Food, spices and herbs have been used as natural remedies for centuries. Both honey and cinnamon prominently find their way in the forefront to treat different ailments.
Both have their own individual powers to treat different conditions, but in combination with cinnamon and honey offer many health benefits. Though there are very few recent scientific researches done on these herbs, ancient Chinese, Indian and Greek natural practitioners have found it useful in treating, acne, arthritis, bladder infections, cough, digestion problems, tooth decay and weight loss and many other ailments.
Following are some of the uses of cinnamon and honey combo.
Honey and Cinnamon for Healing Various Conditions and Ailments
1.Arthritis Pain Relief
Arthritis is difficult to live with bone condition in which the joints are inflamed. Swelling, inflammation and pain are the main symptoms of arthritis. There are half a dozen types of cinnamon and thousands of varieties of honey available worldwide. Some are more useful than the others, particularly for relief in pain from arthritis. It is the anti-inflammation capabilities of cinnamon and honey which perhaps are helpful in relieving arthritis pain. Like most other folk medicines there is not much scientific evidence available now but scientists’ interests have grown recently in cinnamon research.
Magnesium content of cinnamon is mainly responsible for pain relief from arthritis. According to the Agriculture Research Service of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) 100g of Cinnamon contains 60mg of Magnesium.
Magnesium has been found very useful in reducing inflammations. It decreases swelling. In fact arthritis demineralised bones and magnesium helps mineralising bones. Therefore, not only cinnamon but also any food having high magnesium contents will help in reducing arthritis pain.
Based on the available information, one needs to be careful in both selecting the type and doses of cinnamon intake.
Cassia cinnamon is dark in color and has 5-8 times higher content of a compound called Coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon which is light in color . Since high doses of coumarin have toxic impact on the lever, it is better to consume Ceylon cinnamon.
2. Cinnamon and Honey for Diabetes
Cinnamon, also has been found to regulate blood sugar, is good for diabetes patients. Since diabetes control helps reduce arthritis inflammation, cinnamon indirectly also helps arthritis patients.
On the other hand honey which is all sugar can have an impact on blood sugar control. In general, consumption of honey has been considered better than consuming refined sugar and artificial sugar. We still need to be careful in selecting the doses and quantities of honey consumed. The selection becomes even more complicated as there are thousands of different varieties of honey available with different levels of Glycemic index and glycemic load.
A low glycemic index food is considered good for maintaining healthy blood sugar level controls. Manuka honey with comparatively low glycemic index is gaining popularity in reducing arthritis pain due to its natural anti-inflammatory properties and healing power. It reduces joint inflammation and provides a natural form of pain relief.
3. For Fighting Bacterial Infections
The combination of honey and cinnamon can be used for both external and internal bacterial infections. Honey has been found to possess antibacterial properties in many scientific studies.
A paste made out of cinnamon powder mixed with honey can be applied on the skin to fight bacterial infections on boils and other skin conditions. The paste only acts as a protective layer to combat the infection but also stops the growth of bacteria.
For internal infections such as bladder infections the combination of honey and cinnamon is used differently. Instead of cinnamon powder, use cinnamon sticks. You can make tea to cure bladder infection.(Read how to take cinnamon honey for best results at the bottom of this article).
4. For Acne and Pimples
Acne and pimples are strange conditions in respect of what works on one person may not work on the other. Therefore, people with acne keep trying different methods until they find what works for them.
Cinnamon powder mixed with honey to form a paste, has been found to clear acne in some cases. Try it out if you have acne.
5. For Cough
Tea made out of honey and cinnamon can act as an expectorant to clear cough. Once again the anti-bacterial capabilities of honey and anti microbial properties of cinnamon too are responsible for getting rid of any milder infection that may be causing cough.
6. For Better Digestion
Since the honey and cinnamon combo works well to fight bacterial infection, it has a very positive impact on digestion. It not only acts on bad bacteria but also protects the good bacteria.
Regular consumption of honey cinnamon tea is a powerful method to keep your stomach in good condition. Please make sure that you do not consume access cinnamon as it can be toxic. See below.
7. For Tooth Decay and Tooth Pain
Use of Honey for any tooth problem has been a controversial issue as there are conflicting scientific studies which show completely different results. Some studies suggest that honey is one of the causes of tooth decay and the other studies indicate that honey protects tooth from decaying due to its microbial capabilities.
However, the combination does help tooth pain relief. So if you maintain a good oral hygiene and use cinnamon and honey for reducing occasional tooth pain if any. You may find other methods to reduce tooth decay to be on the safer side.
8.Weight Loss
Honey and cinnamon promotes weight loss. Since the combination. as mentioned earlier works well on the digestive system, it reduces craving for food. Eating less food itself is one of the most important ways to reduce weight.
The combination of honey and cinnamon also burns the fat fast. So you have double reasons to go for the combo for weight reduction. Do go berserk on it, as too much consumption of cinnamon is toxic and affects the lever. use the best practice as mentioned below.
How to Take Cinnamon and Honey for the Best Results?
Now let us look at how honey and cinnamon can be consumed to get the best impact. Cinnamon can be taken in powder form or cinnamon bark sticks that are available in grocery shops. Most commercially available cinnamon powder is made from cassia cinnamon which has high coumarin content. Therefore taking cinnamon sticks is safer as we can be assured of low coumarin by the lighter color of Ceylon cinnamon.
The safe dose is 1-3 g of cinnamon. So take a couple of Ceylon cinnamon sticks in a cup of water and boil it in a container. Steep it for 30 minutes and add one teaspoon of water to make cinnamon honey tea. The harmful coumarin doesn't get into the tea as it remains in the bark sediments. Let the tea cool until it becomes drinkable. You can have one cup of tea daily. You should begin to feel some pain relief within 15-20 days.
Dealing with arthritis always means managing the symptoms to reduce pain. You should try every method that can help but always consult or keep your doctor in the loop to monitor results to guide you to avoid adverse effects if any.