What is cinnamon good for | Why cinnamon lowers blood sugar | Other health benefits | Cinnamon for diabetes | Conclusion
The medicinal properties of cinnamon have been known for a long time. It is rich in biologically active components that have a positive effect on various organ systems. And almost every diabetic knows that cinnamon lowers sugar. But is it true and why is this happening? In this article, you will find the answer to the question why cinnamon is good for diabetes and how to take it.
What is cinnamon good for
You will be surprised, but on the shelves under the guise of cinnamon they sell two completely different plants. And one of them is useful, and the other is useless for a diabetic.
Ceylon Cinnamon is true cinnamon that is known for its sugar-lowering properties. Most often sold in the form of sticks. Less often — in the form of an expensive powder. For its production, only a thin inner layer of the plant bark is used. It has a bright smell and slightly tangy taste.
Chinese brown wood (cassia) is a cheap analogue of cinnamon. It is sold in powder form in ordinary stores. It has a pleasant smell and is used in cooking.
Why cinnamon lowers blood sugar
Cinnamon, or rather its oil, contains substances such as cinnamyl acetate, proanthocyanin, brown aldehyde, and brown alcohol (cinnamaldehyde). These difficult to pronounce words affect tissues, lowering their insulin resistance. Thus, people with type 2 diabetes may experience a drop in blood sugar after consuming.
But cinnamon for diabetes is useful only as part of a comprehensive treatment for the disease. You can’t eat a lot of powder and lower sugar forever. It will also be ineffective for people with insulin-dependent types of diabetes if tissue penetration is normal.
There are studies according to which, after eating cinnamon, sugar dropped in only 25% of the subjects. Now these experiments are at the stage of verification, as it turned out that not only Ceylon, but also ineffective cassia was used.
What about other health benefits?
Diabetes mellitus is a complex disease that affects all organ systems. Therefore, it will be useful for a diabetic to know about other beneficial properties of cinnamon.
- Reduced stress. If you use it in the form of an essential oil, then you can setup aromatherapy. Three drops for a 15-meter room is enough. You will get rid of feelings of depression and loneliness.
- Improving the digestive tract and losing weight. If you take cinnamon powder with food, you can speed up your metabolism and improve bowel function. Do not exceed 1 teaspoon per day. Add to kefir, coffee and other dishes.
- Cold treatment. If you do inhalation with essential oil, you can significantly speed up your recovery. It is important to consult a doctor before the procedures, to do allergy tests.
- Skin health. Massages with the addition of cinnamon oil warm the skin better. Therefore, it is often used in anti-cellulite massages.
- Against parasites. A folk remedy for parasites says that you need to add a couple of drops of oil to food three times a day. Reviews of this method are positive, but I advise you to consult a doctor before such treatment. And that’s why.
Cinnamon for diabetes — application
I’ll start with contraindications. The most important thing is liver disease. Any liver problems exclude the ingestion of cinnamon.
Before use, be sure to carry out an allergy test. Add cinnamon to coffee and drink. It is better to do this on a weekend, in case of a positive reaction in the form of rashes.
Topical allergy test — Apply the oil to the inside of the arm up to the elbow. Wait a few hours.
Remember to follow these mandatory steps before applying. I speak from personal experience. Once I decided to take a bath with cinnamon oil. After 10 minutes, I flew out of this bath all red. Absolutely everything was scratched. The allergy has passed after taking medication.
Don’t forget about the daily allowance for cinnamon. 1 teaspoon of powder per day. With oil, everything is more complicated, since much depends on the degree of purification.
And don’t try to eat dry cinnamon powder. Always add it to liquid or dish. If you decide to eat the powder and inhale it, it will get into the nasal cavities and burn the mucous membrane.
Conclusion
So, I advise you to buy cinnamon sticks, and prepare the powder at home using a coffee grinder or mortar.
It can be taken as a tasty addition to the diabetic diet, a little every day.
Before regular use, be sure to consult a doctor.
Use cinnamon not only internally, but also for massages, hair masks, etc. After all, diabetes greatly affects the condition of the skin and hair, and such additional care will help to improve their health.
My two favorites are cinnamon kefir and freshly brewed cinnamon coffee.