I love meeting new people from various walks of life. My easy going inquisitive nature often jams me up with people from varied backgrounds, cultures and age groups. I dig on new perspectives and radical thinking. But at the same time I love the simplicity of the regular people next door.

When I meet someone new, I observe their speech, mannerisms and how they dress. Of course what they read, listen and watch are great conversation topics. Gives me a great insight on their likes and dislikes. Looks do not impress me as much as the mind and overall personality does. Of course, a well turned out attractive personality is always a pleasure to meet. But one thing that strikes me first after the person smiles is the way he or she smells. Body and mouth odor are major turn offs. These days, the first kind of odor is well taken care of, with the importance of good grooming stressed on in a big way everywhere, right from schools to corporate offices. No wonder the sale of deodorants have hit an all time high. But I cannot say the same for oral hygiene. People still have miles to go when it comes to having fresh breath. It indeed is a major turnoff to see a person dressed in his best, who comes off as immensely knowledgeable and has the most magnetic personality but lacks proper oral hygiene.

As a retail professional, I used to head a team of young robust talented men and women. Service industry is one of the fussiest employers when it comes to personal hygiene. There are stringent rules for grooming and presenting oneself professionally when you’re on the floor, dealing with customers. You always need to show up in your best groomed avatar, since you’re representing the brand that you’re working for. I often used to conduct interviews for recruiting new members in my team. Even before I started to access a potential candidate for their work caliber, I used to try and gauge the personal hygiene of the person that I was interviewing. Of course, he or she would be in their best formal clothes, ironed well, shining footwear, with proper haircut and smelling fresh with a big help of a deodorant. In short, they would put their best foot forward. But, how then would one assess them on their consistency in being so well turned out in their routine lives?  One giveaway was their oral hygiene. The moment a candidate opened his mouth to speak, his breath spoke volumes about him and his confidence. There were times people have turned up after popping a mint in their mouth, but I’ve observed that often that also isn’t effective in masking the stink. Thus, my decision in selecting the right candidate never went wrong. A person who could take care of a seemingly insignificant detail as this would definitely be good at his work.

I normally carry a pack of mint and other mouth fresheners in my bag. Comes handy especially when you’re traveling and need to go to some place directly from the airport or station. In my quest to keep my mouth smelling fresh, I keep trying different products that could give me optimal results in keeping my breath smelling great all the time. So, when I came across Baba Elaichi, I was a bit skeptical, since I had this mindset of popping a mint instead of the age old mouth freshener that granny always recommended. But I did not see any harm in giving it a try. And trust me, I did not regret it.

Since I was trying something I was still not convinced about, I looked up the internet to find how exactly Elaichi could be a better option to the regular mint or mouth freshener. And I found a treasure trove of benefits of Elaichi, besides it being a great mouth freshener. Just to summarize what I read (Source):

1. Improves digestion:
Ever wonder why Elaichi is a staple addition to saunf/aniseed after meal? Well, that is because Elaichi is carminative in nature and helps speed up digestion, reduces inflammation of the stomach lining, fights heart burn and nausea. It is known to soothe the mucous membranes, making it function better thereby relieving the symptoms of acidity and an upset stomach. Moreover, according to Ayurvedic texts it also reduces the water and air properties in the stomach making it more capable of digesting food efficiently.

2. Beats bad breath:
If you have bad breath and have tried every sort of remedy out there, give Elaichi a try. The spice is packed with antibacterial properties, has a strong flavor and a pleasant smell. Moreover since it helps improve your digestive system – which is known to be one of the leading causes for bad breath – it is very effective in weeding out the root cause of the problem. 

3. Relieves acidity:
The essential oils in Elaichi help strengthen the mucosal lining of your stomach, making elaichi a great remedy for acidity. Another way it helps is by increasing the amount of saliva you secrete. On chewing the pod, it releases a slew of essential oils that stimulate your salivary glands, which in-turn stimulate your stomach lining to work better, improving your appetite and reduces the amount of acidity you experience. Elaichi’s essential oils also impart a cooling flavor and sensation that help reduce the burning you feel during an attack of acidity.

