Before history was recorded, cinnamon was used as a commodity. In fact, it was considered so unique and precious that it was highly regarded as an appropriate gift for heads of state and royalty.
As An Antioxidant
The Health Benefits of Cinnamon are still in debate; however, cinnamon is high in antioxidants. Cinnamon contains some of the most diverse and effectual antioxidants of all plants, making it a vital food in the control of oxidative stress. This makes it a viable alternative in treating a wide range of chronic diseases that are associated with oxidative damage from free radicals. A common means of cinnamon consumption as an antioxidant is tea made from the bark.
Some of the exact antioxidants that make up the Health Benefits of Cinnamon are vanillan, phenol, mannitol, isoeugenol, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, epicatechin, methyl-eugenol, gamma-terpinene, myrcene, linalyl-acetate, proanthocyanidins and camphene.
Pregnant women shuold not seek to consume large quantities of cinnamon in any form, tea or herbal supplement.
Diabetes Alternative
Cinnamon is a dominant inducer of insulin sensitivity making it an effective treatment for Type II diabetes. While cinnamon has been reported to have amazing pharmacological effects in the treatment of Type II diabetes, the plant material used in the study was mostly from cassia. I'll tell you more about cassia in a moment.
One of the earliest published studies about the human health benefits of cinnamon came out in the journal, Diabetes Care in 2003. A group of sixty men and women with Type II diabetes were given 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon in pill form each day, an amount approximately equal to 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
After 40 days, all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose by 18 to 29%, triglycerides by 23 to 30%, LDL cholesterol by 7 to 27%, and total cholesterol by 12 to 26%.
Cinnamon versus Cassia
The word cinnamon properly refers to Ceylon cinnamon, also called "true cinnamon" from the botanical C. zeylanicum.
The related Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum), Saigon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi), and Cinnamomum burmannii are sometimes sold as true cinnamon, and other times signified from true cinnamon as "Chinese cinnamon", "Vietnamese cinnamon", or "Indonesian cinnamon."
True Ceylon cinnamon is produced only from the thin inner bark of the plant and is not considered as strong or harsh as cassia. Cassia is usually noted as having a stronger flavor than true cinnamon.
In supermarkets in the United States, the powdered cinnamon sold is actually cassia. Cassia is also the type of cinnamon normally found in supplement form. It naturally contains a compound called coumarin.
Coumarin is found in other plants such as celery, chamomile, sweet clover, and parsley. Coumarin is a toxic element and European health agencies have of late advised against consuming large quantities of cassia. Coumarin is acknowledged to cause liver and kidney damage when consumed in high concentrations. True Ceylon cinnamon has insignificant amounts of coumarin.
Check with your health care professional before making any changes to your diet.
About the Author:
Kalynn Amadio is the webmster of Alternatively-Healthier, your key to alternative health information. Learn more about the Health Benefits of Cinnamon and other herbal remedies.
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