When you hear the word, ”cinnamon”, the first thing that comes to mind is Cinnamon Rolls or Hot Chocolate. It is a staple ingredient in several delicious delicacies but do you know the benefits you can get out of cinnamon?
Remember when your mother or grandmother took care of you with their cooking when you got sick? And how you got better with their cooking? Transformdiet will show you how you can unleash a whole new world of benefits you can get from this everyday ingredient that your mother or grandmother may have used to treat you.
Let’s begin!
Ways Cinnamon is Beneficial for Health
1. Cinnamon Carries Medicinal Properties
Cinnamon has been around for decades and comes from a tree, which is scientifically known as Cinnamomum. The key is to extract the inner bark from this tree and leave it to dry, which causes it to curl, forming a cinnamon stick. It features essential oils that are responsible for the aroma that cinnamon produces. However, these essential oils contain a powerful compound known as cinnamaldehyde, which has beneficial effects on health and metabolism, according to many scientists.
2. It Carries Antioxidants and is Anti-Inflammatory
Cinnamon is rich in polyphenol antioxidants, making it a beneficial ingredient or substance to improve overweight people’s antioxidant status. Its antioxidants are so powerful that they make it an excellent natural food preservative. Additionally, these antioxidants can also protect you against damage from free radicals and reduce inflammation in your body, which continues to protect you from other dangerous diseases.
3. It May Treat Type-2 Diabetes
There have been observations that prove that cinnamon can have a slightly positive effect on improving glycemic control and managing type 2 diabetes. However, mixed results make it essential for more research to be done in this area to prove if cinnamon is beneficial for diabetic patients. However, there is no harm in consuming a small amount of cinnamon as part of a balanced diet or breakfast and dessert.
4. It Treats Digestive Discomfort
Cinnamon has also proved to be highly beneficial in relieving digestive discomfort caused by gastrointestinal problems. Cinnamon bark oil is extensively used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat digestive imbalance and flatulence in people. It can effectively fight illness as cinnamon’s warmth tends to improve blood oxygen levels by increasing the blood flow. It is one of the most common problems so transformdiet informs you with an easy way to treat this problem using a household ingredient as simple as cinnamon.
5. It Lowers Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
The consumption of cinnamon has multiple benefits as it helps improve serum glucose and reduces triglycerides, bad cholesterol (LDL), and total cholesterol, ultimately benefitting people with and without diabetes and people with worrying blood pressure. However, there is still not enough research that associates cinnamon with a short-term reduction in blood pressure.
6. Cinnamon May Protect You against Cancer
Although it has been restricted to test tubes and animal studies, cinnamon may contain anti-carcinogenic properties, with the potential to prevent and treat cancer. Cinnamon extracts work against cancer and cancerous cells by slowing down cancer cells’ growth and the formation of blood vessels in tumors, resulting in cancer cell death.
7. Cinnamon May Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases
The most common types of neurodegenerative diseases are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. These diseases are a result of the loss of the function of brain cells. Cinnamon has shown some promising improvements in animal studies to treat such conditions as it helped protect neurons, improved motor function, and normalized neurotransmitter levels. These effects are still needed to be studied further in humans.
8. Cinnamon Can Help Manage PCOS and HIV
PCOS is a problem that has many symptoms, but cinnamon can help a few. Cinnamon helps reduce insulin resistance in women who have PCOS, reducing weight gain. Plus, cinnamon also proves to be very helpful for treating various female health problems such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and menorrhagia.
9. Cinnamon is Beneficial for Eyes
Many studies have shown that cinnamon can be beneficial for people with eye disorders such as conjunctivitis and dry eye when used with other herbs. Although the preparation for cinnamon to treat these disorders proved quite promising, there is still a need for further research to demonstrate the benefits of cinnamon for the eyes.
Nutritional Content of Cinnamon
When it comes to nutritious spices and herbs, count cinnamon because its nutritional content is quite promising. Cinnamon is enriched with nutrients like fats, carbohydrates, protein, and calcium. Additionally, it also carries potassium, fiber, vitamin A and beta carotene. All these nutrients play a vital role in your health and wellness.
Careful! There are Side Effects!
Cinnamon rarely has a side effect, but you could observe some side effects after extensive use. There are many risky results that you may have to face afterward. You must be aware if you are allergic to cinnamon before using it as a treatment, and you must remain careful as extensive use of cinnamon can cause sores and irritate your mouth and lips.
Moreover, Cassia Cinnamon is a pure and more robust cinnamon type that may be toxic for your liver creating problems. Since there is still less evidence for its safety, breastfeeding or pregnant women should avoid cinnamon intake as a treatment.
Additionally, cinnamon can lower your blood sugar levels, so if you have diabetes and take diabetic drugs, you may need to adjust your treatment to take cinnamon supplements. Plus, cinnamon supplements could affect the way your diabetic drugs, antibiotics, and other medications work, so it would better if you consult with your doctor before taking any cinnamon supplement as it can have some serious, unpleasant results.