In the Middle East, cinnamon is used in spicy dishes from chicken or lamb. In America, cinnamon is added to porridge, fruits, especially apples.
Cinnamon is also used in canning, adding to marinades.
What is cinnamon? There are many types - Ceylon, spicy, Chinese, Malabar ...
Consider the two most popular types
CEYLON CINNAMON - the best. Its homeland is Sri Lanka, Java, Brazil, cultivated in China.
Cinnamon is considered the better, the thinner the bark. Ceylon cinnamon is lighter, very subtle.
The taste is sweet and pungent. The aroma is bright and delicate.
True cinnamon is lighter, in yellowish tones, very thin (in sticks), has a sweet-burning, very bright aroma.
CASSIA, second most popular Indonesian cinnamon, it is also called "fake".
Homeland South China, cultivated in China, Indonesia.
The color of cassia is dark red, the bark is much thicker than that of Ceylon. The smell is not as strong, but more pungent.
Unlike Ceylon, Chinese cinnamon - Cassia, is much cheaper.
World production of Ceylon cinnamon is about 10,000 tons per year, with 80-90% produced in Sri Lanka.
The world production of cassia is several times greater - 25,000 tons per year, two thirds of which are grown in Indonesia.
The industry often uses substitutes for cinnamon. This is bay cinnamon, Burmese cinnamon. The bark of these species is much thicker, coarser, but has a pleasant aroma.
As substitutes for cinnamon, immature dried seeds of cinnamon trees are sold, as well as an artificial substitute - cinnamon extract.
Tansy also acts as a substitute for cinnamon. Tansy grows throughout Europe, in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, China, Japan and Korea.
All types of cinnamon, to a greater or lesser extent, contain the substance coumarin.
CASSIA (“fake” cinnamon) contains many times more coumarin than CEYLON cinnamon. Scientists believe that the acceptable intake is 0.1 mg per 1 kg of body weight.
If you take a standard bag of Chinese cinnamon weighing 15 g, then it will contain about 65 mg of coumarin.
That is, a day you can use no more than ½ teaspoon for an adult (children 3 times less).
If the cinnamon is not labeled as "fake cinnamon" or "Indonesian cinnamon", then you can check its authenticity by dropping a solution of iodine into it.
Real cinnamon will be slightly colored, cassia will give a rich blue color, due to the presence of a large amount of starch.
Cinnamon is not only a flavor enhancer
Medicinal properties cinnamon lie in its aroma, which is able to improve memory, stimulate the brain, increase efficiency.Healing effect of cinnamon manifests itself in stimulating blood circulation, which is especially useful for hypothermia, colds, diseases of the joints and spine.
Cinnamon has a high antioxidant effect. Eliminates the syndrome of intoxication.
Cinnamon stimulates metabolism, prevents the accumulation excess weight. It is indicated for diabetes mellitus, it improves the body's response to insulin and normalizes blood sugar levels.
Cinnamon essential oil also has antimicrobial properties.
Cinnamon oil is a classic antidote, which alleviates the condition in case of poisoning: food, alcohol, nicotine. For information- the nutritional value teaspoon (3 g) cinnamon:
Calorie content 7.7 kcal
Carbohydrates 0.8 g
Alimentary fiber 1.6 g
Magnesium 1.8 mg
Calcium 13 mg
In more detail the chemical composition of cinnamon
Hello everyone!
I am a big fan of cinnamon. I constantly add it when cooking, brew tea with it, mix it with honey, and also often use it for home cosmetics.
And I describe all these recipes of mine here on my blog.
Recently, I have received a lot of letters with the same question: why does mucus form when preparing cinnamon with honey, as well as when brewing it?
So I decided to answer here, all at once!
This is because you are using a bad variety of cinnamon, which may also be called fake cinnamon.
Real cinnamon - how to distinguish from a fake?
Cinnamon is mega useful spice. It relieves inflammatory processes in the body, has antiseptic and bactericidal effects.
It is an antioxidant, a means to improve blood circulation and weight loss, cleanse the blood, consciousness, and it is also an energy spice that improves life!
Really great!?
But, far from any bag of this spice bought in stores is able to give us all those beneficial features that real cinnamon has.
Now I will tell you how to distinguish good cinnamon from bad. Actually, it's not that hard.)
Types of cinnamon
Today, the most popular types of cinnamon are:
- Ceylon or Cinnamon from Sri Lanka
- Chinese or Indian
- Malabar or Wood Cinnamon
- cinnamon
CEYLON CINNAMON
(cinnamomum ceylanicum)
Ceylon, noble or real cinnamon.
