How cardamom helps in hypertension

• Hypertension occurs when the pressure of blood flow is too high against the walls of arteries.
• It is a pretty common disease and is induced by poor lifestyle and diet choices.
• Diet changes such as cutting out salt and sugar is vital to treat hypertension.
• Cardamom if taken regularly can help maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

Hypertension is defined as blood pressure above 140/90.It is a pretty common ailment in today’s time and around 75 billion people suffer from it around the world.  Our lifestyle and eating habits have changed to a great extent contributing to increasing occurrence of hypertension related cardiovascular diseases. Less and less physical activity, processed and fatty foods, sodium rich diet and stress of modern lifestyle are the factors responsible for increasing cases of hypertension amongst young and old.

A major part of the cure for hypertension is altering the patient’s diet and adopting a more active lifestyle. Cutting out salt, sugar and fatty foods and eating healthier improves the condition by a great degree. A healthy diet plan can be supplemented with certain herbs and spices to your diet, which are known to help relieve hypertension.

One such spice is cardamom. Cardamom is a common household spice in Indian kitchens. It is used for its distinct aroma and taste; however, it also has medicinal properties. A recent study shows that by incorporating a small amount of cardamom in diet, healthy blood pressure levels can be maintained.Cardamom is a widely used seasoning valued for its sweet aroma and unique taste. Cardamom and high blood pressure treatment has been a topic of research with some studies showing that cardamom powder if taken daily, can help lower blood pressure. In the study a group of people diagnosed with hypertension was given around 3 grams of cardamom powder daily for 12 weeks. There was a considerable decrease in blood pressure readings of the patients by the end of 12th week without any major side effects.

Cardamom is easily available worldwide and has a variety of uses in the kitchen. Here are some tips for including cardamom in your diet.

Add it to your savoury dishes

Cardamom is usually added to sweets and desserts, however it takes the flavours of savoury dishes up a notch owing to its incredible aroma. Cardamom has been used for hundreds of years to add flavour to biryanis and gravies. You can add cardamom in tomato based sauces and enjoy the taste as well as health benefits.

As a seasoning

Sprinkle cardamom powder on your snacks such as roasted nuts or add a little to your soup and savour the floral aroma.

Add flavour to milk

Cardamom infused milk makes a tasty treat before bedtime. However make sure not to add too much sugar or use sugar free alternatives to sweeten your drink.

As a mouth freshener

Cardamom is a traditional Indian mouth freshener. Chew on the seeds post meals to freshen your breath and reap great health benefits.

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