If an apple a day keeps the doctor away,
a touch of cinnamon may also
help ...
Holiday dinners
are chock full of delicious dishes from recipes
handed down from generations past. As you sit down to enjoy your
meal this year, think of this. A sweet slice of apple pie, a decadent
cup of hot chocolate, a warm piece of cinnamon raisin bread all
have at least one thing in common. If you guessed cinnamon, you
are right!
Cinnamon comes
from a small South East Asian evergreen tree. Some of its other
names are Cassia,
Sweet Wood, and Gui Zhi. It has a pleasant smell and stimulates
the senses while it calms the nerves. Cinnamon has been used for
ages for many different reasons besides spicing up recipes.
Throughout
history,
cinnamon is used as an air freshener fragrance or to add wonderful
flavor to a recipe. It is a common incense fragrance.
Some other
types that might not have occurred to you are the medicinal uses of cinnamon, such as preventing and curing fungal infections like athlete's
foot.
Have a few pesky moths that aren't taking a hint? Replace
your moth balls with some cinnamon sticks wrapped in a knee high
stocking (or any other breathable, porous material.) Who knew
moths didn't like cinnamon?
Instead of pinching your cheeks for
that rosy complexion, add some extra cinnamon to your diet.In ancient
Egypt it was used for embalming or as a food preservative.
Traditional Chinese medicine used cinnamon for relieving ailments
such as diarrhea and chills, influenza or even parasitic worms.
Recently, studies have shown that cinnamon can reduce the blood
sugar levels for diabetics and also lower
cholesterol levels. Some herbal pharmacies make available
cinnamon in pill form to fight diabetes and heart disease.
So this holiday
season, have an extra slice of apple pie or cinnamon pecan pie.
If your doctor asks about the extra pounds...now you can say you
were working on your cholesterol!
About the
Author...
Katrina Cramer-Diaz is a working mom with a background in education and plenty of experience in parenting. She lives in Virginia with her four children.