A Common Kitchen Spice Cinnamon and Its Health Benefits!!!

Recent studies have determined that consuming as little as one-half teaspoon of Cinnamon each day may reduce blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels by as much as 20% in Type II diabetes patients who are not taking insulin.

It is mildly carminative and used to treat nausea and flatulence. It is also used alone or in combination to treat diarrhoea.A helpful remedy,for those developing a cough accompanied by frequent spitting of whitish phlegm is chewing and swallowing a very small pinch of powdered cinnamon. This remedy can also help people with cold feet and hands, especially at night.

The primary chemical constituents of this herb include cinnamaldehyde, gum, tannin, mannitol, coumarins, and essential oils (aldehydes, eugenol, pinene). Cinnamon is predominantly used as a carminative addition to herbal prescriptions. It is used in flatulent dyspepsia, dyspepsia with nausea, intestinal colic and digestive atony associated with cold & debilitated conditions. It relieves nausea and vomiting, and, because of its mild astringency, it is particularly useful in infantile diarrhoea. The cinnamaldehyde component is hypotensive and spasmolytic, and increases peripheral blood flow. The essential oil of this herb is a potent antibacterial, anti-fungal, and uterine stimulant. The various terpenoids found in the volatile oil are believed to account for Cinnamon's medicinal effects.

Test tube studies also show that Cinnamon can augment the action of insulin.Thus it is one of the most useful spice for those suffering from diabetes.Also a teaspoon of cinnamon powder taken early in the morning provides relief from joint pain and is also useful in relieving symptoms associated with arthritis.