What is Cinnamon? - Natural Health News

Cinnamon is best known as a spice that is obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum. It used to flavor both sweet and savoury dishes and can besprinkled on toast and lattes. Not many people know that cinnamon is not only just a good flavoring agent. It has been used traditionally as medicine throughout the world.

Research has shown that a particular type of cinnamon called cassia cinnamon may lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. A recent German study on type 2 diabetes found that daily use of cinnamon extract successfully reduced blood sugar by about 10%. Studies have also found that cinnamon may reduce inflammation, have antioxidant effects, and fight bacteria. Cinnamon is also good at reducing cholesterol. In another study it reduced cholesterol by 13 percent and triglycerides by 23 percent.

To get the maximum benefits from cinnamon it is advisable to use standardized cinnamon extract daily. This is because unlike the extract, the actual spice is not water soluble and in large amounts can be dangerous In the blood sugar study participants took 1 gram capsules of standardized cinnamon extract daily and those in the cholesterol study took 1 to 6 grams.

Benefits of Cinnamon

Cinnamon has the following health benefits:

It helps those with insulin resistance and therefore is very popular with type 2 diabetic who use it to control blood sugar variations.
It has the amazing ability of stopping candida yeast infections that are even resistant to medicine
It is a powerful anti-biotic and is thus a very potent remedy for stomach flu
It helps digestion and reduces uncomfortable feelings such as bloating associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
It is a promising solution when it comes to treating cancer, especially Tumors, Gastric Cancers and Melanomas
It is a powerful anti-bacterial and makes a great natural disinfectant