This is the most valuable species in quality superior to all others.
It is this variety of cinnamon that will bring enormous benefits to our body, heal it, give beauty and joy.
The homeland of this variety, as you can easily guess, is Sri Lanka, the sunny island of Ceylon, and this type of cinnamon is also grown in India, Indonesia, Brazil and other subtropical countries.
This cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the Ceylon cinnamon tree.
A distinctive feature of Ceylon cinnamon is its sweetish, slightly burning, warming taste and very delicate aroma, as well as a thickness that can hardly reach 1 mm, as well as the fact that it is very tightly rolled into sticks.
CHINESE CINNAMON OR CASSIUM
This variety of cinnamon is also called plain cinnamon, Indian cinnamon, fragrant cinnamon, cassia, cassia-canel.
Sometimes it is called fake cinnamon, which is not entirely true. This is also cinnamon.
Cassia is currently cultivated in China, Burma, Laos, and Indonesia.
The bark for the preparation of this variety of cinnamon is removed from Chinese cinnamon trees that have reached the age of seven, in contrast to Ceylon cinnamon, which is obtained from the bark of one to three-year-old shoots of a cinnamon tree.
Therefore, during drying, such a bark acquires a concave shape and a rough surface, and its thickness is from 1.5-2 cm and a granular fracture.
It is cassia that is most often sold in our stores, both in sticks and in powder.
Also, the characteristic features of this cinnamon, which distinguish it from Ceylon, are a reddish-brown color, a more burning, tart taste, and the absence of a delicate aroma.
When steeped in water, cassia forms a slime, which is another difference between this variety and Ceylon cinnamon.
Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia
There are two other types of cinnamon that are also not considered particularly valuable, and which can also be confused with Ceylon cinnamon.
MALABARI CINNAMON
In another way, this type of cinnamon is called brown cinnamon, wood cinnamon or cassia vera. Its homeland is India and Burma.
The main distinguishing feature of this cinnamon from all other types is a dark brown color and a sharply bitter taste.
CINNAMON - SPICY CINNAMON
The source of this type of cinnamon is the shoots of the Cinnamon shrub. Such bushes are grown on the plantations of the Moluccas.
home distinguishing feature this type of cinnamon, a strong pungent odor, burning taste, increased fragility and granularity at the break.
CONCLUSION
Naturally, as you already understood, the most the best variety for use in medicine and cooking will be real noble Ceylon cinnamon.
It is this variety that has the most valuable chemical composition, is a component for the production of valuable essential oil cinnamon.
It is she who should be given preference when buying, preferably choosing organic natural product With good term validity.
Therefore, try to buy cinnamon not in powder, but in sticks. In packages through which it can be seen, and on which the period of preparation of the spice is indicated, or at least its expiration date. After all, cinnamon, after a year of storage, loses all its beneficial properties and aroma.
I hope I was able to explain how to distinguish real cinnamon from not quite real. Check yourself, where is cassia and where is cinnamon? :-)
It happens that life goes on as usual, in everyday work, household chores, everyday affairs and duties - in a word, measuredly routine. And suddenly, unexpectedly and out of place, it smells on you of something barely perceptible, but so familiar, almost forgotten, and will make your heart beat faster and more joyfully. And now you are already in captivity of happy memories of carefree youth and those rare moments of life that remain with you forever and give strength in its most difficult moments.
Such is the aroma of a magical spice familiar to everyone from childhood, for the possession of which battles and battles were fought many centuries ago, because of it they lost their heads, they took her as an assistant, winning the hearts of impregnable beauties. Today, its sweet, woody, enchanting smell of Christmas is an indispensable attribute of European winter holidays.
It is believed that the aroma of the bark of this plant warms the body and soul, drives away the feeling of loneliness, tightness and fear, gives inspiration, awakens creative imagination, envelops the homely warmth of a family hearth.
We think many have already figured out the intrigue. Of course, this is real cinnamon.
Where does cinnamon grow
An evergreen, elegant tree growing in the Asian tropics, the bark of which the local population has long used to obtain this spice, even in the Ancient World aroused the coveted interest of European sailors and spice hunters. In the Middle Ages, it only strengthened, and the area of cinnamon production expanded significantly.
