Evidence based Health Benefits of Cinnamon

2021-12-21 14:48:21

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum), popularly known as Dalchini in Hindi, is a popular condiment. It is easily accessible in every household due to its aroma and flavour. It is a great taste enhancer. The spice is great not only in adding flavour to the food but also has health benefits.

This ingredient is used traditionally for a variety of purposes. In this blog, we will know about the uses, health benefits, as well as side effects of Cinnamon.

What is it?

Cinnamon consists of the dried inner bark. It is brown in colour and has a warm sweet flavour and delicately fragrant aroma. 

Dalchini is used as a flavouring agent. It is used in a variety of foods, from confections to curries to beverages. It is also a popular ingredient in bakery goods in many places. The essential oil, distilled from its bark fragments, is used in food, liqueur, perfume, and drugs.

Cinnamon is used in several forms:

• Used as supplements in the form of Capsules.
• As spice for foods and beverages.
• Used as oil for scent and flavour.

Types of Cinnamon

There are five types of Cinnamon:

• True cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
• Indonesian cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanni)
• Vietnamese cinnamon (Cinnamomum Loureiro)
• Cassia cinnamon or Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum)
• Malabar cinnamon (C. citriodorum)

Importance of Cinnamon in Ayurveda

In Ayurveda, Cinnamon is a prized and valuable ingredient.  Extensively used in the holistic treatments of Siddha, Unani, and Ayurveda. Due to its healing powers, it is a major ingredient used in ancient Chinese remedies.

The pungency and warmth of Dalchini are used for balancing both the Kapha and Vata doshas. Ayurveda considers dalchini as a provider of warmth and balanced stimulation for digestion, circulation of blood, mood, and sex drive.

Benefits of Dalchini

Manages Diabetes

Cinnamon is highly significant in ancient ayurvedic treatments. It is great for managing type-2 Diabetes as it regulates the production of insulin. It also reduces the insulin-resistance by the body, which further reduces the blood glucose level. 

Adding a pinch of Dalchini regularly to your diet can result in improved levels of your glycaemic level.

Coronary Artery Disease

The antioxidant properties of dalchini help in lowering the risk of narrowing of arteries. It also has anti-inflammatory property that regulates high blood pressure by providing relaxation to the narrowed blood vessels. This also helps in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease.

Relieves Cough and Cold

The penetrating of the spice removes the mucus ( imbalanced Kapha) from the body. The oil or powder extracted from the bark exhibits potent antitubercular activity. It is extremely beneficial for relieving cold, cough, and headache. It is also a useful remedy for asthma and tuberculosis.

Consuming Kadha made of Dalchini mixed with a few drops of honey and ginger juice twice or thrice a day would help clear the congestion of the throat.

Improves Digestion

Cinnamon has hot potency, which makes it a natural digestive. The bark of dalchini in powdered form boosts digestion. It also relieves in flatulence, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome. It improves liver function as well. 

Sprinkling it to everyday foods removes AMA (toxic remains in the body due to improper digestion) from the body. It also improves the absorption of nutrients and also helps in burning belly fat.

Relieves Nasal Allergies

An allergy occurs as a result of an accumulation of toxins in the body due to improper digestion. Dalchini provides relief in symptoms of allergy when consumed with honey.

Dalchini prevents the formation of toxins due to its hot potency and also helps in balancing Kapha.  

Freshen Your Breath

The taste of dalchini freshens the breath. It also used in many commercial products. The natural anti-microbial properties also help in cleansing the mouth, which removes bad breath. Applying a pinch of cinnamon powder also cures toothache.

Side effects of Dalchini

Cinnamon is great in limited quantities, but when someone is allergic to it, it can cause several side effects too.  The side effects with overconsumption of Dalchini are-

• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Inflammation

Where to find Cinnamon?

For better cinnamon production, It requires land with pure sand, sheltered and receiving constant rain. It also prefers heat with little temperature variation.

Dalchini cultivates in the part of the Western Ghats majorly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is also native to Sri Lanka(formerly known as Ceylon).

It also cultivated in countries like West Indies as well as South America.