When feeling down make this warming tea Drink hot with a little milk twice a day to ward off coughs and colds. In the Middle East and Turkey, green cardamom powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes as well as traditional flavouring. In Arabic, cardamom is called al-Hayl. South Asia green cardamon is often used in traditional Indian sweets and in tea, or chai, a common ingredient in Indian cooking, and is often used in baking in Scandinavia.