While in the West we appreciate cinnamon for it’s flavor and scent, adding it to deserts and whatnot with perhaps a twinge of guilt, in the East cinnamon has long been used for its healing benefits.
Cinnamon is a very good source of fiber, iron and calcium and an excellent source of manganese. But its the components in the essential oils of the cinnamon bark that provide the most surprising benefits.
Cinnamon:
- Lowers LDL cholesterol helping to prevent heart disease.
- Has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
- Is an anti-inflammatory (good for arthritis);
- Is an anti-microbial that stops the growth of bacteria as well as fungi. It is effective as a natural food preservative.
- Controls blood sugar by slowing the rate the stomach empties and minimizing the spike in blood sugar levels after eating. It also increases cells’ ability to use glucose (common treatment for Type 2 Diabetes).
- Improves digestion and clears bile from the colon, providing relief from constipation and diarrhea.
- Is effective against vaginal and oral yeast infections.
- Is a remedy for coughs, the common cold and toothaches.
- Cinnamon’s scent alone helps boosts brain function.
Remedies
Colds & Coughs: The Chinese add 1 cinnamon stick to water and boil for 2 minutes, remove the stick and use the water to make green and other teas, drinking two cups a day.
Arthritis: Patients in a Copenhagen University study given 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder mixed with one tablespoon honey before breakfast each morning had significant relief in only one week and could walk pain free within a month!
Toothache: Make a paste of 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder mixed with 5 teaspoons raw honey and put some on an aching tooth and surrounding gums to cure the infection and toothache.