The highest quality real cinnamon in our time is obtained in. By the way, it was here, in the 16th century, that Portuguese travelers discovered dense cinnamon forests along the shores of the Ceylon Islands and became monopolists in the precious spice trade. But not for long - the Dutch claimed the cinnamon island, followed by the British.
Sri Lankan real cinnamon, also called "noble" or true, is made from the thinnest soft yellowish or brown bark, has a pleasant aroma and an unusually sweet, warm and pleasant taste.
Now these trees are for commercial purposes grown in Sumatra, Brazil, Egypt, even Vietnam and many other places. But Ceylon cinnamon remains unsurpassed to this day.
Her name can be found in the Bible Cinnamon is one of the most ancient spices ever known to people. She is mentioned many times in the Bible.
Cinnamon is also mentioned in Chinese manuscripts from 2800 BC. Until now, she enjoys special respect in this country as a symbol of immortality.
In Egypt, this spice was known as early as 1500 BC. The researchers found that it was added to the embalming mixture because it has high antibacterial properties.
Cinnamon and cassia
In fact there are four types of cinnamon. But on our shelves, the most frequent guest is cassia, and therefore we will compare these two species.
Ceylon real cinnamon(cinnamomum zeylanicum) is quite expensive and of very high quality. It has an unusually sweet, warm taste, with a slight burning aftertaste and a pleasant aroma. Experts define it as the best among the types of this spice, it is also called kinam or noble (true) cinnamon. She is the most precious.
Chinese cinnamon or cassia(cinnamomum cassia), although it has an identical composition, it is not exactly cinnamon, but rather its closest relative, which is extracted from the Chinese cinnamon tree. It has a more pronounced taste, sharper and more burning, because it is also called fragrant.
Cassia should be treated with caution. She is contains coumarin(Cumarin), which large quantities substance hazardous to health. It is also contained in real cinnamon, only the scales are different. In Ceylon cinnamon, it is only 0.02 g / kg, in Chinese - 2 g / kg. That's why Cassia is not to be abused.
How to distinguish cinnamon from cassia
Cassia is usually darker and harder than the real one, since when it is obtained, not only the inner, delicate layer of the bark of Chinese cinnamon is used, but also the outer one, which is cut off from the real one. The tubules, respectively, are thicker - 2–3 mm. And in terms of structure, such cinnamon will more resemble a dried tree.
How to test cinnamon with iodine
In supermarkets, cassia is often passed off as noble cinnamon. But at home it is easy to check. Actually, it turns out the presence of starch. When exposed to iodine on true cinnamon, you will get a slight blue effect, while cassia powder or sticks will turn a dark blue color.
How to choose cinnamon
It should also be borne in mind that real cinnamon is generally often faked, using its popularity around the world. Therefore, it is better to buy cinnamon in tubes, rather than ground cinnamon. And one more hint - read who produces this spice. Cinnamon produced in England, France and Holland most often meets the quality requirements.
Where is cinnamon added?
It would not be an exaggeration to say that in our time it can be found in any kitchen. And the use of cinnamon is incredibly diverse.
Let's say Portuguese and Mexicans don't imagine strong coffee without a cinnamon stick in a cup. They are absolutely sure that coffee will invigorate much more effectively if you add a cinnamon stick and half a teaspoon of grated chocolate to it.
AT Spain the same stick can be found in gin and tonic.
Classically cooked stuffed eggplant or Greek lamb stews are simply unthinkable without cinnamon.
In countries Mid East and Southeast Asia Cinnamon is used when cooking meat instead of black pepper.
Well, what about French Christmas is associated with the warm aroma of cinnamon gingerbread.
Few people know, but Russia with cinnamon, milk soups, pancakes, cereals and jellied fish(!), in Transcaucasia put in soups (for example, in kharcho) and lamb pilaf. AT Belarus flavored soaked cranberries, and on Ukraine used for pickling cucumbers and salting watermelons.
Now we use cinnamon to flavor drinks, marinades, cookies, buns and sweet dishes made from cottage cheese and fruits, add it to vegetables and fruit salads, in poultry, pork and lamb dishes.
Cinnamon powder is added only at the very end of cooking (no more than 10 minutes before the end), since with prolonged heat treatment, cinnamon will give the dish an unpleasant bitterness.
Highly interesting taste cinnamon gives yogurt, fermented baked milk, kefir.
Cinnamon: contraindications
real cinnamon should not be used during pregnancy, it can provoke a miscarriage. In addition, and the tendency to allergic reactions should be used with caution.
