Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice that people have used since 2000 BC. In Ancient Egypt, this spice was highly regarded for its many benefits. Doctors used it to remedy conditions such as sore throats, arthritis, and coughing. This spice also has a warm smell and pleasant flavor that has made it popular in cooking.

According to Denver functional medicine, this spice can fight infections, soothe an aching neck, among other benefits. Some of the benefits include:

It Has Anti-Fungal, Anti-Viral, and Anti-Bacterial Properties

Cinnamon has many soothing and medicinal properties and is periodically used in Chinese herbal medicine. It has a distinctive flavor and smells from the essential oils in its bark. This essential oil is commonly referred to as cinnamaldehyde. The oil has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and ant-viral properties.

Some types of fungal infections may get treated using cinnamon oil. In 2016, a laboratory study revealed that cinnamon oil could remedy a type of Candida found in the bloodstream. This healing property gets attributed to the antimicrobial properties of cinnamon.

It Contains Antioxidants

Cinnamon has large amounts of antioxidants containing anti-inflammatory effects. These polyphenol antioxidants also protect your body from diseases and the damage caused by free radicals. The antioxidants in cinnamon are so powerful to the extent of making cinnamon a natural food preservative.

It May Reduce the Risk of Coronary Disease

Heart disease is the common cause of premature death in the world. Cinnamon may reduce the risk of getting this deadly killer condition. Also, if you have type 2 diabetes, take a gram or a half teaspoon of this spice daily to help you regulate your blood markers. This spice reduces total cholesterol levels: it stabilizes the good HDL cholesterol and alters the bad LDL cholesterol.

It Improves Sensitivity to the Hormone Insulin

Insulin helps in the regulation of energy use and metabolism. It’s also essential in the transportation of blood sugar from the bloodstream to the cells. The challenge is that many people aren’t responsive to the effects of insulin. This condition is commonly referred to as insulin resistance and usually leads to severe conditions like type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

The good thing is that this spice can reduce insulin resistance, thus enabling the hormone insulin to do its job.

It Has a Powerful Anti-Diabetic Effect and Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

This spice is commonly known for its blood-sugar-lowering properties. Once it increases insulin sensitivity, the blood sugar levels reduce. It can also use other mechanisms to lower blood sugar levels. First, it lowers the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream after a meal. It achieves this by altering the many digestive enzymes, thereby slowing the digestion of carbohydrates in the gut.

Second, cinnamon has a compound that can mimic insulin to improve glucose uptake by your cells. This spice also has anti-diabetic effects as it can lower fasting blood sugar levels by up to 10 to 29 percent. Take between 1 and 6 grams of cinnamon daily if you have diabetes and hypertension.

Cinnamon is among the spices that people have used for many centuries. It has many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of getting heart disease and curing type 2 diabetes.