Scientific Name:Ā Cinnamomum verum
Alternative Names:Ā Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamon bark
Cinnamon is the aromatic spice that always reminds me of Christmas!š Itās an extremely flavourful ingredient with its sweet, yet spicy-hot fragrance.⣠Cinnamon extracts from the bark have actually been used in traditional medicineĀ for thousands of years. It used to be rare and valuable, and even used as gifts for kings.
There are two types of Cinnamon: Ceylon cinnamon (aka ‘true cinnamon’), and Cassia cinnamon, which is the cheaper alternative. Ceylon comes from Sri Lanka, while Cassia originates from from southern China.Ā
ā£
One of the most important active ingredients in cinnamon is šš¢š§š§šš¦šš„ššš”š²šš ā itās this that is responsible for cinnamonās health benefits.ā£
ā£
We use this ingredient in three of our products ā theĀ šš§šš¢-šš§šš„šš¦š¦šššØš«š²,Ā šš§šš¢-šš§š±š¢ššš²,Ā &Ā ššš¦šØš«š² ššØšØš¬ššš«.ā£
ā£
There are many reasons for this:
ā£
Firstly, cinnamon has š”š¢š š” š„ššÆšš„š¬ šØš šš§šš¢šØš±š¢ššš§šš¬. These have šš§šš¢-š¢š§šš„šš¦š¦šššØš«š² effects which help lower your risk of disease.
Plus, cinnamon can help improve some key risk factors for heart disease including šš”šØš„šš¬ššš«šØš„, šš«š¢š š„š²ššš«š¢ššš¬, šš§š šš„šØšØš š©š«šš¬š¬š®š«šā£ š”
Other Amazing Benefits of Cinnamon:
- It has a potentĀ šš§šš¢-šš¢ššššš¢š ššššššĀ and quickly reduces fasting blood sugar levels. It has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters the bloodstream. For this you only need š¶.š»-šø šµš“š± š±š¦š³ š„š¢šŗ!ā£
- Some studies indicate that cinnamon may have š©š«šØššššš¢šÆš ššššššš¬ šš šš¢š§š¬š ššš§ššš«ā£
- Plus, it may help reduce infections and šš¢š š”š ššØšØšš” ššššš² šš§š ššš šš«šššš” (due to its fungal and antibacterial properties)⣠š¦·
Vitamins & Minerals
Just one teaspoon (around 2 grams) of cinnamon contains:
- Calcium:Ā 26.1 mg
- Iron:Ā 0.21 mg
- Magnesium:Ā 1.56 mg
- Phosphorus:Ā 1.66 mg
- Potassium:Ā 11.2 mg
- VitaminĀ A:Ā 0.39 mcg
Cinnamon Side Effects
Too much cinnamon can do more harm than good. This is because cinnamon contains ‘coumarin’, which plays a role in creating warfarin, the common blood-thinning drug. Consuming too much coumarin can lead to liver damage. If you have a liver condition, are diabetic, or take other drugs, speak to your doctor first to be safe.