About a year ago I received a FW (you know, those email chain letters) that extolled the virtues of honey and cinnamon. You can see it here.
I got the same FW in my email again yesterday.
I re-read it. I checked it out with Snopes (the urban myth guys-- I always check the "can-this-be-true?" email jam out with them) and they say that the honey and cinnamon content is "research in progress" issue.... that could mean that someone is actually researching it, or that because of the 'folk lore' quality of the email, they are just blowing us off, so to speak.
I thought I would do some independent study, particularly about Cinnamon. Why the cinnamon research? Well, earlier this year we had an alternative health presentation by a very nice young fellow at our church who told us that cinnamon, and other strong spices (nutmeg, cayenne, etc.) are far from being medicinally helpful so much as they are actually toxic and acidify our systems making our bodies into big petry dishes that can rapidly grow cancers and other nasty stuff.
Here is what I find about cinnamon in another online article (at www.healthdiaries.com):
10 Health Benefits of Cinnamon
1. Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
2. Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.
3. In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.
4. In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
5. It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
6. In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
7. When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
8. One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
9. Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
10. It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.
Wow-- cinnamon sounds like something I would want in MY natural medicine cabinet. But let's take a look at the 'contraindications' that are recounted online:
The name cinnamon is correctly used to refer to Ceylon cinnamon, also known as "true cinnamon" (from the botanical name C. zeylanicum).
However, the related species, Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum), Saigon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi), and Cinnamomum burmannii are sometimes sold labeled as cinnamon, sometimes distinguished from true cinnamon as "Chinese cinnamon", "Vietnamese cinnamon", or "Indonesian cinnamon.
"[citation needed] Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. Cassia has a much stronger (somewhat harsher) flavour than cinnamon, is generally a medium to light reddish brown, hard and woody in texture, and thicker (2–3 mm thick), as all of the layers of bark are used. In many supermarkets in the United States, products labelled as cinnamon may often be cassia.[citation needed] Due to the presence of a moderately toxic component called coumarin, European health agencies have recently warned against consuming high amounts of cassia. This is contained in much lower dosages in Cinnamomum burmannii due to its low essential oil content.
Coumarin is known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations. True Ceylon cinnamon has negligible amounts of coumarin.
(information found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon)
So, before purchasing any cinnamon powder to use in the many delicious ways that are mentioned in the Honey and Cinnamon article, I would be very careful to make sure I was in fact getting true Cinnamon from a trusted source such as here. And then I would use it moderately as a 'natural medicine' and not as an everyday condiment, as alluring as that might be.
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