Cinnamon in medicine
Let's throw back the curtain of time again. In medieval Europe, there was no better cure for impotence and anemia than hot wine with cinnamon, this drug was boiled in an iron vessel and on fire from special wood.
Hindus used a mixture of cinnamon with pomegranate juice how effective remedy from poisons.
Chinese merchants medicinal herbs Cinnamon has been prescribed for centuries for bloating and to improve digestion. It is used to make home remedies for diarrhea and morning sickness.
In Arabic medical treatises, you can find recipes for lotions with a decoction of cinnamon for nervous tics, convulsions, and weakness.
The benefits of cinnamon
Modern day research says real cinnamon can be wonderful prophylactic against such diseases of the century as diabetes. It is believed that it improves the body's ability to respond to insulin and normalizes blood sugar levels, as well as improves blood circulation.
In general, this wonderful plant has useful action for a whole range of ailments.
Well, for example, cinnamon water wash eyes with conjunctivitis, inflamed wounds. A five-minute steam inhalation of cinnamon and sage will help with a cold, and gargling with a toothache or sore throat. A mixture of cinnamon with ginger and honey added to black tea will speed up.
Infusion of cinnamon with honey is good for postpartum recovery, and some women in labor even feel increased flow of breast milk.
Cinnamon helps with most gastrointestinal problems, and with complex treatment it can even help to cope with an ulcer.
AT aromatherapy she has no equal. If you are depressed, your confidence in your own perfection has evaporated somewhere and it has become lonely and uncomfortable, inhale the magical cinnamon aroma - and hope and faith in yourself will return again and give you new creative energy and vitality.
Cinnamon: use in traditional medicine
Pour a cinnamon stick with a glass of boiled water (so as not to calculate the degrees, and they should be 92 Celsius, you can simply remove the water from the fire, as it boils, and count to twenty), insist for half an hour, remove the cinnamon, add a spoonful of honey. Drink in small sips after meals. This recipe is considered in the East as a universal remedy for all diseases.
How to lose weight with cinnamon
Healthy harmony is today's brand. There is no such young beauty who would not want to lose a couple of kilograms, or even more. How many recipes and tips, what a variety of diets, special programs and useful products offered from TV screens! The goal is to make us even more beautiful and attractive.
Recently, the list of products for weight loss has been replenished with cinnamon. Nutritional studies have shown that as little as a quarter teaspoon of real cinnamon, eaten with meals, helps to absorb sugar more efficiently and lower blood sugar levels.
This is important because high level blood sugar leads to the formation of more and more fat deposits. Cinnamon can also be used in place of sugar as it has a naturally sweet taste.
Which is widely used in cooking. It has been valued since ancient times for its healing properties. The aroma of cinnamon is associated with comfort and warmth, delicious homemade cakes. Therefore, most housewives constantly buy this spice. But do they get only cinnamon? Most likely, almost no one knows that there are two identical spices - cassia and cinnamon. How to distinguish them, you need to understand. After all, it is cassia that is most common on sale - a low-quality and often harmful substitute for this spice.
The benefits of cinnamon
It is no coincidence that this spice has been known and popular since ancient times. It was used not only in cooking, but also in medicine. It was believed that cinnamon calms and gives peace, warms and cures colds. In addition, this spice invigorates, gives a good mood and improves memory. It contains a lot of manganese, calcium, iron and fiber. And the special substance eugenol helps to accelerate tissue regeneration and wound healing.
Modern medicine has proven medicinal value cinnamon. This spice has the following properties:
How to use cinnamon correctly
This spice is most often used in cooking. Everyone knows the smell of baking with cinnamon, which is associated with comfort and tranquility. But this seasoning is also successfully added to desserts, drinks, salads, main courses. Coffee with cinnamon is especially popular, Apple pie or baked chicken.
There are several recipes for using cinnamon to treat various diseases:
- brew half a teaspoon of powder and a pinch of black pepper with a glass of boiling water, cool a little, add a spoonful of honey and drink with flu or colds;
- if you mix a spoonful of honey with half a spoonful of cinnamon, this mixture helps with nasal congestion and cough;
- infusion of cinnamon with honey, consumed on an empty stomach, helps to reduce weight;
- a glass of yogurt with a teaspoon of cinnamon in the morning helps to improve digestion and normalize arterial pressure.
You can use cinnamon and in cosmetology. When the powder is mixed with honey, it brightens the skin and makes it more tender. When added to hair masks, it accelerates hair growth.
