As one of the oldest known essential oils, cardamom holds a special place in global cuisine and perfume. It is known as the queen of spices for its importance and high cost. A member of the ginger family, cardamom grows wild and is cultivated in South Asia and Central America. The green cardamom vs. than the pale yellow is preferred for the distillation of essential oils due to its higher cineole content.

Ground cardamom seed is a core ingredient of Indian curry powder. The oil is used in canned fish, meat, and pickled vegetables globally and in bread and baked goods in Scandinavian countries.

Cardamom essential oil is a warm, spicy, aromatic with a somewhat medicinal, camphoraceous element. The dry down is sweet and floral with some fruity, citrus aspects. Arctander writes, “In perfumery the oil will not only impart spiciness, but also a warm, sweet note which fits into floral bases such as muguet and rose. We review our Top 10 Cardamom Perfumes.

Cardamom Aromatic Properties and Chemical Composition

Herbal, camphorous, medicinal: 1,8 cineole (eucalyptol) is almost 40% of the essential oil in this TGSC analysis.

Herbal, spicy, woody, lavender: One quarter of the essential oil is made up of alpha-terpinyl acetate, which is sweet, herbaceous, and citrusy, smelling of lavender and bergamot with possible pine notes. Arctander notes this chemical as a lighter, but more tenacious version of linalyl acetate.

Piney, woody, citrus: The bright, piney aspect of cardamom comes from a combination of alpha-terpineol, alpha-pinene, and beta-pinene, and sabinene. The citrus notes are supported by limonene.

Fresh floral: Cardamom oil has small, but important amounts of geraniol and geranyl acetate, which give a fresh, green, fruity rose and lavender scent, which are supported by linalool.