Cinnamon Has a Long History of Healing

Cinnamon, known as cinnamonum zeylanicum, is one of the oldest spices known to man. Used as a common household spice, it is also an herb known for its great healing vitality. Cinnamon is made from the bark of a tree that originated in Ceylon, and is now indigenous to India, Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam and Brazil. The active ingredient is cinnamonaldehyde, which is an oil that comes from the bark. The common form of cinnamon is called Cassia cinnamon. A sweeter form of cinnamon, called Ceylon cinnamon, or true cinnamon, is lighter colored and is more expensive. Cinnamon gets its name from the Hebrew word, “amomon,” which means fragrant spice, whereas the Italians call it “cannella” which translates into tube—the shape that the bark curls into when dried.

Traditional Chinese medicine used cinnamon to treat colds, digestive difficulties, nausea, diarrhea, and painful menses. It was written about in Chinese medical journals as far back as 2,800 BC. Constitutionally, it is used for people with cold feet and hot upper bodies and known by the Chinese name “kwai”.

Egyptians used it in the embalming process and to preserve meat.  It was used in Ancient Rome as a healing agent and for its spiritual healing powers. Internally, cinnamon was used to treat coughs and colds, but it was also burned to purify the air in a home or as an offering at a shrine. Pliny the Elder reported, in the first century A.D., that cinnamon was worth fifteen times that of silver.

Ayurvedic medicine uses cinnamon to treat diabetes, indigestion, and as a constitutional remedy for people diagnosed with a body type called kapha. Because of its medicinal properties, cinnamon is used as an ingredient in chai tea, which is used as a healing beverage to aid digestion of dairy and fruits.  As an oil, cinnamon is used in aromatherapy to calm the nervous system.

Combined with honey, cinnamon can be used to treat heart disease, as it is known to reduce cholesterol. A paste made of cinnamon and honey can be spread on bread and eaten daily. Or the honey and cinnamon can be consumed after stirring into hot or cold water.

Research on the use of cinnamon is currently going on, especially as a treatment for diabetes. In Sweden, research at the Malmo University Hospital was conducted using rice pudding with or without cinnamon. Those who ate the cinnamon-topped rice pudding showed a lowering of their blood sugar levels. The researchers suspect that cinnamon slows the digestive process, allowing the body more time to break down carbohydrates that cause high blood sugar. This study was published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, but came under some criticism as only fourteen people participated in the study, not enough to draw a complete conclusion.

Another study, published in 2003, investigated the use of cinnamon in pill form. Subjects who had type 2 diabetes took between one and six grams of cinnamon daily (this is about the same as one quarter to one teaspoon full). After one month, each of the subjects showed reduced fasting blood glucose, some by as much as 29%. The also reduced their triglycerides by between 23-30%, their LDL cholesterol by 7-27% and total cholesterol by 12-26%. A study with post-menopausal women who had type 2 diabetes revealed similar results.

Cinnamon is also an anti-fungal against yeast infections as well as thrush. As an anti-bacterial, it has been shown to kill the fungus that causes ulcers, the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. Another anti-bacterial use is as a gargle to treat sore throat.

Common household cinnamon contains a compound called coumarin. This has a blood-thinning effect, and is the source of the name of the branded blood-thinning pharmaceutical drug, Courmadin.

Pregnant women should avoid the use of cinnamon, as it can cause blood-thinning that is not beneficial while pregnant. Those on blood-thinning medication or diabetes medicine should consult with their medical advisors before adding quantities of cinnamon to their diet.