum species have been used:

1. A. aromaticum–Bengal Cardamon (used as A. subulatum)
2. A. kepulaga (syn. A. cardamom)–Round Cardamon (from Java)
3.  A. krervanh, A. compactum, A. dealbatum (Bai Dou Kou)–Cambodian, Round or Cluster Cardamon
4.  A. tsaoko (Cao Guo)
5.  Lesser Cardamon is Eletarria cardamomum

Parts used:

Fruit

Temperature & Taste:

Warm, dry. Pungent, aromatic

Classification:

J. Aromatics that Resolve Dampness

Uses:

1. Moves Qi, Strengthens the Spleen, Clears Damp: (TCM, Unani, Ayurveda)
-Special medicine to strengthen the Spleen in Tibetan Medicine: one of the Six Excellent Drugs
-poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, distention
-corrective to heavy or hard-to-digest drugs; often used as a corrective in larger formulas
-Liver congestion; digestive disorders with Liver involvement (Ayurveda, Unani)

2. Warms the Spleen, Stops Diarrhea:
-Diarrhea associated with Cold and Damp of the Stomach, Spleen and Intestines

3. Warms the Kidneys, Calms the Fetus: (TCM, West)
-Morning Sickness, Restless Fetus and Threatened Miscarriage from Cold and Damp (TCM)
-‘Warm and comforts the Womb’ (Salmon)
-in pessaries and sitz baths for female disorders (Dioscorides)
-Edema and urinary diseases (Lesser Cardamon is more used for this indication)

4. Resists Poison:
-traditionally used for Poison including Snake or Scorpion bite (Dioscorides)
-Antidote to Epidemic diseases
-Gonorrhea (Unani)

5. Externally:
-paste mixed with water (Rose water etc) and applied to the forehead for Headache (Dioscorides, Unani)
-decoction as a gargle is good for diseases of the Mouth, Teeth and Gums
-soften and dissipates Boils and Abscesses (Dioscorides)

Dose:

Powder: 500mg–2 grams
Decoction: 3–6 grams

Note:
‘All the four kinds of Cardamons [ie. lesser, middle, greater, and grains of paradise] have the same virtues, but the lesser are said to be the more efficacious’ (Salmon). In general, their nature and effects are similar, so the differences in indications is based on the predominant effect of each Cardamon.

Correctives:

1. Sugar Candy or Licorice for the Spleen
2. Tragacanth for the Intestines

Substitutes:

1. Lesser Cardamon (1. 5 times the weigh) (Unani) (Khare states Lesser and Greater Cardamons are not substitutes for one another)
2. Amomum tsao-ko is also used as a source for Ka Ko La in Tibetan Medicine
3. Cubeb (equal weight) (Unani)

Main Combinations:

1. Cold and weak digestion, combine Greater Cardamon (Amomum Sha Ren) with Tangerine peel (Chen Pi) and fresh Ginger root. (TCM)
2. Poor appetite from Stomach Cold and Dampness, Greater Cardamon with Lesser Cardamon and Mace (as in Powder for Loss of Appetite of Isaac)
3. Diarrhea from Cold and weakness, combine Greater Cardamon with Nutmeg
4. Abdominal distention from Qi stagnation or Food stagnation, combine Greater Cardamon (Amomum Sha Ren) with Costus (TCM)
5. Stomach Damp with Spleen deficiency (digestive disorders with weakness), combine Greater Cardamon (Amomum Sha Ren) with Atractylodes Bai Zhu or Elecampane
6. Obesity, Greater Cardamon, Atractylodes Bai Zhu (see research below)
7. Inflammation of the internal Organs, Greater Cardamon with Raisins (Dioscorides)
8. Gravel, as a decoction Greater Cardamon with Melon seed (Ayurveda)
9. To soften and dissipate Boils, apply Greater Cardamon with Basil as a Cataplasm (Dioscorides)

Major Formula
Six Excellent Medicines (Tibetan Medicine)
Powder for Loss of Appetite (Isaac)
Electuary of Aloeswood (Diaxyloaloes) (Mesue)
Triphera of the Saracens (Triphera Saracenica Magna)

Chen Xiang Jiang Qi Tang
Tai Shan Pan Shi San
Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang (TCM)
Amomum 11 (Ko la 11) (Tibetan)
Amomum 19 (Ko la 19) (Tibetan)
Camphor 14 (Tibetan)
Aloeswood 31 (Tibetan)
Aloeswood 35 (Tibetan)
Rhododendron 9 (Dwa li dgu pa) (Tibetan)

Cautions:

1. Not used in Heat with Yin deficiency (Heat and Dryness). (TCM)

Main Preparations used:

Essential oil; usually added to larger compounds

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Click the Tabs above for more information on this Medicin
GENERAL / REVIEW:
–Composition and pharmacological activity of essential oils from two imported Amomum subulatum fruit samples.
–Chemical compositions and biological activities of Amomum subulatum essential oils from Nepal.
–Extraction, characterization and biological activities of polysaccharides from Amomum villosum.

ANTIBACTERIAL:
–Insight into the phytochemical profile and antimicrobial activities of Amomum subulatum and Amomum xanthioides: an in vitro and in silico study.
–Chemical composition, antimicrobial and topical anti-inflammatory activity of essential oil of Amomum subulatum fruits.
–Antimicrobial activity of essential oil and various extracts of fruits of greater cardamom.