4. Helps alleviate respiratory illnesses:
Cardamom helps by increasing circulation of blood within your lungs which helps relieve breathing problems like asthma, cold and cough. In Ayurveda, Elaichi is known as a warm spice, which heats up the body internally, helping in the expulsion of phlegm and relieving chest congestion.

5. Regularizes your heart rate:
Packed with minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium, cardamom is a gold mine for essential electrolytes. One of the main components of your blood, body fluids and cells is potassium. With its abundant supply of this essential mineral elaichi helps regularize your heart rate and keeps your blood pressure under control.

6. Fights anemia:
Another major component of Elaichi is copper, iron and essential vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin C and niacin. Known for its immense importance in the production of red blood cells and cellular metabolism, copper, riboflavin, vitamin C and niacin in addition to iron are great to fight anemia and relieve the symptoms that one experiences due to the condition.

7. Detoxifies the body and fight free radicals:
Cardamom is a great source of mineral manganese. Manganese is the key to production of an enzyme that scavenges and destroys free radicals. Apart from that Elaichi also has very strong detoxifying properties that help to cleanse the body and protect it from diseases like cancer.

8. Improves your sex life:
Elaichi is a potent tonic and stimulant. It not only helps to strengthen the body it also fights sexual dysfunctions like premature ejaculation and impotency. Not only does it relieve the problem it also helps you feel energetic and last longer in bed.

After reading these benefits, I tried to understand how Baba Elaichi would be different from the regular Elaichi found in my kitchen. Since 1929 Baba is recognized worldwide for its quality, alluring aroma and tantalizing taste. It is made with a traditional secret recipe, which uses the finest ingredients. The silver leaves used for coating the cardamom seeds are produced in-house from 999grade Silver without any animal skin contact, and is untouched by human hand. I was pleasantly surprised to find a liberal quantity of saffron strands mixed with the rich silver coated seeds of Elaichi in it. The virtues of saffron as antiseptic, antidepressant, anti-oxidant, digestive, anti-convulsant spice adds to the goodness of Baba. Not to mention, that in spite of saffron being an expensive ingredient, the pack of 5gms Baba Elaichi at an MRP of Rs.65.00 is quite a value for money.

On sampling the pack of Baba Elaichi sent to me for an honest review, I found that the quality of Elaichi used in it was far more superior to the ones available loosely at the neighborhood grocery stores.  Knowing the fact that the silver coating used was not procured from animal sources was heartening. I am extremely fussy when it comes to what my son eats. Also the fact that it was packed in completely hygienic conditions without passing through unknown human hands was also quiet a relief. I could share it with my son, without being paranoid about the hygiene of the product. Although, he did find it a little strong for his taste, he still enjoys sucking on little quantities of it after his meal. The taste is quite sharp and minty when you first take it in your mouth but slowly the distinct flavor of cardamom overpowers the tastebuds. Left my mouth tingling for a good number of hours after I had my meal.  I face problems of acidity on and off. But since last three days that I have been having it after every meal, I have had no acidity issues.

The first time me and my son tried Baba Elaichi, our pet Labrador ‘Roger’ got so carried away by  it’s fragrance, that he wanted some too!

“A bit strong but I love the flavor!” says my son.

“Wonder why I can’t get some of that   heavenly smelling stuff?” thinks Roger as he looks on.

Although, I must add, that being from a creative background in retail, I observed that there’s a lot of scope for improvising on the look of the package, especially the container. I loved the ‘click clack’ pack that they have introduced for their packing (first time in India), which makes the pack easy to open.  But, I would like to add that the richness of the product can further be justified with an equally aristocratic packing – maybe by adding a rich metallic color to the container.

Besides this, I feel I would consistently use this product given the quality I am being assured. My son has completely got hooked to the idea of having it after his meals, and I feel the natural goodness of Elaichi is something that I would want him to get habituated to. According to me, Baba Elaichi is a perfect mouth freshener that not only eliminates bad breath, but also brings with it a host of health benefits at a nominal price. Overall – a product that I am happy to have discovered.

Everyone at home gave it a thumbs up,  including Roger!

Loved it!