Keep Your Health in Check with Cinnamon

February 3rd, 2018

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

There are some scents that remind us of the comforts of home and can soothe our bodies in the process. Case in point: the sweet and warm smell of cinnamon. This spice is derived from the stems of the cinnamomum tree. The inner bark is then extracted, and the woody parts are removed and left to dry. This results in the formation of strips that eventually curl into the cinnamon sticks known today.

These strips can also then be ground to form cinnamon powder.1 The spice is native to the Caribbean, South America and Southeast Asia.2 There are two known types of cinnamon: Ceylon cinnamon and cassia cinnamon. Also known as Cinnamomum verum, Ceylon cinnamon is considered to be “true cinnamon,”3 and is produced in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean.

Cassia cinnamon or Cinnamomum aromaticum, on the other hand, is the variety that’s more commonly used nowadays4 because it is less expensive compared to the former.5 This type of cinnamon is grown in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The first recorded use of cinnamon dates back to circa 2800 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nung, known as the Father of Chinese Medicine.6 Cinnamon was also utilized in ancient Egyptian society to mummify the dead. This spice became highly prized,7 and since cinnamon was rare and valuable, it was regarded as a gift fit for kings.8 In medieval times, doctors used cinnamon to treat ailments such as coughs, sore throat and arthritis.

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