Did you know that cinnamon is a spice that comes from the branches of trees of the Cinnamomum family? Native to the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia, cinnamon is available in powder form or whole, as pieces of bark. People can also use cinnamon essential oil and supplements.
Did you also know that there are two main types of cinnamon namely cassia and Ceylon? Some studies have suggested that the compounds in cinnamon have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties, and that they might offer protection from cancer and cardiovascular disease, among other conditions.
Here are the health benefits of cinnamon:
1. Improving fungal infections
Cinnamon oil may help treat some types of fungal infections. A 2016 laboratory study found that cinnamon oil was effective against a type of Candida that affects the bloodstream. This may be due to its antimicrobial properties.
2. Influencing blood sugar levels
Studies have shown that cassia cinnamon may reduce blood sugar levels. It noted that after 60 people with type 2 diabetes consumed up to 6 grams (g) of cinnamon per day for between 40 days and 4 months, they had lower serum glucose, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol.
3. Preventing Alzheimer’s disease
Some studies have suggested that cinnamon may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. According to the researcher, an extract present in cinnamon bark, called CEppt, contains properties that may prevent symptoms from developing.
4. Protecting against HIV
Another study of the extracts of Indian medicinal plants found that cinnamon may help protect against HIV. Scientists tested 69 extracts in a laboratory. Cinnamomum cassia, or cinnamon bark, and Cardiospermum helicacabum, which is the cinnamon shoot and fruit, were most effective in reducing HIV activity.
5. Preventing multiple sclerosis
Experts have tested cinnamon for activity against multiple sclerosis. Studies have also suggested that cinnamon may protect regulatory T cells, or “Tregs,” which regulate immune responses. People with multiple sclerosis appear to have lower levels of Tregs than people without the condition.
6. Treating and healing chronic wounds
Research from 2015 says that scientists have found a way to package antimicrobial compounds from peppermint and cinnamon into tiny capsules that can both kill bacterial biofilms and actively promote healing. In this way, peppermint and cinnamon could become part of a medicine for treating infected wounds.
7. Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease
Various compounds in cinnamon may benefit the cardiovascular system. Cinnemaldehyde, for example, lowered blood pressure in a study.
8. Preventing cancer
In the study, scientists treated cancer using an extract of cinnamon and cardamom. Tests found lower levels of oxidative stress in the melanoma cells of the organisms that received the treatment.