Round cardamom

Round cardamom (Amomum compactum, synonym Amomum cardamomum) is a large herb of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), 2–3 m tall, forming dense clumps from a creeping rhizome. The leaves are large, long lanceolate, alternate, glossy green above with clear parallel veins. The inflorescence is a cylindrical to globose spike arising at the base or from lower leaf axils, of small pale-yellow flowers with white lips. The fruit is a small round capsule, 1–1.5 cm across, ivory to pale green when fresh, brownish-grey when dry, splitting along slits, holding many shiny black, strongly aromatic seeds. Fruit and seeds are a familiar spice and medicine across Southeast Asia.

Round cardamom originates from the island of Java (Indonesia) and is grown widely in Southeast and South Asia; in traditional Chinese medicine its fruit is called bai dou kou (white cardamom). In Southeast Asian cooking the pods are cracked to season meat, curries and stir-fries and to make sauces; in Vietnam it is used in braises, giả cầy (ham), xôi and northwestern pho seasoning. In Chinese medicine bai dou kou is pungent and warming, entering the lung, spleen and stomach; it moves qi, resolves dampness, warms the middle and stops vomiting, strengthens the spleen and aids digestion, treating bloating, indigestion, nausea and mild diarrhoea. The fruit's oil is rich in 1,8-cineole with limonene and bornyl acetate, showing antibacterial, antifungal and digestive-relaxant activity, and is used as a food flavouring.