Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics

China as a carminative, stimulant, and to treat
urinary problems, among other conditions.
The cardamom used in China for these
purposes is the fruit ofAmomum cardamo-
mumL., which is considered in Chinese med-
icine to be superior to that of Elettaria
cardamomum (JIANGSU). Amomum carda-
moms are from Java and Siam (WICHTL).

COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS

Seed and oil; official in N.F. and F.C.C.

Regulatory Status. Use of the seed as a spice,

natural flavoring, and natural seasoning

(§182.10), and the essential, natural extrac-

tive, and solvent-free oleoresins of the seed are

GRAS (§182.20). Fruits subject of a German

therapeutic monograph in medium daily dose

of 1.5 g for treatment of dyspeptic disorders

(BLUMENTHAL1).

REFERENCES

See the General References forARCTANDER;BARRETT;BIANCHINI AND CORBETTA;FEMA;GREIVE;GUENTHER;
GUPTA;JIANGSU;LUST;MASADA;MCGUFFIN1&2;NANJING;ROSENGARTEN;STAHL;TERRELL;UPHOF;WICHTL.

1. M. Miyazawa and H. Kameoka,
   Yukagaku, 24 , 22 (1975).


2. J. S. T. Chou,Koryo, 106 , 55 (1974).


3. B. M. Lawrence,Perfum. Flav., 14 ,87
   (1989).


4. B. M. Lawrence,Perfum. Flav., 16 ,39
   (1991).


5. M. Gopalakishnan et al.,J. Agric. Food
   Chem., 38 , 2133 (1990).


6. Y. S. Lewis et al., 6th International Cong-
   ress of Essential Oils (Pap.), 1974, p. 65.


7. J. Haginiwa et al.,Yakugaku Zasshi, 83 ,
   624 (1963).
   8. H. al-Zuhair et al.,Pharmacol. Res., 34 ,
   79 (1996).
   9. I. Kubo et al.,J. Agric. Food Chem., 39 ,
   1984 (1991).


8. L. Daswani and A. Bohra,Adv. Plant Sci.,
   16 , 87 (2003).


9. Y. Kato,Koryo, 113 , 17 (1975).


10. D. L. J. Opdyke,Food Cosmet. Toxicol.,
    12 (Suppl.), 837 (1974).


11. B. A. Al-Bataina et al.,J. Trace Elem.
    Med. Biol., 17 , 85 (2003).

CAROB

Source: Ceratonia siliquaL. (Family Legu-
minosae or Fabaceae).

Common/vernacular names: Carob, carob
bean, locust bean, St. John’s bread.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Dome-shaped evergreen tree with dark green
compound leaves, consisting of two to five

pairs of large, rounded glossy leaflets; fruits

(pods) up to 30 cm long, indehiscent, and

sometimes borne on the tree trunk; tree up to

15 m high; native to southeastern Europe and

western Asia; widely cultivated in the Medi-

terranean region. Part used is the dried ripe

fruit, from which three major commercial

products are obtained: carob extract of the

dried pod, either roasted or unroasted; carob

flour from the pulp or thewhole pod; and carob

bean gum orlocust bean gumfrom the endo-

sperm of the seed. Spain, Italy, and Portugal

are the major producers of carob.^1

142 Carob