The difference between nutmeg and cardamom is in the drug’s flavor, attributed to the meridian, efficacy, effects, precautions and other aspects.
1. Differences in taste, attribution and efficacy: nutmeg is pungent in taste, warm in nature, and attributed to the spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians. With astringent antidiarrheal (through the enhancement of intestinal astringency to alleviate diarrhea), warming the efficacy of qi; nutmeg flavor is pungent, warm, belonging to the lungs, spleen, stomach meridian. It has the efficacy of resolving dampness and moving qi, warming and stopping vomiting (treating vomiting caused by stomach cold by warming the spleen and stomach), and appetizing and eliminating food.
2. The two have different roles: nutmeg is mainly used for the treatment of cold diarrhea, cold dysentery, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting; nutmeg is mainly used for the treatment of internal dampness caused by stagnation of abdominal distension, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Although the symptoms of the two are similar, but the cause of the disease is different, the use of drugs must be different.
3. The two precautions are different: damp-heat diarrhea and damp-heat dysentery (dysentery caused by damp-heat evil) avoid nutmeg; Yin deficiency and blood dryness should not use cardamom.