This product is the mature fruit of the perennial herbaceous plant Cardamon Fruit (Amomun kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep.) from the ginger family. It is mainly produced in eastern Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and other regions. It is also cultivated in Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other areas in mainland China. Harvested in autumn, it is dried and used raw, crushed when needed.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid, warm. Act on lung, spleen and stomach meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Resolving dampness and moving qi, warming middle and arresting vomiting.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for damp stagnation in the middle energizer and spleen-stomach qi stagnation, presenting symptoms such as abdominal distension and fullness, and poor appetite. It has the function of resolving dampness and moving qi. It is often used with Magnolia Bark, Dried Tangerine Peel, etc.; at the onset of damp-warm disease, with chest tightness, no hunger, and turbid greasy tongue coating, where dampness is predominant, it is combined with Talc, Coix Seed, Bitter Apricot Seed, etc., such as in Three-Kernel Decoction; if pathogenic heat is predominant, it can be used with Skullcap Root, Talc, etc., such as in Skullcap and Talc Decoction.
2. Used for vomiting. It has the effects of moving qi, warming the middle, and stopping vomiting. It is especially suitable for vomiting due to stomach cold dampness obstruction and qi stagnation. It can be used alone as a powder or combined with Patchouli, Pinellia, etc. For infantile stomach cold with milk vomiting, it can be ground into a fine powder with Villous Amomum Fruit and Liquorice Root, and often sprinkled in the mouth.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Kaibao Materia Medica: "It primarily treats accumulated cold qi, stops vomiting and regurgitation, and aids digestion by lowering qi."
2. Compendium of Materia Medica: "The efficacy of Cardamom Fruit lies entirely in its aromatic properties. Once stir-fried, its potency diminishes; when used in decoctions, it should be finely ground and taken while hot for optimal effect."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-6g. It is better to use in powder form. For decoction, it should be added later.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains volatile oils, with the main components being dextroborneol and dextro-camphor. Its pharmacological effects include promoting gastric secretion, enhancing gastrointestinal motility, inhibiting abnormal fermentation in the intestines, and relieving gastrointestinal gas accumulation, thus providing a good aromatic stomachic effect and antiemetic properties. The decoction of the fruit shell with water has an inhibitory effect on Shigella dysenteriae.

bubble_chart Supplementary Medicinals

The shell of the round cardamom fruit is the husk of the Cardamom Fruit. Its properties and effects are similar to those of the Cardamom Fruit, but it is less warm in nature and weaker in potency. It is suitable for symptoms such as epigastric fullness, poor appetite, and vomiting caused by dampness obstruction and qi stagnation. It is decocted and taken in doses of 3-5g.