Mom, Mom Mom”…. Being a mom, you must have gotten used to these multiple callings (even if you have answered the first time)… It was more of scream for my undivided attention than just calling from my 10 year old daughter
“yes, yes, yes…” I answered making a perfect eye contact and raising my eye brows. With a throbbing heart, wiping her sweaty face she said, “Mom, Do you know about the cinnamon challenge, its soooooo scary ….
I ran to my savior and typed “Cinnamon Challenge” on google. Here’s what I learnt …
The cinnamon challenge was a viral internet challenge like ice-bucket challenge. The challenge was to record oneself eating a spoonful of ground cinnamon in under 1 minute without drinking anything, then uploading the video on the internet. The challenge was very hard and dangerous because the cinnamon coated and dried the mouth and throat, resulting the person coughing, gagging, vomiting and inhaling of cinnamon, leading to breathing difficulties, irritation of throat and nasal passage and even to death.
This challenge started in 2001, and got popular in 2007, took off in early months of 2014 and kept picking on and off over the years.
But is cinnamon that evil? What do you think?
Absolutely not, it was never about our wonderful spice, it was the way it was consumed…
Let’s explore this second most popular spice in the world together...
Cinnamon is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, it is used whole or in ground form. It is native to the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia.
Health benefits:
1. Cinnamon helps to control blood sugar, in other words helps fight diabetes.
Using cinnamon as a spice in food can not only enhance flavor and aroma but can help reduce the impact of high carb food on the blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating.
According to the most recent report from researchers from the US Agricultural Research Service even less than ½ a teaspoon per day of cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels in persons with type 2 diabetes.
2. Cinnamon May help reduce the Risk of Heart Disease
About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths is due to heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, getting in more antioxidants through your diet can help with cardiovascular health. Cinnamon contains flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that can counter oxidative stress and are anti-inflammatory. Cinnamon intake can also lower your blood pressure. Researchers found that regular intake of cinnamon brings down total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.5
Basically, cinnamon improves heart health by providing required antioxidants, reducing blood pressure, and total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
3. Cinnamon can be a perfect remedy for poor brain function.
As mentioned earlier, cinnamon has powerful antioxidants, which can also help protect you from developing neurological disorders such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Because cinnamon contains so many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that reduce the effects of aging on the body and brain.
How much is too much...
Perfect enough dosage for cinnamon is ½ to 1 tsp a day is enough…, but I feel we should stick to original barks and ground cinnamon instead of the supplements.
Medicinal Home Remedies:
1. Boil Cinnamon and ginger in water. Reduce the water to ½ of the quantity. Add honey and enjoy this refreshing tea with amazing health benefits.
2. Add cinnamon daily to your tea or coffee.
3. For a quick relief from cough and sore throat hold a small bark of cinnamon in mouth as long as you can.
4. For homemade cough syrup, pour about ½ cup of honey into a small mason jar and mix in ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Consume 1 tsp twice a day.