When we were kids, mother would at times buy us a treat of cinnamon bread topped with frosting. For variety, we also liked to sprinkle cinnamon powder and sugar on regular bread. All our homemade bread now contains a teaspoon of cinnamon. People notice and compliment its flavor.

Cinnamon is an ancient spice. Even the Bible speaks of using cinnamon, especially because of its aroma. China was using cinnamon 2800 years before Christ. In Ancient Egypt and Rome, cinnamon was part of the embalming process. Medicine and flavoring were other reasons Egyptians used cinnamon. But such spices became so hard to get by the Middle Ages that only the rich could afford them. Rank was determined by a person’s spice count.

The word ‘cinnamon’ comes from the Greek kinnamomon that, in turn, comes from the word Ceylon. Cinnamon is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree. A quill is the familiar tubular piece of bark we call a cinnamon stick. It can be purchased as quills or in the more useable form of a powder. Cinnamaldehyde is the chemical in cinnamon that gives it the fragrant flavor and taste.

Actually cinnamon is produced only in Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka, and they produce over 11,000 tons a year. To picture this amount, think of 150,000,000 large spice bottles filled with it! But if you buy cinnamon powder in the US you are probably buying cassia, also called Chinese cinnamon. The sweeter Sri Lankan cinnamon is probably only available in spice shops.

Though most commonly used as a spice, cinnamon has a variety of health benefits. For example, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon daily can lower harmful cholesterol. It may also help to regulate blood sugar, a great benefit to those with Type 2 diabetes.

The Weekly World News for January 17^th, 1995 contained an article listing twenty-one health problems that might fear the patient taking honey and cinnamon regularly. The list contains such common things as bladder infections, insect bites, toothache, heart disease, arthritis, and common colds.

The Maryland division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that cinnamon reduces the spread of some cancer cells including lymphoma and leukemia. It also aids in dissolving blood clots. It has also quickly decreased arthritic pain. Cinnamon is a natural food preservative by its ability to inhibit bacterial growth and food spoilage.

Regular use of cinnamon also boosts brain power and fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices. It is rich in calcium, fiber, iron, and manganese, and can help prevent colon cancer by removing bile from the digestive track. Fiber in cinnamon can also help with the relief of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.

Cinnamon has antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. It has been used in fighting vaginal yeast infections, oral yeast infections, stomach ulcers and head lice. It is due to its three basic types of essential oils that gives cinnamon this remarkable power.

How about trying the cinnamon based ‘thieves’ oil’ so named because grave robbers sanitized themselves from the ‘demons’ of bubonic plague by washing in it. It is made from equal amounts of cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, lemon, and clove with rosemary therapeutic grade essential oils You make it mixing equal amounts of rosemary therapeutic grade essential oils and eucalyptus, cinnamon bark, lemon, and clove. This is mixed with a carrier of olive oil or jojoba.

Besides its health and seasoning qualities, cinnamon has also been used for warming. It gives relief from the symptoms of the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed with some fresh ginger in a tea. For women this concoction has provided relief from some symptoms of PMS.

Though cinnamon is healthy, use it in moderation for cinnamon is known to be toxic in large doses. And don’t stop taking your medications because of what you learned here. Store cinnamon in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark, and dry place. As long as it smells like cinnamon, it is still fresh.

Cinnamon strengthens the health of the whole body. But please be sure you buy cinnamon powder from a store that sells bulk herbs so as to receive all the advantages this amazing spice has to offer.