Types of cinnamon
This spice is highly valued and widely used. But the process of obtaining real cinnamon is very laborious, and the trees whose bark is taken for its production grow in only a few places. Therefore, both cassia and cinnamon are most often found on sale. How to distinguish them from each other, few people know. Usually people do not realize that there are 4 types of cinnamon, of which only one is really valuable:
- Ceylon cinnamon, or kinamon, is a real expensive spice;
- Indonesian, or Chinese cassia;
- Malabar brown, or woody cinnamon, also called "cassia-vera";
- cinnamon, or spicy cinnamon.
In addition, cinnamon substitutes are often used commercially, as well as in food production: Burmese or bay cinnamon, as well as cinnamon extract.
Ceylon cinnamon
Both cassia and real cinnamon have a spicy flavor and add flavor to baked goods. But only spice from a tree that grows in Ceylon, on the island of Sri Lanka and in South India brings benefits. This is the most valuable type of cinnamon - Ceylon. It has a rich delicate aroma and a light brown hue. Such cinnamon sticks are thin and fragile, easily crumble.
For its production, young trees aged 1-2 years are used. A thin layer of the inner bark is removed from them. It is dried in the sun and hand-wrapped into tubes. Then it is cut into sticks about 12 cm long or ground into powder.
Characteristics of cassia
Despite the fact that this spice is presented on the shelves of our stores in 90% of cases, few people know this name. What is cassia, they know mainly culinary specialists and those who are seriously engaged in their health. This condiment is made from trees related to cinnamon, but with slight differences. They grow in Vietnam, Indonesia and China. For the production of cassia take whole pieces bark from trees at least 7 years old. Therefore, the sticks of this seasoning are so hard and rough, and its smell is sharp and bitter.
What is dangerous cassia
You could not try to find out if you bought real cinnamon, because the aroma of a fake is still pleasant. But in fact, the constant use of cassia in food is dangerous to health. It contains very a large number of tannins, and most importantly - coumarin. Its content exceeds the permissible by 1200 times. In cassia, it is present in an amount of more than 2 g/kg.
Coumarin is also known as rat poison and is quite poisonous to humans. At frequent use it accumulates and damages the liver and kidneys. A person begins to have headaches, indigestion, dizziness. It became known that a dangerous dose of coumarin for a child of preschool age is contained in 4 cinnamon cookies. For an adult, 6-7 mg of cassia, that is, a fifth of a teaspoon, are already toxic.
The main differences between cinnamon and cassia
At first glance, these spices do not differ, which is why such confusion has turned out. Most people don't realize that both cassia and cinnamon are on sale. What is the difference between them, you can understand by studying their features in detail. Since most often people buy powder, you need to know how they differ. real cinnamon more light color, has a delicate pleasant aroma, slightly sweetish. Cassia is dark, even with a reddish tint, smells more sharply, leaves a bitter aftertaste.
Cinnamon and cassia sticks
It is in this form that this spice is more useful. Flour or starch is often added to the powder to make it more crumbly. In addition, during storage, ground spice loses its aromatic and taste qualities. And the sticks make it easier to compare cassia and cinnamon.
How to choose real cinnamon
In most cases, people buy this spice in sealed bags, so it is not possible to determine the color, let alone smell it. In this case, you first need to look at the name and country of origin. Real Ceylon cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka. China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and even more so other countries are engaged in the production of cassia. A conscientious manufacturer will also correctly indicate the name of the product: Cinnamomum zeylonicum is real cinnamon, and Cinnamomum aromaticum is fake.
In addition, it would not hurt to pay attention to the price: real cinnamon cannot be cheap, it is usually 5-10 times more expensive than cassia. The expiration date is also important. Indeed, after a year of storage, cinnamon loses its properties and aroma.
How to check the quality of cinnamon at home
And what about those who just found out that cinnamon and cassia exist? How to distinguish a fake at home of an already purchased product? You can look at the color so that it is not very dark, smell it. But the most informative way is to take some powder and drop a drop of iodine into it. True cinnamon will hardly change color, and cassia will turn dark blue. It can also be determined by taste. Cinnamon is sweetish-spicy, has a mild taste and delicate aroma. Cassia smells more strongly, bitter and burning. And if you pour a little powder with boiling water, the sediment from cinnamon will become jelly-like, red-brown.
