The Skinny:
There are lots of reasons to like or even love cinnamon. It was so rare and valuable that it was a gift to kings. Today, it is readily available as a spice and as an oil. It is also cheaper than it was thousands of years ago, which is a good thing because cinnamon smells great and provides a taste kick to coffee, cookies, oatmeal, cinnamon buns, chili and anything else it touches. But this ancient spice’s impact goes beyond simple taste and sell. It is something of a wonder spice. Okay, it might not be able to cure everything that ails a person, but it can help with an awful lot. Read on.
The Slate:
Blood Pressure Regulator
This spice can be a boon to people with high blood pressure. Recent research notes that just two grams of cinnamon powder daily significantly impacted systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure after 30 days.
Pain Relief
Cinnamon can ease a lot of hurts. One study even claimed that a 420 mg cinnamon capsule was as effective as a 400 mg Ibuprofen capsule.
Fights Inflammation
The seven flavonoid compounds found in cinnamon’s essential oils can reach the brain with their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-amnesic properties—all of which give cinnamon oils the ability to fight inflammation.
Stink Breath Killer
Looking to get rid of bad breath? Cinnamon gum could be the answer. People have been munching on cinnamon for thousands of years to battle foul-mouth orders. The spice does more than mask odors. Cinnamon-flavored gum can deliver it throughout the mouth and into hard-to-reach areas, which clears the way for it to kill 40 percent of the bacteria that causes bad breath.
Tidy Teeth
Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties that can destroy the pathogens that cause dental decay. These properties may be more potent than the antifungal drug amphotericin-B. Of course, cinnamon won’t help if it is in sugar-laden products.
Antifungal Aid
Cinnamon oil may to be able to inhibit the growth of various fungi, including C. Albicans, which is the most common. It is so effective that oil-based preparations are better than powders at battling fungi.
Eyes Up:
What’s your hook to cinnamon? Let us know at info@wellwellusa.com.
WellWell editors independently identify services and products of interest. If readers purchase anything through the associated links, WellWell may earn a commission, which goes to support our work. Learn More.
