I’m so in love with Cardamom essential oil right now. Have you ever tried it? Like so many other essential oils, it has several different properties, so there are many different ways you can use it.

But learning about essential oils isn’t just about knowing how to use the oils themselves. To really get to know an oil, we also need to learn about the plant it comes from. Recently, Cardamom taught me a very important lesson (another example of how plants can be such great teachers).

Have you ever thought you knew a plant or oil pretty well—just to find out you were mistaken?

It happens all the time, even to those of us that have studied essential oils for years!

For the Atlantic Aromatic Library’s Deep Dive on Cardamom, I was so excited because I have a Cardamom plant in my yard.

I even took a video of it to show it off and commented that, “I don’t know if it’s placebo or what, but I feel like I can smell something in the leaves.” Some part of me knew that this was a bit curious, but I brushed it off because hey, it’s a “Cardamom” plant.

There are two lessons to this story.

One is the importance of identifying plants using their Latin names … and the second is that you should always listen to your mother. 

I have to joke because she had just gifted me this mug for the holidays. And it turns out, that’s exactly what happened a few weeks later while I was studying Cardamom.

(Side note: My editor also told me that she had to correct the spelling of Cardamon a million times. She finally told me, “You mention in the Deep Dive that Cardamom has a maternal energy, so just remember that it ends in “mom.”)

The short of it is that I misidentified my plant. It’s actually part of the Alpinia genus and not Elettaria cardamomum. This is another example of why knowing your Latin names is so important.

But, let’s talk about Cardamom …

If you’re new to using Cardamom, here’s what you should know:

• Cardamom is great in a diffuser for creating a homey and inviting scent. Many associate it with home-cooking.
• Cardamom is nice in a massage blend (15 drops of essential oils total per ounce of carrier), and it has some antispasmodic properties.
• Cardamom is stimulating but more subtle than Ginger or Rosemary; it’s most helpful for “picking up where you left off” and finishing something.
• Cardamom blends delightfully well with Orange, Rose, Patchouli, and Eucalyptus—just to name a few.

Watch the video below to hear more about what I learned in this Deep Dive, and join me in a brief meditation with Cardamom.

After watching, I want to know, what do you enjoy using Cardamom for? What kinds of applications do you use it for, and what do you blend it with?

If you’ve never used Cardamom before, let me know what inspires you the most to go out and use this sweet spice. Leave me a comment below.

Want to dive into your aromatherapy studies without committing to a full program? Learn aromatherapy at home with us in the Atlantic Aromatic Library.