Now you know that cassia and cinnamon are very similar. How to distinguish them? If you have sticks in front of you, then you need to try to break them. Ceylon cinnamon is brittle and breaks easily, while cassia is dense and coarse. A fake will be a strip of thick bark, slightly twisted, often only on one side.
Now you know that both cassia and cinnamon are on sale. How to tell them apart is pretty easy to remember. Therefore, you can take advantage of all the beneficial properties of real noble cinnamon.
The article discusses cinnamon. You will learn how cinnamon grows and where to buy the fragrant spice. We will tell you how to take the spice to treat colds, lower blood sugar levels, and normalize blood pressure. Following our advice, you will learn how to prepare skin and hair masks based on it at home.
Ceylon cinnamon is an evergreen tree of the Laurel family (lat. Lauraceae). The Latin name is Cinnamomum verum. Cinnamon, or cinnamon, is the dried part of the bark used as a seasoning.
Ceylon cinnamon, as this tree is also called, grows in Western India and on the island of Sri Lanka. The plant prefers humid tropical and subtropical climates.
For the production of this spice, only the inner layer of the bark of young shoots is used. They are dried in the sun, then rolled into tubes. The spice has a characteristic smell.
How to distinguish cinnamon from cassia
This spice is often confused with cassia. This tree is cultivated in Indonesia, China and Vietnam. A spice similar to cinnamon is obtained from the bark of seven-year-old trees. For its production, the whole bark is used, so the tubes at the exit are thicker.
The light one on the left is cinnamon, the dark one on the right is cassia.
The real spice has delicate aroma, sweetish, slightly burning taste. The thickness of the dried bark is 1-2 mm. The spice has a rich composition, which provides a high therapeutic effect.
Cassia is less fragrant, has a sharper taste. The wall thickness of the tube is from 3 to 10 mm. A characteristic feature of the Chinese spice is graininess at the break and a reddish-brown color, which is why it is called red cinnamon. When infused, the real spice does not form mucus.
How to distinguish a fake
Distinctive features of this spice:
- appearance - sticks of this spice are tightly twisted, they look like papyrus;
- structure - spicy sticks are thin, fragile, unlike cassia;
- color - the real spice has a light brown color, cassia is darker, to reddish brown;
- price - Ceylon spice is much more expensive than a fake;
- labeling - for natural cinnamon: Cinnamomum zeylonicum, for cassia: Cinnamomum aromaticum.
Useful properties and contraindications of spices
The benefits of spices possible harm for health are in its composition. It contains coumarin, which, in case of overdose, causes severe headaches, dizziness, and malfunctions of the liver. If the norm of consumption of spices is not observed, strong nervous excitement is observed. Doctors recommend consuming no more than ½ teaspoon per day.
Since ancient times, it has been used in medicine as a medicine for colds, hypertension and diabetes. It has been widely used in cooking and perfumery for its unusual pleasant aroma.
This famous spice has a characteristic aroma that uplifts the mood, has antidepressant properties. It stimulates the production of the hormone of joy, normalizes brain activity.
The spice is useful in diabetes. Its regular use reduces blood sugar levels, promotes cell renewal, and rejuvenates the body. It is more commonly used in type 2 diabetes.
The spice is used for hypertension. It normalizes blood circulation, lowers blood pressure, cleanses blood vessels. Cinnamon helps to recover from a stroke, eliminates trembling in the limbs.
The spice is good for the gastrointestinal tract. It normalizes digestion, improves appetite, removes bad cholesterol.
Recipes with spices are used for weight loss. It improves metabolism, normalizes the functioning of the liver and gallbladder, breaks down fat, preventing its deposition.
Cinnamon with honey effectively helps with colds, flu, SARS. The tool has an antibacterial effect, eliminates the symptoms of the disease, but it is not recommended for use at high body temperature.
Who benefits from the spice
The benefits of spices are of equal importance for men and women. The pleasant aroma is used as an aphrodisiac. It enhances attraction, uplifting, energizing.
Despite the large number of useful properties, the spice has a number of restrictions for use. The spice is not safe for women in early pregnancy. It causes uterine contractions, which can lead to miscarriage.
The spice is useful for school-age children. It helps to increase concentration and brain activity. At regular use spices improves memory and reduces fatigue.
It is also beneficial for older people to include the spice in their diet. It has a beneficial effect on the state of cardio-vascular system, cleanses blood vessels, strengthens them and cleanses the blood of harmful cholesterol and advanced level glucose. Spice is used to prevent thrombosis, heart attacks and strokes.
