Cinnamon is much more than a spice, it is also valued for its many healing properties. For although cinnamon can also harm health, it is primarily considered healthy. What is in the spice and what effect cinnamon has on the body, you can learn here.
Cinnamon: versatile use
Cinnamon bark is used mainly as a spice, but also as a flavoring and a remedy. Thus, it comes in the form of rolls (cinnamon sticks), as a curd or powder, as an essential oil, capsules or in the form of other extracts (“oleoresin”) in the trade. Cinnamon is not only added to peppernuts, but also to liqueurs and bitters, toothpaste, chewing gum, cosmetics and perfumes. However, cinnamon is also becoming increasingly popular in tea or ice cream, as well as in cooking. In addition, cinnamon is also a well-known home remedy that can be useful to health in various ways.
Ingredients of cinnamon
Cinnamon bark mainly contains cinnamaldehyde (65-75%) and eugenol (about 5%), in addition to the essential oil that gives taste and smell (0.5-2.5%). In addition, numerous other substances are contained in small quantities, such as:
- Alcohols
- Mucilages
- Starch
- Tannins
- Methyl hydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP)
- Phenylpropanoids (safrole, coumarin)
By the way, 100 grams of cinnamon have 247 kilocalories (kcal). This sounds a lot, but if you consider in what small quantities you usually consume cinnamon, it becomes clear that the calories in cinnamon hardly matter.
The effect of cinnamon
In folk medicine, cinnamon has a firm place. He is said to have a variety of effects on health. Thus, cinnamon is considered to:
- Disinfectant
- Antispasmodic
- Stimulates blood circulation
- Soothing
- Mood-lifting
Thus, cinnamon is traditionally used mainly for loss of appetite and gastrointestinal complaints such as bloating, heartburn, flatulence and diarrhea. But cinnamon is also used for inflammation, rheumatism and low back pain, colds, hoarseness and pain.
Can cinnamon protect the heart?
In addition, studies suggest other effects on health. For example, cinnamon may help protect the heart by lowering triglycrides (a certain type of fat in our blood) and cholesterol levels. Additionally, the spice is said to be able to lower blood pressure, which also benefits heart health. In this context, studies are also devoted to the question of whether cinnamon could support weight loss. Due to its antioxidant content, cinnamon could also help protect the body from cell damage caused by free radicals. Some excitement was caused by studies that showed that cinnamon has an insulin-like effect due to its ingredient MHCP and can thus lower blood sugar levels. In addition, positive effects on blood lipid levels were shown. However, this effect is not sufficient for it to be used therapeutically for diabetes. However, cinnamon could help restore the natural menstrual cycle in women. In a study of women who suffered from PCO syndrome, a hormonal imbalance, cinnamon extract helped improve progesterone levels.
Other effects on health
The use of cinnamon as a remedy has a long tradition and is found in various cultures:
- Since ancient times, cinnamon has been said to have love-promoting properties. Solomon sprinkled his camp with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon to spice up the night of love. In Persia, ointments with cinnamon and honey were used to strengthen desire and virility as an aphrodisiac.
- In Ayurveda, cinnamon has a high value – so it is recommended both in the diet and for certain disorders (for example, menopausal symptoms).
- Also in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cinnamon is used as a remedy, for example, for internal cold, tension and poor circulation.
In addition, cinnamon is also used in aromatherapy mainly for its strengthening, warming and inspiration and creativity stimulating effect.
Cinnamon has disinfectant properties.
Due to its disinfectant properties, cinnamon is recommended as an additive of mop water and of insoles. The antibacterial effect of cinnamon is also used in wound cleaning, as well as to preserve food.Eugenol, das in den Zimtblättern eine höhere Konzentration aufweist (und nach Gewürznelken riecht) wird in der Zahnmedizin als schmerzstillendes und antibakterielles Mittel verwendet. So findet sich Zimtöl beispielsweise auch als Inhaltsstoff vieler Mundspülungen. Daneben wird Eugenol – wie Zimtaldehyd – die Fähigkeit zur Insektenbekämpfung zugesprochen.
-
(1) Maierean, S. M. et al. (2017): Die Auswirkungen von Zimtsupplementierung auf die Blutfettwerte: A systematic review and meta-analysis. In: Journal of clinical lipidology, Vol. 11(6), S. 1393-1406.
-
(2) Khan, A. et al. (2003): Zimt verbessert Glukose und Lipide von Menschen mit Typ-2-Diabetes. In: Diabetes Care, Vol. 26(12), S. 3215-3218.
-
(3) Shan, B. et al. (2005): Antioxidative Kapazität von 26 Gewürzextrakten und Charakterisierung ihrer phenolischen Inhaltsstoffe. In: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 53(20), S. 7749-7759.
-
(4) Kort, D. H., Lobo, R. A. (2014): Vorläufige Beweise, dass Zimt die Menstruationszyklizität bei Frauen mit polyzystischem Ovarsyndrom verbessert: eine randomisierte kontrollierte Studie. In: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, Vol. 211(5), S. 487.e1-6.