ANTI-VIRAL:
–In Silico Analysis of the Apoptotic and HPV Inhibitory Roles of Some Selected Phytochemicals Detected from the Rhizomes of Greater Cardamom.

ANTI-FUNGAL:
–Profiling of Antifungal Activities and In Silico Studies of Natural Polyphenols from Some Plants.

ANTIOXIDANT:
–Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum) extract improves growth potential, antioxidant status, immune parameters and response to crowding stress in Catla catla.
–Antioxidant-rich fraction of Amomum subulatum fruits mitigates experimental methotrexate-induced oxidative stress by regulating TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 proinflammatory cytokines.
–Anti-oxidant effects of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) bark and greater cardamom (Amomum subulatum) seeds in rats fed high fat diet.
–Chemical constituents from the stems and leaves of Amomum villosum Lour. and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
–Anti-Inflammatory Potential Exhibited by Amomum subulatum Fruits Mitigates Experimentally Induced Acute and Chronic Inflammation in Mice: Evaluation of Antioxidant Parameters, Pro-Inflammatory Mediators and HO-1 Pathway.
–Chemical composition, antimicrobial and topical anti-inflammatory activity of essential oil of Amomum subulatum fruits.
–Three New Labdane-Type Diterpenoids from the Fruits of Amomum villosum and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activities.
–Chemical constituents from the stems and leaves of Amomum villosum Lour. and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.
–Anti-inflammatory and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities of Labdane and Norlabdane Diterpenoids from the Rhizomes of Amomum villosum.
–[Studies on the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of bornyl acetate in volatile oil from Amomum villosum].

ANALGESIC:
–[Research on the analgesic effect and mechanism of bornyl acetate in volatile oil from amomum villosum].
–[Studies on the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of bornyl acetate in volatile oil from Amomum villosum].

ALLERGIC RHINITIS:
–Fructus Amomi extract attenuates nasal inflammation by restoring Th1/Th2 balance and down-regulation of NF-κB phosphorylation in OVA-induced allergic rhinitis.

OBESITY:
–Anti-Obesity Effects of a Mixture of Atractylodes macrocephala and Amomum villosum Extracts on 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice.

GASTRO-INTESTINAL ULCERS:
–Evaluation of the gastric antiulcerogenic effect of large cardamom (fruits of Amomum subulatum Roxb).

ULCERATIVE COLITIS / INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE:
–Dietary Supplement of Amomum villosum Lour. Polysaccharide Attenuates Ulcerative Colitis in BALB/c Mice.
–Therapeutic Effect of Amomum villosum on Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Rats.
–Volatile Oil from Amomi Fructus Attenuates 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Intestinal Mucositis.

IMPROVES GROWTH
–Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum) extract improves growth potential, antioxidant status, immune parameters and response to crowding stress in Catla catla.

HYPOGLYCEMIC / DIABETES:
–[Terpenoids from fruits of Amomum villosum and their hypoglycemic activity].
–Acute effects of Amomum villosum Lour. fruit extract on postprandial glycemia and insulin secretion: A single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study in healthy subjects.

GASTROPROTECTIVE:
–Effects of a polysaccharide extract from Amomum villosum Lour. on gastric mucosal injury and its potential underlying mechanism.
–Synergy Effects of Three Plant Extracts on Protection of Gastric Mucosa.

HEPATOPROTECTIVE::
–Hepatoprotection through regulation of voltage dependent anion channel expression by Amomum subulatum Roxb seeds extract.

FATTY LIVER:
–Volatile Oil of Amomum villosum Inhibits Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease via the Gut-Liver Axis.

CARDIOVASCULAR:
–Spices: Therapeutic Potential in Cardiovascular Health.

HYPOTENSIVE:
–Beneficial Effects of Black Cardamom (Amomum subulatum) on Hemodynamic Parameters in Normotensive and Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

GOUT / HYPERURICEMIA:
–In vivo anti-hyperuricemia and anti-gouty arthritis effects of the ethanol extract from Amomumvillosum Lour.

IMMUNOMODULATORY:
–Purification, Structural Characterization and Immunomodulatory Effects of Polysaccharides from Amomumvillosum Lour. on RAW 264.7 Macrophages.

RADIOPROTECTIVE:
–Amomum subulatum fruits protect against radiation-induced esophagitis by regulating antioxidant status and inflammatory responses.
–Amomum subulatum mitigates experimental thoracic radiation-induced lung injury by regulating antioxidant status and inflammatory responses.
–Amomum subulatum mitigates total body irradiation-induced oxidative stress and its associated inflammatory response by enhancing the antioxidant status and regulating the pro-inflammatory cytokines.

CANCER:
–Amomum subulatum: A treasure trove of anti-cancer compounds targeting TP53 protein using in vitro and in silico techniques.
–Black cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) fruit extracts exhibit apoptotic activity against lung cancer cells.
–Amomum subulatum Induces Apoptosis in Tumor Cells and Reduces Tumor Burden in Experimental Animals via Modulating Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines.
–Efficacy and Mechanism of Active Fractions in Fruit of Amomum villosum Lour. for Gastric Cancer.
–Cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of six herbal plants against the human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cell line.

ANTHELMINTIC:
–In vitro and in vivo anthelmintic response of the seeds of Amomum subulatum roxb and Vitex negundo.