Cinnamon’s benefits
Cinnamon, though mainly used in food, has many health benefits:
You may be wondering what a spice that has long been associated with the kitchen has to do with promoting good health. Cinnamon (Cinnamon verum) has played an important role in medicinal healing and as a culinary spice.
The Bible makes reference to the use of aromatic cinnamon in Proverbs 7:17-18 where the lover’s bed is perfumed with aloe, myrrh and cinnamon. In Songs of Solomon 4:14, the author describes the beauty of his beloved, cinnamon scenting her garments like the smell of Lebanon.
Cinnamon was used in Egypt as an embalming agent, a product that was considered more precious than gold. Its warming qualities made cinnamon essential to traditional Chinese medicine and its energy-based medical systems.
As its popularity grew, mediaeval Europe heavily relied on cinnamon. It was a product in great demand and became one of the first commodities traded regularly between the Near East and Europe.
Diabetics
Type Two diabetics will be happy to know that cinnamon may significantly improve their ability to respond to insulin, normalising their blood-sugar levels. Studies are currently under way by the United States Agricultural Research Service to demonstrate that less than half a teaspoon per day of cinnamon reduces blood-sugar levels in persons with Type Two diabetes. Several persons in Jamaica have already experienced the benefits of reduced blood-sugar levels by using cinnamon.
Some persons question the toxicity of regular use of cinnamon. However, results of a study published in the December 2003 issue of Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice reported that cinnamon enhanced muscle cells for better insulin utility.
Another study reported in the January 28, 2004 issue of the same magazine that including cinnamon in the diet of Type Two diabetics will see a reduction in blood-sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and other risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
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