Spicy essential oil
Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
Cardamom essential oil is steam distilled from the seeds of Elettaria cardamomum, a plant in the Zingiberaceae family. Its aroma is spicy, woody, rich and sweet, a middle note that works best blended rather than used alone. People choose it for uplifting, calming or warming blends and for perfume, often pairing it with black pepper, ginger, sweet orange, mandarin, cedarwood, sandalwood or turmeric. The safety point that matters most is its 1,8-cineole, which can cause breathing problems in young children. Keep it away from the faces of infants and children. This profile rates it for children from age 10.
Safety at a glance
- Pregnancy Use with caution
- Children From age 10
- Dogs Generally well tolerated
- Cats Use with caution
- Sunlight Not phototoxic
- On skin No published maximum
Reference
| Botanical name | Elettaria cardamomum |
|---|---|
| Plant family | Zingiberaceae |
| Plant part | Seeds |
| Extraction | steam distillation |
| Main origins | Not given in the references we use |
| Aroma family | Spicy |
| Note | Middle note |
| Aroma | Sweet, rich spice with a woody edge |
| Main constituents | 1,8-cineole, alpha-terpinyl acetate, linalyl acetate, limonene and linalool |
| Common uses | uplifting, calm, warming and perfume |
| Suggested maximum on skin | No published maximum |
| Phototoxic | No |
| Shelf life once opened | 2 to 3 years |
| Pregnancy | Use with caution |
| Children | From age 10 |
| Dogs | Generally well tolerated |
| Cats | Use with caution |
| Safety notes | Its 1,8-cineole can cause breathing problems in young children, and Tisserand and Young advise against using it on or near the faces of infants and children; we use age 10, as for eucalyptus. It is not on the IFPA pregnancy list, so pregnancy stays at caution. Pet poison lines do not flag it. |
Blends well with
Sources
- Cardamom Essential Oil, AromaWeb. Accessed October 26, 2026
- Essential oil shelf life (Robert Tisserand's guideline), AromaWeb. Accessed October 26, 2026