Unfortunately, few people think that daily products we use can become a reliable help in the fight against all kinds of diseases, and the beneficial properties of cinnamon are unfairly forgotten! Still, because we are only interested in its unusually spicy aroma, capable of lifting and turning an ordinary dish into a real masterpiece. And so, I think, you already realized that our today’s article will be devoted to Koritsa – this is how by chance we decided to “go through” by spices, because only yesterday we published an article about Vanille.
Cinnamon has been known to humanity since ancient times, while at all times the spice has been highly valued, which is why it was presented as a gift only to representatives of power. The object of our study was especially popular in China, from where up to 2 thousand. n. e. exported to ancient Egypt.
Many ancient authors (including Herodotus) wrote about cinnamon, used it for ritual purposes. So, Emperor Nero burned the annual supply of cinnamon at the funeral of his beloved wife Sabina in 65 n. e. In the Middle Ages, the main suppliers of spices for the Western world were Arab merchants, whose monopoly ceased with the advent of such strong players as the Ottoman Empire and the Mamlyuk dynasty. Today, cinnamon is present in every cuisine of the world, while both sweet and unsweetened dishes: for example, Italians use it as a seasoning for rice porridge, the inhabitants of the Middle East – as a spice replacing pepper, Mexicans – add to coffee, and the French – in Sanding Christmas cookies.
The beneficial properties of cinnamon have recently become the object of active scientific research and works. Published relatively recently (in 2008), the research data of American scientists have shown that cinnamon can help in the fight against diabetes, as it, firstly, normalizes blood sugar, and secondly, increases the susceptibility of the human body and allows it better react to insulin.
The secret of the “usefulness” of cinnamon is kept on three “whales” – zinnamylacetate, cinnamon alcohol and cinnamon aldehyde – active components contained in its composition. In addition, the spice in large quantities contains such substances necessary for the body as magnesium, iron, calcium and fiber, thanks to which it helps to remove excessive salts from the body. But this is not all, studies have shown that cinnamon can remove not only salt from the body, but also bile, while a positive effect is increasing many times, because the level of cholesterol in the blood also decreases.
All of the above qualities of cinnamon contribute to its use as a preventive means to combat blood clots. The cinnamon has a beneficial effect on the work of the intestinal-yellow tract (in scientific circles there is an opinion that due to the fiber contained in the composition, cinnamon can help get rid of constipation and crusia in the stomach), helps to improve mood and lose a couple of extra kilograms.
Cinnamon properties: not the benefit of a single!
But like every product, cinnamon has not only useful properties, but also contraindications. I think the main disadvantage of this spice is the presence of a substance in it called “kumarin”. In a high -quality, real cinnamon, its percentage is negligible, but in the Cassia (Chinese cinnamon) Kumarin is much larger. Why is kumarin so undesirable – you ask! The thing is that in high doses he harms the liver and stomach, causes headaches. In general, little pleasant. As for the rest of the minuses of cinnamon, with its use it is worth being especially careful elderly and pregnant (excessive consumption can cause uterine contraction and provoke a miscarriage). Spices are not recommended for individual intolerance.
Like any product, the object of our study should be consumed wisely and without excesses, remembering that the beneficial properties of cinnamon can turn into contraindications at the moment.
