Cinnamon has always been considered a noble spice. Known even in ancient Egypt, this seasoning was the most expensive among many peoples. Today, spice is used not only in cooking. Any housewife knows how to consume cinnamon in alternative medicine. Even the composition of many fashionable perfumes includes the smell of fragrant spices. It can be safely stated that cinnamon is a universal seasoning.
Homeland spices
Real cinnamon grows in Ceylon. Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) belongs to the laurel family. This is an evergreen plant, which in the wild can reach a height of 10-15 meters. On agricultural plantations, cinnamon is an abundant shrub.
The leaves of a young plant are red or crimson. This is facilitated by the anthocyanin pigment, which protects the cinnamon from ultraviolet rays. Older crop crowns acquire a dark green color. Leaves, like bark, exude a pleasant aroma that resembles cloves.
Spice (except for the term cinnamon) is called cinnamon, twak, durusita, dalchini, kirpkhoi, darachini, cassia and kinamon.
Spices
Cinnamon is common in different countries. Plant species differ in aroma, color and structure. Four of its varieties are common, but not everyone can be considered real cinnamon.
The true spice is Ceylon Cinnamon. It also grows in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Guiana.
Features of this type of seasoning are:
- Type of tubule.
- Light brown or tan outer surface,
- The wall thickness of the tube is approximately 1 millimeter. The highest quality varieties are even thinner.
- Cinnamon is very fragile and breaks easily.
- It has a delicate aroma and a sweet-burning taste.
Cinnamon, grown in southern China, is an analogue of the spice called cassia. The plant is also common in Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos. The main characteristics of cassia are:
- View of a fragment of a bark.
- A reddish-brown surface with grayish-brown spots.
- The bark is quite thick - about 2 millimeters.
- A sharp sweet-burning taste with a tart-astringent aftertaste.
Malabaran (woody, brown or cassia-faith) cinnamon comes from Southwest India. Spice has the following features:
- A rough appearance immediately reveals the origin of the spice.
- Uneven dark brown color makes you think about how to use cinnamon.
- Thick layers of 3 millimeters are difficult to grind.
- The astringent bitter taste is not always pleasant.
How to choose a spice
To know how to consume cinnamon, you need to navigate in choosing the right spices. The seasoning from Sri Lanka is considered the highest quality. The spice is easy to crumble in the fingers, and the light brown color makes it possible to distinguish the stick in appearance from the reddish-brown cassia.
At home, you can also simply distinguish fake ground cinnamon. How? Having consumed a few drops of iodine. Cassia, in combination with an antiseptic, becomes dark blue, and the real spice will retain its original color. Brewing cinnamon powder with boiling water, you can get two types of substance. If the resulting composition is a tarry red-gray hue - this is cassia. The jelly-like red-brown appearance indicates the authenticity of cinnamon.
Sticks or powder?
In fact, cinnamon is a bark, dried and rolled into tubes. For real elite Ceylon spice use the tube of the smallest thickness.
Cinnamon is equally useful in powder and sticks. It all depends on the scope of use. In baking and cooking, it is more advisable to take ground spices. In the manufacture of various drinks (mulled wine, tea, etc.) it is more convenient to use cinnamon in sticks. As practice shows, the taste of the dish does not depend on whether chopped spice or not.
What are the benefits of cinnamon
Fragrant spice contains many trace elements and vitamins. It consists of iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins C, A, PP and group B. In addition, cinnamon contains essential oils, tannins and fiber.
Spice has many useful properties. It helps to cope with such troubles as flatulence, cramps of the gastrointestinal tract, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, infections, etc.
Also, spice can be used in case of enuresis, impotence, periodic female pain, rheumatism, seizures. With these diseases, it is recommended to use ground cinnamon with benefit. And harm in these cases is not observed.
Spice is successfully used in cosmetics. A variety of sprays, pastes, medicinal drops, rinses for the mouth and teeth include this fragrant plant in its composition.
Is the spice harmful
Like every plant, spice has some contraindications. Of course, the benefits of ground cinnamon and the harm of using spices as a component of medicines depend on the individual tolerance of the body. It is necessary to study who can use cinnamon for good. Spice can cause harm to children under three years of age due to the possibility of allergic reactions. People who have unpleasant sensations after eating any culinary product with cinnamon, it is advisable to abandon the use of this spice. For liver diseases, cinnamon should be consumed with caution, as in pregnancy, internal bleeding, and epilepsy. Given that the spice lowers blood pressure, it is not recommended for people prone to hypotension.
