Cinnamon, prized since Ancient Egypt, boosts brain, heart, skin, and blood sugar health and rich in antioxidants

Cinnamomum

Cinnamon is a spice made from the inner bark of trees in the Cinnamomum family. It’s known for its sweet, warm flavour and aromatic scent, often used in both sweet dishes (like pastries and hot drinks) and savory dishes (like curries and stews). It has been used as an ingredient throughout history, dating back as far as Ancient Egypt. It used to be rare and valuable and was regarded as a gift fit for kings.

Cinnamon helps level blood sugar and reduce the insulin spike in the human body. This allows the body to remain more sensitive to carbohydrates in a good way (muscle growth and fat loss) but more importantly can help prevent a nasty blood sugar crash halfway through the day.

All you have to do is add a teaspoon of cinnamon to your coffee or to your meals and your body does the rest. But there’s more! Cinnamon also helps your body activate portions of your brain that you may not ordinarily activate, therefore making you think clearer and ultimately make better decisions.

It also has a very high ORAC value, meaning that it has higher antioxidant activities than most other spices in the world, along with cloves and turmeric. The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon are due to the oily part, which is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde.

There are two main types:
Ceylon cinnamon (“true cinnamon”) — lighter, sweeter, and softer.
Cassia cinnamon — darker, stronger in flavor, and more common (often sold in supermarkets)*

Ceylon cinnamon is named after the old British name for Sri Lanka – Ceylon! The most valuable quills are classified as Alba (6mm-7mm). It has inner layers to prevent the quill from breaking. Thus much more labour intensive and more expensive.

Beyond cooking, cinnamon has been studied for potential health benefits, including helping regulate blood sugar, supporting heart health, and having anti-inflammatory properties. However, large amounts (especially cassia cinnamon) can be harmful because of its coumarin content, which may affect the liver. Using healthy spices like cinnamon, clove, turmeric and ginger in healthy meals helps the body to produce more energy at the cellular level.

• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-microbial
• Anti-cancer
• Anti-diabetic
• Reduce mood swings

It has one of the highest sources of antioxidants for protecting the skin from irritation, allergic reactions, acne, and infections. Consuming this powdered spice regularly will help to fight free radical damage, keeping the skin elastic and looking youthful with age. This also works well in natural face masks mixed with raw honey.

How to get it into your diet:

• add to smoothies
• Asian stir fries
• water
• juices
• baking low carb recipes

Bad mouth? Suck on a stick of cinnamon. Like cloves, cinnamon is effective as an oral antiseptic.  Cinnamon helps to fight off harmful bacteria in the mouth which causes bad breath, tooth decay, mouth infections and cavities.

We recommend half to a full teaspoon of Cinnamon per day. Do not take large quantities of cinnamon during pregnancy. Cinnamon is available in both stick and ground powder forms. Cassia Cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin* which may be toxic to the liver in high quantities. Do you know what a pomander is? In times past pomanders were given as presents and used to ward off infections. Now they are a popular way to perfume rooms and cupboards. Fruits such as oranges, lemons and apples were embedded with spices to create a Christmas atmosphere. It can easily be made from an orange and a blend mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and orris root powder. Wrap them in a paper napkin and leave in a warm place for four weeks.