Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Taking cinnamon for a cold or flu
• Method 2 of 3: Eat cinnamon to aid digestive health
• Method 3 of 3: Understand potential risks
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum velum or C. cassia) has long been seen as superfood in various cultures, and science has shown that the active oil ingredients such as cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate and cinnamyl alcohol provide certain health benefits. While medical research is divided on the health benefits of cinnamon and the jury is still out on whether cinnamon can actually fight disease, cinnamon certainly has a therapeutic role in certain ailments such as digestive problems and minor bacterial infections or colds.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Taking cinnamon for a cold or flu

1. Choose Ceylon cinnamon. The two main types of cinnamon are Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is common real or correct Called cinnamon, it is not always as easy to find in the average supermarket as Cassia cinnamon. However, Ceylon cinnamon is the best choice because of its lower coumarin content.
   • Taking coumarin regularly can potentially cause liver problems. It can also interfere with diabetes medications, so check with your doctor to make sure it's safe for you to use cinnamon.
2. Choosing the best kind of cinnamon. You can buy cinnamon as a powder, as sticks, as a supplement, and as a cinnamon extract. Think about what you are going to use it for before deciding which form of cinnamon to buy. If you want to start using cinnamon in your regular diet, you will have different requirements than if you want to take it more medicinally. Try different sticks and powders in different dishes and drinks to keep things interesting.
   • If you buy it to spice up your food, go for a powder.
   • Add a stick when cooking the rice.
   • If your doctor has advised you to take cinnamon as part of your efforts to control your blood sugar, you can purchase cinnamon extract from health stores where the coumarin has been completely removed.
3. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to hot drinks to reduce the effects of the common cold and flu. Cinnamon is said to have good antimicrobial properties, which can help your immune system fight a cold or flu. It can help you stop the growth of bacteria and fungi. By adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to hot water, you make a soothing drink that won't cure your cold, but will help you feel a little better.
4. Try a hot drink with cinnamon to dry up a runny nose. Drinking a hot cinnamon drink can stop the symptoms of your cold and flu, and more specifically, it can help dry up an annoying runny nose. You can combine it with ginger for an extra kick.
5. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to soups. As with hot drinks, adding cinnamon to hot soups adds extra flavor, while also potentially providing some relief for those who are not feeling well.
   • The antimicrobial properties of cinnamon are such that it has been declared a natural preservative.

Method 2 of 3: Eat cinnamon to aid digestive health

1. For its digestive health benefits, use Ceylon cinnamon. If you want to add some cinnamon to your diet to improve digestive health, choose Ceylon cinnamon. The shape of cinnamon you choose isn't that important, but if you want to use it as a spice, a powdered form that you can easily measure out is the most practical.
   • A cinnamon stick is good for making drinks, but it is more difficult to measure how much you are consuming.
2. Season high-carbohydrate dishes with cinnamon. Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to a dish that is high in carbohydrates can reduce the impact this dish has on your blood sugar. After eating, your blood sugar will go up as your stomach empties, but adding cinnamon can help slow this process and thus increase your blood sugar. Scientific experiments have demonstrated the impact on gastric emptying of adding cinnamon to a dessert.
   • There are dangers associated with taking too much cinnamon, so limit yourself to one teaspoon per day, which equates to 4-5 grams.
   • If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about the impact of cinnamon on your blood sugar. Never replace insulin with cinnamon.
3. Use cinnamon to aid digestion. An alternative to seasoning with cinnamon is to take a small amount as a digestive aid after a meal. If you have heartburn or digestive problems after meals, cinnamon can help you as it can stimulate a weak digestive system. It is the oils in cinnamon that can help break down food and therefore aid digestion.
   • Try a cinnamon tea (a teaspoon of cinnamon dissolved in hot water) after a meal.
   • Or add half a teaspoon to your post-meal coffee.
4. Improve colon function. Cinnamon is an excellent source of calcium and fiber. The combination of these two components can support colon health. Large amounts of bile salts can damage the cells of your colon and potentially increase the chances of colon cancer. Both calcium and fiber can bind bile salts and contribute to their removal from your body, which in turn helps reduce your risk of colon scavenging.
   • Fiber also helps people with irritable bowel, and can help reduce constipation or diarrhea.
5. Include cinnamon as part of a healthy diet to help lower your cholesterol. Cinnamon has not been proven to have any significant effect on lowering your cholesterol. In theory, because cinnamon can affect how your body processes fats and sugars, it can help lower your cholesterol. However, this remains speculative, and a limited intake of no more than 2-3 grams per day should be seen as part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
   • While cinnamon tastes great when mixed with baked goods, adding cinnamon to fatty dishes will not help lower your cholesterol.

Method 3 of 3: Understand potential risks

1. Talk to your doctor first. There are several reasons why it is not a good idea for you to take medical doses of cinnamon. You should always talk to your doctor first for advice. You should also ask if there is a potentially negative reaction to any other medications, both prescription and herbal, that you are taking.
   • While evidence shows that cinnamon can help regulate blood sugar in people with type two diabetes, it should never be used as an insulin substitute.
2. Know how much and how often to take it. Cinnamon is an unproven treatment, so there are no hard and fast rules on how much to take to get its potential health benefits. Recommendations range from half a teaspoon a day to as much as six teaspoons a day. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and take less. Large doses of cinnamon can be poisonous, so under no circumstances should you take more than one teaspoon, or six grams, per day.
   • As always, you should consult a doctor before taking cinnamon regularly for health purposes.
3. Know who shouldn't take medical dosages of cinnamon. Given that there is uncertainty about the regular use of cinnamon as a health supplement, there are certain circumstances where it is not recommended to use it in this way. It should not be given as a supplement to children or pregnant women. Breastfeeding women should also avoid it.
4. Don't take too much cinnamon if you're taking a blood thinner. Don't take too much cinnamon if you're on a blood thinner. Cinnamon contains small amounts of coumarin, which can have a blood thinning effect in large amounts. The amount of coumarin is higher in Cassia cinnamon than in Ceylon cinnamon. Too much cinnamon can also cause liver problems.
5. Store it well and keep it fresh. Store cinnamon in a tightly closed glass jar and put it in a cool, dark, dry place. Ground cinnamon can be kept fresh for up to six months. Cinnamon sticks can stay fresh for up to a year. You can extend the shelf life of cinnamon by keeping the spice in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container.
   • Smell the cinnamon to check for freshness. Make sure it has a sweet scent - a good indicator that it is fresh.
   • Choose organically grown cinnamon to make sure it hasn't been irradiated. Irradiating cinnamon can lead to a reduction in the vitamin C and carotenoid content.

Tips

• Cinnamomum velum is also known as true cinnamon and is mainly grown in Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Madagascar and southern India. C. Cassia is also known as Cassia or Chinese cinnamon and originates in southern China and is also grown in India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. To date there are around 250 species Cinnamomum known. Cinnamon in the consumer market can be a mixture of types and grades, but as with most foods, if you pay more, the quality will be better.

Warnings

• If you are going to have surgery, stop using cinnamon in medicinal doses for at least a week before surgery to avoid complications from blood thinning. In general, using it as a spice is fine, but talk to your doctor for more information.
• Breastfeeding or pregnant mothers should not take cinnamon in medicinal doses.
• Large doses of Cassia cinnamon are poisonous, due to its coumarin content. This is effectively absent in the Ceylon variety.

Necessities

• High quality fresh cinnamon