Cardamom Essential Oil
Elettaria cardamomum
Description
Cardamom Essential Oil is a beautiful and intriguing oil to explore for both aromatic and therapeutic blending.
Aromatically, Cardamom Essential Oil is a spicy-sweet middle note that blends well other spice oils, citrus oils, wood oils, and so many other oils. It's not an oil that I generally use as a single-note though many do enjoy diffusing it on its own. To me, Cardamom Essential Oil shines as a "team player" when blended with other oils. It makes an ordinary blend come to life.
Emotionally, Cardamom Essential Oil is uplifting and energizing. It might offer promise to those challenged with stress, fatigue, depression or despair. Cardamom Oil is considered an aphrodisiac.
Cardamom Essential Oil Benefits and Uses
- Appetite (loss of)
- Colic
- Fatigue
- Stress
Source: Julia Lawless, The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Updated Edition) (London: Harper Thorsons, 2014), 62.
Botanical Name
Plant Family
Common Method of Extraction
Steam Distilled
Plant Part Typically Used
Color
Clear
Consistency
Thin
Perfumery Note
Middle
Strength of Initial Aroma
Medium
Aromatic Description
Cardamom Essential Oil smells spicy, woody, rich and sweet.
Major Constituents
- 1,8-Cineole
- a-Terpinyl Acetate
- Linalyl acetate
- (+)-Limonene
- Linalool
See Essential Oil Safety for a more complete list of typical constituents.
Source: B.M. Lawrence, Essential Oils 1988-1991 (Wheaton: Allured Publishing, 1995), 199. Source cited in Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 232.
Cardamom Essential Oil Safety Information
Tisserand and Young indicate that due to its 1,8 cineole content, Cardamon Oil may cause CNS and breathing problems in young children. They caution against using Cardamon Oil on or near the face of infants and children. Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 232.]
Cardamom CO2 Supercritical Select Extract
In addition to being available as an essential oil, this botanical is available from a small number of reputable sources as a CO2 extract. CO2 extracts offer many advantages. However, they can have differing safety precautions than essential oils because the natural chemistry of CO2 extracts can differ from their essential oil counterparts. Not much safety information is documented from trusted sources for CO2 extracts. Use CO2 extracts with great care and do not assume that every CO2 extract has the same safety precautions as its essential oil counterpart.
General Safety Information
Do not take any oils internally and do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2s or other concentrated essences onto the skin without advanced essential oil knowledge or consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. For general dilution information, read AromaWeb's Guide to Diluting Essential Oils. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and be sure to first read the recommended dilution ratios for children. Consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children, the elderly, if you have medical issues or are taking medications. Before using this or any essential oil, carefully read AromaWeb's Essential Oil Safety Information page. For in-depth information on oil safety issues, read Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young.
Shelf Life
Important Information About the Profiles
The essential oil information provided on AromaWeb is intended for basic educational purposes only. The references to safety information, test results, constituents and percentages is generalized information. Essential oils can vary greatly in composition. The data is not necessary complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate. The essential oil photos are intended to represent the typical and approximate color of each essential oil. However, essential oil composition and color can vary based on harvesting, distillation, age of the essential oil and other factors. Profiles for several CO2 Extracts and absolutes are included within the directory, and are denoted as such.
