The Benefits of Cinnamon for Your Body
Cinnamon originates from Sri Lanka. The producer countries of cinnamon nowadays are: Indonesia, China, India, Java, Madagascar, the Seychelles Islands, the Mauritius Islands, Burma, Malaysia, Brazil, Antilles, and Guyana. However, the main worldwide producer is still Sri Lanka.
The cinnamon branches have a sweet taste, that’s woody and spicy. The optimal climate conditions for growing cinnamon is warm weather, that’s why it grows in the countries we mentioned before.
We all know cinnamon for its culinary uses. However, it’s also been used since ancient times for its variety of beneficial health properties. Even so, thanks to pharmaceutical technology development, its use is gradually being lost.
Important benefits of cinnamon
Diabetes
Without any doubt, one of the biggest benefits of cinnamon is that experts use it in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon helps to reduce the glucose levels in your blood, thanks to its compound cinnamtannin B1; this benefit is stronger when you consume it on an empty stomach or after meals.
Different studies have shown that this component can stimulate the insulin receptors and inhibit the enzyme that deactivates them; this boosts the ability of your cells to use glucose.
Digestive system
Another great benefit that cinnamon has on your body occurs in your digestive system. It’s a food rich in dietary fiber, calcium, and iron, so these components adhere to bile salts and help to eliminate them from your body. This is a real benefit because the accumulation of salts or their inadequate expulsion can be damaging for the health of your colon.
Bowel rhythm
As you’ve seen in the last paragraph, cinnamon has benefits for your colon because it helps to eliminate the bile salts in your body. However, this isn’t the only benefit connected to this organ; it also helps to treat an irritable colon. Cinnamon also helps to regulate your bowel rhythm, whether you use it as an anti-diarrheal medication or to treat other bowel complaints.
Nausea and vomiting
This food can also help to reduce or prevent nausea and vomiting. This makes it ideal for pregnant women during their gestation period; especially throughout the first month of pregnancy, where these symptoms are more frequent.
The flu and colds
Adding some grams of cinnamon to a chamomile tea or making an infusion of cinnamon and ginger is a natural remedy for the flu, a cold or any other respiratory condition.
With cinnamon, you can lower your body temperature, reduce coughing and, therefore, improve your mood. But, these aren’t its only properties, because it also acts as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. With these effects, you can eliminate these conditions faster.
Cholesterol
Various studies have proved the usefulness of this food to help reduce cholesterol levels and, as a consequence, prevent heart diseases and atherosclerosis.
Brain functions
Doctors have completed studies that prove cinnamon can help to stimulate brain function, especially in older people. In these investigations, the patients who chewed on a cinnamon gum recorded better results with their attention, recognition, memory and visual speed process.
Anticoagulant
Another benefit of cinnamon is its anticoagulant qualities. These help to prevent the blood platelets accumulating in your body in higher levels than they should.
This property makes it a great and effective tonic for women who are menstruating, to reduce or avoid menstrual pain.
Vitamins and minerals
Cinnamon contains vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin B1; it also provides minerals such as iron, potassium, phosphorous and calcium.
Because of this, even if you don’t consume it in large quantities, this food gives you essentials vitamins and minerals for your body.
In conclusion, cinnamon offers a lot of benefits. That’s why, although the taste is strong, it’s important that you include it in your diet in small portions.
