It is with great delight and an accomplished weekend to you all Ladies of the Hive Community. 100 happy Cheers to you all!
Happiness will continue to flow to you all out there as we keep celebrating women in this month of March 2023. I hope this article finds you doing exactly that, come out and feel fulfilled.
My dear Ladies, let me proceed to the topic for the week. I pick the Cinnamon as one of my favourite herb for the week, lets go there.
WHAT IS CINNAMON?
Cinnamon is gotten from the tree scientifically known as Cinnamomum. It has its origin from Egypt and has widely spread across the globe as researchers has come up with various findings about its health benefits to mankind.
Cinnamon is made by cutting the stems of cinnamon trees. The inner bark is then extracted and the woody parts removed.
When it dries, it forms strips that curl into rolls, called cinnamon sticks. These sticks can be ground to form cinnamon powder.
The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon are due to the oily part, which is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde.
I personally came across this wonder herb back in 2018 during the International Trade Fair exhibition in Lagos Nigeria. I was attracted to this gift of nature as I got to the herbal stand being freely displayed on the market shelves. I made inquiries about its health benefits and efficacy. Since then I have been adding it to my home made drinks especially the ‘Zobo’ drink recipe locally brewed by many homes in Nigeria.
Picture taken with my Umidigi A7S camera
Going forward I came to find out that it has a lot of health benefits. Ranging from weight loss, diabetes, heart related issues, respiratory problems, and as a general spice to food.
You can add the Cinnamon herb to your first early morning tea.
Just a little chunk is enough to brighten your morning tea for those who love it natural. I remember adding it to my local herbal drink with other ingredients like turmeric, ginger, lemon, soursoup leaves, garlic, lemon grass etc. for treating Malaria and Typhoid fever. It works perfectly, after cooking all together to a boiling point in about 15 minutes, then bring it down out of the gas stove. Allow it to cool down and drink it best when warm, morning and night to warm up the channels and revive any dead cells that malaria may have attacked.
THE CINNAMON POWDER
The first place I bought the Cinnamon spice from was in a local herbal market, from a dealer who got them from Saudi Arabia as they traveled for the Hajj a Muslim worship and brought it into Nigeria. It was the colour that attracted my attention, then I started inquiring to learn more about its uses.
They have been many findings about this wonder spice that it is richly packed with antioxidants hence it can reduce the risk of any inflammation and lower the risk of any disease.
A research about the Cinnamon as a contributing healing effect on heart related disease was published here in this article and is well detailed you can check it out:
source
A few excerpts from the above article
Cinnamon has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death around the globe (11).
According to one review, supplementing with at least 1.5 grams (g), or about 3/4 of a teaspoon (tsp.), of cinnamon per day was able to reduce levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and blood sugar in people with metabolic disease (12).
Another review of 13 studies found that cinnamon could reduce triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, both of which are risk factors for heart disease (13).
Cinnamon has also been shown to reduce blood pressure when consumed consistently for at least 8 weeks (14, 15).
When combined, all of these factors could help reduce your risk of heart disease.
Other health benefits I have derived from Cinnamon is its ability to work on the Pancreas and the Bladder. I have a relative living with diabetes and each time she adds cinnamon to her food it works wonderfully well for her as it lowers her blood sugar levels and support for a better blood sugar control.
The Cinnamon can also inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and benefits people suffering from cough, flu and other respiratory issues. What about took decay? Add a little powder to warm water and use it to gagle the mouth, allow for some 5 minutes before rinsing out. You will notice a great healing effect as the antimicrobial effects of Cinnamon may help prevent swollen gum, bad breadth and tooth decay.
CONCLUSION
So make this weekend bright and colour your life with a spice of Cinnamon drink you can as well use it as a refreshing drink by adding a little powder of half teaspoon to your favourite family juice. It worth entertaining your visitors and friends as well.
Eagerly looking forward to the next week Contest to be uploaded by 