How to consume cinnamon in cooking
The pleasant, sweetish and steady taste of the spice makes it possible to use it in the preparation of various dishes. Especially delicious is the combination of cinnamon with honey. How to use such a mixture depends on the imagination of the cook. Even a drink consisting of water, cinnamon and honey is very tasty and helps quench your thirst.
Spice is very versatile. It is successfully used to create confectionery masterpieces. All kinds of fancy buns, buns and cookies acquire a refined taste with the addition of spices. Fruit cakes seem fresh without this flavorful seasoning. Cinnamon is added to sweet sauces, even to ice cream. Punches, teas and spice compotes acquire a very unusual taste.
Experienced cinnamon chefs are often used in the preparation of meat dishes, sauces, main dishes and even soups.
Spice is an excellent natural antiseptic that does not allow E. coli to infect foods. Therefore, it is recommended to add it to perishable dishes and fresh.
Cinnamon gives the food a spicy flavor. Therefore, it is popular with people who like spicy dishes. Spice gives any food nobleness and sophistication.
In liquid food, the spice is added in the form of sticks, and in the dough or main dishes - in the form of a powder. How to use ground cinnamon with benefit? There will be no harm if you sprinkle the finished dishes with aromatic powder. It can also be added to baked apples and pumpkin.
How to consume cinnamon in diabetes
For a long time, spice was used only in cooking. But recently, it has been noticed that the spice copes very well with the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. A number of studies have examined how to consume cinnamon to lower sugar. As a result, recipes were prepared for the fight against the disease. However, everything should be in moderation, so official medicine recommends using seasoning with caution.
Adherents of alternative methods of treatment indicate that cinnamon lowers blood sugar in 24% of patients, and normalizes cholesterol levels in 18%. Regular use of the product enhances the effect. These data are not unfounded, but based on real research. For 40 days, a group of volunteers consumed cinnamon.
Cinnamon can be harmful. How to use the spice so that there are no side effects? First, you need to know what other foods can enhance the effect of lowering glucose. Sugar also falls from additives such as chromium, garlic, horse chestnut, bitter melon, plantain, Siberian ginseng, panax, fenugreek, alpha lipoic acid, and the devil's claw. All of these substances can be part of various medicines and tinctures. Using cinnamon to lower blood sugar, it is recommended to carefully study the structure of concomitant medications.
Taking the spice in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, you can be guided by the following recipes:
- Yogurt for the diabetic. In a glass of biokefir or fermented baked milk, add two tbsp. tablespoons of crushed flax seeds and ¼ or ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, mix and let it brew for 5-7 minutes. When the yogurt thickens, it can be consumed.
- Also, to reduce sugar, ordinary cinnamon tea is suitable. Preparing a drink is easy. In the teapot, along with the teapot, add two or three sticks of spice and pour water. Bring to a boil over low heat, let it brew for about 15 minutes. Tea can be drunk by adding lemon or lime.
- A drink made from orange and cinnamon will not only lower glucose, but also add strength and refresh on a hot day. In a hot boiled water put one cinnamon stick, let cool. Then pour the drink into cups and enjoy by adding a slice of orange.
- As you know, the use of sugar in diabetes is unacceptable. The only permitted sweetness in the second type of disease is honey. The combination of a natural beekeeping product with cinnamon can also slightly reduce blood sugar. In hot boiled water, insist one incomplete teaspoon of spice. Thirty minutes later, add two tablespoons of honey. Leave in a cool place. Take half a portion in the morning before meals and in the evening before bedtime.
It is worth remembering that regular use of cinnamon can not only lower glucose levels, but also become a prevention of the onset of the disease at the stage of prediabetes.
Use of spices in the fight against excess weight
How to use cinnamon for weight loss, today interests almost everyone who is overweight. Spice not only burns fat, but also makes fresh meals more delicious.
The fair sex is especially interested in recipes for weight loss. Using all kinds of diets, ladies run the risk of seriously harming their health. Taking dubious fat burning medications can also harm themselves. Therefore, recipes, how to use cinnamon for weight loss, are very popular among those who want to lose weight.