For more information about the beneficial properties of spices, see the following video:
Contraindications to the use of spices:
- high body temperature;
- low blood clotting;
- renal and liver failure;
- increased acidity of gastric juice;
- individual intolerance.
How to take cinnamon
As we have already said, it is necessary to monitor the consumption of spices. For example, for a preschooler, 4 cinnamon cookies can provoke side effects in the form of dizziness and abdominal pain. For a school-age child, this dose is 6 pieces, and for an adult - 8.
For diabetes
The spice is especially useful in type 2 diabetes, when additional insulin is not needed. According to research by American scientists, spice reduces blood sugar levels by 25-30%. There are no special instructions for the use of spices. Must not exceed daily allowance. Fragrant powder is added to main dishes, sauces, desserts. Often it is combined with coffee, tea and other drinks.
From pressure
The spice is used to normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular system. It lowers blood pressure and strengthens blood vessels. The spice is consumed by combining with kefir, tea, honey and in pure form by boiling it with water. Drinks are drunk 2-3 times a day, taking into account the daily intake of spices. Treatment course - up to 2 weeks.
From a cold
With colds, a combination of spices with honey helps.
Ingredients:
- Honey - 1 tablespoon.
- Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon.
How to cook: Mix the ingredients.
How to use: Take the resulting mixture on an empty stomach, 1 teaspoon.
Result: The tool relieves sore throat, has an antimicrobial effect, strengthens the immune system. The recipe is used for sore throat, bronchitis, SARS.
Cinnamon for weight loss
The spice is used for weight loss. Prepared with her help low calorie meals and drinks that improve metabolism, break down fat, provide satiety for a long time.
The spice is used externally. Cinnamon oil is added to anti-cellulite creams, baths, body wraps.
Kefir with cinnamon for weight loss
Spice with kefir - effective remedy for weight loss without starvation. This cocktail improves metabolism, prevents the deposition of fat, dulls the feeling of hunger.
A nutritious drink can partially replace the main meal. Reviews of dietitians say that people who replaced dinner with a drink or consumed it an hour after eating lose weight most effectively.
Ingredients:
- Cinnamon powder - 1 teaspoon.
- Kefir - 250 ml.
- Ground ginger - ⅓ teaspoon
- Red pepper - on the tip of a knife.
How to cook: Beat kefir with a blender, add dry ingredients, mix until smooth.
How to use: Drink 1 glass of shake 20-30 minutes before meals. Food portions should be reduced. The recipe is not suitable for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Result: The drink leaves a feeling of satiety for a long time, promotes weight loss. The first results are noticeable after a week of use. For a month, she loses 4 kg of excess weight.
Cinnamon with honey for weight loss
Cinnamon infusion with honey
Ingredients:
- Cinnamon - 3 gr.
- Lemon - ½ pc.
- Ginger - 10 gr.
- Honey - 15 ml.
- Water - 100 ml.
How to cook: Cool down boiled water up to 50 degrees, add ginger and cinnamon, mix. Cover with a lid, warm with a towel, let it brew for half an hour. Squeeze out lemon juice, mix with honey, add to the infusion.
How to use: Take on an empty stomach ½ cup.
Result: Reviews of those who have lost weight say that the infusion retains a feeling of satiety for a long time. The first results are noticeable after a week of application.
Water with cinnamon and honey
To prepare a drink with cinnamon and honey, water is used, with a temperature not exceeding 50 degrees. Under the action of a higher temperature, the beekeeping product loses its beneficial properties. Reviews of losing weight say that the drink helps to get rid of extra pounds in a short time.
Ingredients:
- Water - 250 ml.
- Cinnamon - 7 gr.
- Honey - 20 gr.
How to cook: Boil water, cool a little, add spice. Cover with a lid, leave for at least 30 minutes. Put honey in a warm liquid, stir.
How to use: Take ½ cup 2 times a day: in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening, half an hour before bedtime. The course of admission is from 2 to 8 weeks.
Result: The drink normalizes digestion, removes toxins from the body, and prevents the deposition of fat.
Cinnamon for the face
Cinnamon is often used in cosmetology - added to face masks. The spice stimulates blood circulation, improves cell nutrition, and saturates them with vitamins. After the procedure, the skin may be slightly reddened. The reaction is fast.
The spice rejuvenates, tightens, cleanses the skin of the face. The rich composition improves the general condition of the epidermis, making it more elastic and radiant. The spice has an antibacterial effect, so masks based on it are used for problem skin.
