Abstract The large cardamom pericarp (husk) yielded 0.18% volatile oil by Clevenger hydrodistillation method. This oil was analysed for physical parameters viz. speciï¬c gravity (0.9148), refractive index (1.4733) and optical rotation (â7.700). The volatile oil was subjected to GCâMS analysis and 37 compounds were identiï¬ed, constituting &gt; 98% of the total oil. The major compounds characterized were 1,8âcineole (38.7%), Î² âpinene (13.6%), Î± âterpineol (12.6%), spathulenol (8.3%), 4âterpineol (4.5%), germacreneâD (3.0%), Î± âpinene (2.8%) and Î² âselinene (2.7%). GC and GCâMS data revealed that the 1,8âcineol content was less than 50% when compared with the seed oil. Copyright Â© 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.