Cinnamon: properties of plants and features

Seasonings are used to improve the taste of cooked dishes, but many of them have also useful qualities. Such spices include cinnamon. The properties of this plant are used in the treatment of various ailments and in cosmetology. In shops, cinnamon is sold in the form of powder or sticks. And how does it look in nature?

general description

The plant is called "Ceylon Cinnamon", grows in the tropical forests of Asia, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. Also this evergreen tree is grown in Brazil, Egypt and Vietnam. Fruits are berries up to 1 cm in diameter with a characteristic purple hue. To prepare the seasoning, use a thin inner layer of bark, which is dried, rolled into strips and cut into pieces. So on sale comes the well-known cinnamon. The properties of the seasoning are a pleasant aroma and sweet taste.

There is also a false crocus, this plant in nature is called "cassia", but it is found in Indonesia, China. The quality of this product is much lower than the present, because for its preparation the whole bark is used. In addition, the composition of cassia is coumarin in a concentration that is dangerous to human health.

Composition and Contraindications

Spices contain a large amount of essential oils, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and fatty acids. The caloric content of cinnamon is high enough, but it is consumed in small amounts, so there is no harm to the body.

Thanks to the content of a huge number of active ingredients, it is cinnamon used in cooking, folk medicine and cosmetology. Its properties are very useful for the body, since they have an antifungal, bactericidal, warming, disinfectant, antidepressant effect.

The properties of cinnamon to reduce weight and sugar in the blood, while normalizing the process of digestion and the work of the heart and blood vessels, are very much appreciated by dieticians and adherents of alternative medicine. It is also worth noting that the spice is able to cope with a cold and cough.

Despite a number of positive moments that the cinnamon possesses , useful properties and contraindications complement each other. Individual intolerance, low blood pressure, advanced age, high fever, excitability - these are the factors that should make you exclude from the diet this spice. Pregnant, too, is for the time being to refrain from eating cinnamon.

Cinnamon and Traditional Medicine

Cinnamon will help you to keep the breath fresh. The properties of antimicrobial and antifungal effects have been known for a long time. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by nausea, low acidity, flatulence and constipation, can be stopped if spices are used regularly. For hypertensive patients, cinnamon is an excellent means of stabilizing blood pressure. The properties of spices to reduce cholesterol are also very valuable. Only in this case it should be used together with honey. From a cold, a bath with cinnamon is saved. A sense of fatigue and tension in the muscles will help to remove the massage cream with cinnamon oil.