Acne mask
Ingredients:
- Lemon juice - 5 ml.
- Honey - 1 tablespoon.
- Cinnamon - 10 gr.
How to cook: Pound honey with cinnamon until smooth, add lemon juice, mix.
How to use: Apply the mask on previously cleansed face for 15-20 minutes. Wash after the procedure warm water. The tool can be used every 2-3 days.
Result: The mask effectively eliminates pimples, acne, acne. Disinfects the skin, making it soft and supple.
Body Cinnamon
Cinnamon is useful not only for the skin of the face, but also for the body. It disinfects, heals, nourishes, moisturizes, tightens the epidermis. The spice is added to masks, scrubs and mixtures for cellulite wraps.
Scrub with cinnamon
Ingredients:
- Milk - 4 tablespoons.
- Oatmeal - 3 tablespoons.
- Cinnamon - 5 gr.
- Almond oil - 5 ml.
How to cook: Fill with hot milk cereals, cover with a lid, leave for 7-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
How to use: Apply the scrub to the skin with massage movements, spread evenly over the body. Pay special attention to problem areas.
Result: Scrub eliminates fat deposits, enhances blood circulation, cleanses the skin of dead cells.
Cinnamon for hair
The spice is used not only for the skin, but also for the hair. It is added to finished cosmetics or homemade masks for the care of curls. The spice strengthens and restores the hair structure, prevents hair loss.
Cinnamon hair masks
Thanks to its rich composition, cinnamon-based masks are suitable for all types of hair. The spice is combined with aloe to reduce the oiliness of the scalp. spice mix with vegetable oils suitable for dry type.
Hair Growth Mask
Ingredients:
- Bulb - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 4 cloves.
- Honey - 15 ml.
- Cinnamon - 10 gr.
How to cook: Rub the onion with garlic on a grater or use a blender, combine with the rest of the ingredients, mix.
How to use: Apply the mask to the hair roots, warm with a towel and keep for half an hour. After the procedure, wash your hair twice with shampoo.
Result: The mask enhances blood circulation of the scalp, stimulates hair growth.
Revitalizing mask
Ingredients:
- Cinnamon - 3 tablespoons.
- Macadamia oil - 5 ml.
- Coconut oil - 5 ml.
- Honey - 3 tablespoons.
How to cook: Melt Coconut oil, add honey, spice, macadamia oil, mix.
How to use: Apply the mask to dry hair, cover with a film, insulate with a towel. After half an hour, wash off the mixture with warm water and shampoo.
Result: The mask moisturizes and smoothes the hair, gives it shine.
Lightening hair with cinnamon
The spice is used to lighten curls, for this purpose it is added to shampoos, conditioners and masks. Means are distributed along the entire length, avoiding the scalp and basal region. Regular use of the spice makes hair 1-2 tones lighter. Below are reviews of its use for lightening hair.
Elena, 25 years old
I have had dark hair all my life. I wanted to change the image, but I didn’t want to resort to store paints. I read on the Internet that cinnamon and honey lighten curls. Every 2-3 days I made masks based on it. The result was not long in coming! The photo shows my hair before and after the procedure of lightening with cinnamon.
Maria, 39 years old
With age, the hair color began to fade, a friend advised me to make a mask based on cinnamon. After its application, the curls became more elastic, acquired a healthy shine, became lighter by a couple of tones.
Can pregnant women take cinnamon
Spice is good for the body future mother if there are no pathologies during pregnancy. The spice improves immunity, has an antiseptic effect and normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Despite this, it should not be consumed in the early stages, as the spice can provoke uterine contractions.
During breastfeeding Cinnamon should be consumed 4 months after childbirth. It is necessary to introduce spice into the diet with HB very carefully so as not to cause an allergic reaction in the baby.
Where to buy cinnamon
Real Ceylon spice is available at the grocery store and most supermarkets. The spice can be ordered in the online store. The packaging of natural cinnamon should be labeled Cinnamomum zeylonicum and the country of origin is Sri Lanka.
Price 100 gr. Ceylon spice in sticks is about 600 rubles. Ground spice costs 1000 rubles for the same weight.
You can buy essential cinnamon oil in most pharmacies. The cost of 10 ml of the product is 100 rubles.
What to remember
- Cinnamon is widely used in traditional medicine, cooking and perfumery.
- The spice strengthens the immune system, lowers blood sugar, removes cholesterol, toxins and toxins.
- The spice is used for skin and hair care.
