Health Benefits From Cinnamon

Cinnamon has many purposes. For most people it is a condiment for oatmeal or milk, used in potpourri, and you can buy it anywhere. Are you aware there are also numerous health benefits from cinnamon?

Do you know where cinnamon comes from? The health benefits from cinnamon may make you think it came from heaven. Cinnamon is actually a bark from a specific type of tree belonging to one family (of trees). There is no such thing as plain old cinnamon, in fact there are numerous types of cinnamon! The various forms of cinnamon come from many different parts of Asia. Most of the world’s cinnamon, estimates have the number around 90%, come from Sri Lanka and Southern India while other area’s ranging from Madagascar to Vietnam and China produce the remaining 10%. Cassia is the most popular form of cinnamon in the United States. Cassia is also known as “Chinese Cinnamon” while “True Cinnamon” is grown in Sri Lanka. Cinnamon from Sri Lanka has a much more delicate and “high-end” taste than what we have grown use to in America.Although not as aromatic, cassia is also popular. Chinese medicine has utilized the health benefits from cinnamon (specifically cassia) for thousands of years. Aside from powder, you can take the cinnamon quills or sticks – however if grating bark bothers you creating a liquid from cinnamon is also very easy. You can simply take the quills as they are and place them into a liquid and allow their properties to become infused in what you place them in (for example tea’s or milk).

A little teaspoon of cinnamon can give your body a surprisingly high amount of different nutrition benefits! You will find a mineral benefit from cinnamon such as manganese, iron, and calcium also. The good news does not stop there though, you can also find a healthy dose of vitamin C as well as K. The kicker, it also has over a gram of fiber! All this in one teaspoon. There’s also a gram of non-fibrous carbohydrates hiding in there.

Aside from being packed with powerful nutrients, cinnamon also has the ability to combat a wide array of digestive problems. Some of the health benefits from cinnamon are how it fights indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, gas, bloating, and upset stomachs! Cinnamon has started to become very popular in the scientific and medical communities as new health benefits are becoming known. Cinnamon recently has been found to also process anti-inflammatory effects. This could be why my mother has less arthritis pain when she sips cinnamon sticks in her tea to combat the mentioned indigestion.

The health benefits of cinnamon do not stop with digestive health. In fact it is believed and now proven that cinnamon has a rather large effect on cholesterol as well as blood glucose levels.

A real good attribute for the health properties of cinnamon are that it may actually improve Type 2 diabetes as well as insulin resistance. Insulin sensitivity as well as naturally monitoring blood glucose levels are some of the strong health benefits from cinnamon that caused the justifiable attention after several studies. It only took a half of a teaspoon of cinnamon to get these results. If you improve your insulin resistance can positively impact your health in a few ways. You may be able to lose some weight. You could also stand a much lesser risk of developing heart disease. These are major problems in America. The studies are showing mixed results in some cases, and they are also in the preliminary stages, however the research into the health benefits from cinnamon are on a very positive road. Another finding from the studies was, along side improved blood sugar levels, good improvements in triglycerides as well as blood pressure. Most notably the studies concluded that the LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the study participants had dropped as well.

Supplementing with the wonder spice discussed, and maybe trying to reap the health benefits from cinnamon does not come without risk. Although it is considered harmless for the most part, cinnamon does have an anti-clotting effect which could negatively impact those taking blood thinners. Another group that is prone to complications are pregnant women. However, in smaller doses it does actually appear safe for pregnant women to take on an on-going basis.

Although preliminary studies on the health benefits from cinnamon are semi-inconclusive and showed mixed results in some cases, the results should not be looked down upon. In fact, this herb has been sought after and highly valued since the days of Moses.

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