Spicy Way to Ease Stomach Trouble!
Cinnamon isn’t just for sweet rolls anymore. This condiment is a powerful antiseptic that acts against infectious diseases. In traditional Greek and Indian medicine, cinnamon treats bloating, indigestion, nausea, gas, and gastrointestinal spasms. Its healing capabilities and sweet taste have made it a valuable spice for thousands of years.
Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree. After the bark is removed, it’s rolled into sticks. The sticks are then dried to use as is or ground into powder. The cinnamon from the C. zeylanicum tree is called “true cinnamon.” Common cinnamon, the kind used in the United States, comes from the C. cassia tree.
Fights food poisoning. Cinnamon spice is nice, except to bacteria. It nips E. coli in the bud. E. coli is a dangerous bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and flu-like symptoms. It usually turns up in unpasteurized food and undercooked meat.
The tree’s bark, leaves, and roots all produce essential oils. These essential oils contain a substance that kills germs, especially E. coli. Researchers added cinnamon to apple juice infected with a large sample of E. coli. After three days at room temperature, the cinnamon destroyed more than 99 percent of the bacteria.
Aids digestion. Adding cinnamon to your meal does more than kill bacteria. It also aids digestion and relieves discomfort from indigestion. Scientists don’t know exactly what cinnamon does to help digestion, but they think it has something to do with the way the spice heats up your stomach.
Calms stomach upset. Cinnamon also relieves upset stomach, gas, and diarrhea. Its volatile oils break down the fats in your intestinal tract, and the essential oils stimulate movement in the tract. This double action gets your system back to normal and relieves the feeling of being bloated.
3 things you should know about cinnamon
Whether you grind it, cook it, or brew it, try cinnamon to treat a variety of digestive dilemmas and add zip to your meals.
- Use ground cinnamon to spice up desserts like apple cobbler and pumpkin pie, or vegetables like cooked carrots, winter squash, and sweet potatoes.
- Put cinnamon sticks in hot cider, coffee drinks, and juices.
- Make a tea by stirring one-half to three-quarters of a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon in a cup of boiling water. Up to three cups a day helps intestinal problems, like indigestion, gas, and bloating. But don’t eat cinnamon oil. It can be toxic even in small amounts.
- FC&A Staff Writer
