Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Eat cinnamon for colds or flu
• Method 2 of 3: Eat Cinnamon to Improve Digestion
• Method 3 of 3: Assess Potential Risks
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum velum or C. cassia) since ancient times was considered a miracle plant in various cultures. It has been scientifically proven that its active ingredients - cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate and cinnamic alcohol - bring certain benefits to the body.While research on the health benefits and disease-fighting properties of cinnamon is still ongoing, it is recognized that cinnamon has some therapeutic effect in certain conditions, such as digestive disorders, and minor bacterial infections or colds.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Eat cinnamon for colds or flu

1. 1 Choose Ceylon cinnamon. The two main types of cinnamon are Ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon (or cinnamon tree). Ceylon cinnamon is also called real cinnamon, but it is more difficult to find it in a regular supermarket, which is often full of cassia. Ceylon cinnamon, however, is much better due to its lower coumarin content.
   • Regular consumption of coumarin can potentially cause liver problems. Coumarin can also work poorly with diabetes medications, so it is best to consult your healthcare professional before consuming cinnamon.
2. 2 Choose the best cinnamon option. You can buy ground cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon supplements, or cinnamon extract. Before choosing the option you want, consider what you will be using cinnamon for. If you want to introduce it into your regular diet, the requirements are different than if you are going to use it as a medicine. Use both cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon in different types of dishes.
   • If you need to season your food, buy ground cinnamon.
   • Add a cinnamon stick to the bowl of rice as you cook it.
   • If your doctor has advised you to take cinnamon as a blood sugar lowering agent, you should get a coumarin-free cinnamon extract from a specialty store.
3. 3 Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to hot drinks to fight the flu and colds. Cinnamon is believed to have good antibacterial effects, which can help your immune system fight the flu and colds. Cinnamon helps control the growth of bacteria and fungi. By adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to hot water, you are making a soothing drink that is unlikely to cure your cold, but which will make you feel a little better.
4. 4 Try a hot cinnamon drink to beat a runny nose. A hot cinnamon drink can help relieve the symptoms of flu and colds, especially a runny nose. You can also add ginger to the drink so as not to leave a single chance for a cold.
5. 5 Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to soups. Just like with a hot drink, adding cinnamon to your soup will give it a special flavor and will also ease your condition if you are not completely healthy.
   • The antibacterial properties of cinnamon are so strong that it is considered a natural preservative.

Method 2 of 3: Eat Cinnamon to Improve Digestion

1. 1 Use Ceylon Cinnamon for digestive problems. If you want to improve your digestive tract with cinnamon, use Ceylon Cinnamon. It doesn't matter in what form you use the cinnamon, but if you are seasoning your dishes, ground cinnamon is the most practical, as it can be easily measured with teaspoons.
   • Cinnamon sticks are great for making drinks, but in this case it is much more difficult to measure the amount of food you consumed.
2. 2 Season high-carb foods with cinnamon. Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to a meal rich in carbohydrates can reduce the effect of this type of food on your blood sugar. After a meal, sugar levels rise as the stomach empties, but adding cinnamon can slow this process down and thus lower blood sugar levels. Scientific experiments have shown that adding a few grams of cinnamon to a dessert can have a significant effect on gastric emptying.
   • There are unpleasant consequences of consuming too much cinnamon, so limit yourself to one teaspoon a day, that is, 4-5 grams.
   • If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about the effects of cinnamon on blood sugar. Never substitute cinnamon for insulin.
3. 3 Help digestion with cinnamon. As an alternative to using cinnamon as a condiment, you can consume it in small doses after meals to aid digestion. If you have heartburn or indigestion after eating, cinnamon can stimulate digestion. The oils in cinnamon help break down food and stimulate the digestion process.
   • Try cinnamon tea (a teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with hot water) after meals.
   • Or add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to your afternoon coffee.
4. 4 Improve bowel function with cinnamon. Cinnamon is a great source of calcium and fiber. The combination of these two ingredients will have a positive effect on your gut health. High levels of bile salts damage intestinal cells and increase the risk of bowel cancer. Calcium and fiber bind and flush bile salts from your body, which in turn reduces your risk of bowel cancer ..
   • Fiber also helps relieve intestinal irritation and may relieve constipation or diarrhea.
5. 5 Take cinnamon to help lower cholesterol. It hasn't been proven that cinnamon has an effect on cholesterol levels. In theory, because cinnamon affects your body's production of fat and sugar, it can help lower cholesterol levels. However, this fact has not yet been proven and the amount of cinnamon you use as a dietary supplement should be limited to 2-3 grams per day.
   • Although cinnamon gives baked goods a pleasant aroma, using it in a high-fat meal is unlikely to help you lower your cholesterol levels.

Method 3 of 3: Assess Potential Risks

1. 1 Please consult your doctor. There are many reasons why you shouldn't take medicated doses of cinnamon. You should check with your doctor. You should also find out if there are potential risks of a negative reaction to other medications you are taking, both prescription and herbal.
   • Despite research showing that cinnamon may help regulate blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics, never use it as an insulin substitute.
2. 2 Check how much and how often you should take cinnamon. Cinnamon is an unrecognized medicine, so there are no hard and fast rules about how much you need to take to get the best health benefits. Recommended dosages range from ½ teaspoon to 6 teaspoons per day. If in doubt, it would be better to play it safe and use less. Large doses of cinnamon can be dangerous, so under no circumstances should you consume more than one teaspoon or 6 grams per day.
   • As always, you should check with your doctor before starting to consume cinnamon regularly.
3. 3 Clarify who should not take medicated cinnamon. There is some uncertainty about the regular use of cinnamon for health problems, however, there are quite certain cases when cinnamon should not be used for such purposes. Do not use it as a supplement for children and pregnant women, as well as nursing mothers.
4. 4 Avoid too much cinnamon when taking anticoagulants. You shouldn't consume too much cinnamon if you are taking anticoagulants. Cinnamon contains small doses of coumarin, which, when consumed in large quantities, tends to thin the blood. The coumarin content is higher in cassia cinnamon than in Ceylon cinnamon.Eating too much cinnamon can also cause liver problems.
5. 5 Buy good cinnamon and keep it fresh. Store cinnamon in a well-sealable glass container in a cool, dark, dry place. Ground cinnamon can stay fresh for up to 6 months. Cinnamon sticks stay fresh for up to one year. You can extend the freshness of cinnamon by storing it in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator.
   • Smell the cinnamon to test its freshness. Make sure the scent is sweet - an accurate indication of freshness.
   • Choose organically grown cinnamon so you know it hasn't been exposed to radiation. Under the influence of radiation, cinnamon loses a significant part of vitamin C and carotenoids.

Tips

• Cinnamomum velum also known as real cinnamon and is only found in Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Madagascar and southern India. C. CassiaAlso known as cassia, a cinnamon tree or Chinese cinnamon, it grows in southern China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. There are about 250 types of cinnamon. Store-bought cinnamon is usually a mixture of species and varieties, but as with most products, if you pay more, the quality will be better.

Warnings

• If you are planning on having surgery, avoid using medicated doses of cinnamon at least a week before surgery to avoid the risks of blood thinning. Using small doses of cinnamon as a seasoning is fine, but consult your doctor for more information.
• Nursing mothers and pregnant women should not consume cinnamon in medicated doses.
• Large doses of cassia cinnamon are toxic due to its coumarin content. It is absent in the Ceylon cinnamon variety.

What do you need

• Good quality fresh cinnamon