Regular use of spices in the case of the fight against extra pounds gives a positive effect. Of course, before you start using the spice, you must determine how it affects the body as a whole. Chronic liver damage or individual cinnamon intolerance can be a serious obstacle to using seasoning. If contraindications do not exist, you can safely get to work.
The easiest way to lose weight from cinnamon is the daily use of a drink made from a mixture of honey and spices. Prepare it according to the same instructions as above for diabetics. You need to drink such a tool in the morning half an hour before breakfast and at night before bedtime. Regular use of such a drink can reduce the weight of even the most obese person. The tool does not allow fat to accumulate in the body.
Also, in order to reduce weight, it is recommended to start your day with a cup of any (but preferably green) tea with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder. In this case, the body is filled with energy and tone, which is enough for the whole day.
For lunch, you can eat a mixture of cinnamon and ginger. The root will enhance the effect of spice. Ginger is also able to fight excess fat cells, and in combination with cinnamon is simply a universal remedy. However, the use of the mixture in its pure form is not recommended. It is best to use the composition with the addition of honey and water, as a delicious tonic drink.
The combination of honey-water-cinnamon is very effective in the fight against cholesterol. An excess of this organic compound leads to the formation of cellulite. The following recipe will tell you how to use cinnamon for weight loss and eliminate the "orange peel". For the mixture will require two tbsp. l honey and three tsp cinnamon powder. Dilute these ingredients in two glasses of warm water. Drink such a drink for three weeks three times a day. A very fast result is not guaranteed, but perseverance and perseverance will lead to a stunning effect. In addition, excellent well-being and vitality are provided to you.
Cinnamon for other diseases
The healing properties make it possible not only to use cinnamon for weight loss. As traditional healers and representatives of official medicine testify, seasoning can be used to improve a person’s well-being. There are many recipes for using cinnamon for various diseases.
- Psychologists say that the spice calms nerves well and improves mood. The aroma of cinnamon in a room can positively affect people. This explains the fact that in many training companies there is a slight smell of this spice.
- A paste of honey with cinnamon, spread on a slice of bread and eaten for breakfast, lowers cholesterol and prevents myocardial infarction. In addition, such a dish will help strengthen the heart muscle and improves breathing. Veins and arteries become more elastic even in old age with daily use of goodies.
- Vitamins contained in honey support strength. A mixture of honey and cinnamon on the elderly has a very beneficial effect. Old-timers significantly improve memory and concentration. Research by Dr. Milton suggests that daily use of 1/2 tbsp. l honey with 1/2 tsp cinnamon restores strength. The drink should be consumed in the morning on an empty stomach and in the middle of the day (after 15-00).
- Spice also helps with arthritis. One cup of warm water with two tablespoons of honey and a spoonful of spice can cure this disease even in the chronic stage. The main thing is to drink the drink daily. However, a mixture of honey and cinnamon can be eaten with water. Research by Dutch scientists proved that 1 tbsp. l honey and 1/2 tsp spices used before breakfast reduced or eliminated pain during walking in 73 out of 200 patients.
- About how to consume cinnamon in diabetes, it was said above. Spice lowers both sugar and cholesterol. Two tbsp are enough. tablespoons of honey mixed with three teaspoons of spices and dilute the mixture in two glasses of warm water. Drink three times a day. The mixture can reduce cholesterol by 10% in two hours.
- The regular use of honey and cinnamon can strengthen the immune system. Also, the mixture is very effective for colds. Tea made from honey, lemon and cinnamon eliminates the common cold and chills. However, the spice is not recommended at high temperatures. It is also useful to gargle a sore throat with a liquid with the addition of honey and cinnamon. Another advantage of the spice is the provision of fresh breath. Therefore, it is advisable to rinse the oral cavity with water with spice before important meetings.
- Cinnamon helps with indigestion, inflammation of the bladder, even with toothache. It is enough to use a mixture of honey and seasoning.
- Recently, scientists in Japan and Australia have found that the spice successfully fights cancer of the stomach and bone. A group of patients with malignant tumors was offered to eat one tablespoon of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon daily for one month three times a day. For some volunteers, the terrible disease receded.