Health Benefits of Cinnamon

For me, no other scent induces a greater bout of seasonal nostalgia than cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia). Whether I’m doing a little holiday baking, steeping cinnamon tea, or simmering a few sticks on the stovetop to instill a warm atmosphere on a damp winter day, I’m instantly brought back to childhood and all that cheery, warm holiday fuzziness.

Cinnamon essential oil is known to have many therapeutic properties, including antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, astringent, carminative, cooling, and stimulating. It also helps enhance digestion, particularly if you need help digesting heavy foods. Here are a few ways to heal your mind and body with cinnamon.

Using Cinnamon Flower Essence for Creativity

Cinnamon flower essence will help you express yourself creatively and with ease by bringing those latent expressive abilities, so often lost with childhood, to the forefront of your daily life. The added bonus? By feeling and expressing your emotions, you are “unpacking” your emotional baggage and leaving the bags behind.

You can take cinnamon flower essence over a period of time, as you slowly begin to let go of old patterns and states of emotional disease. Or take it before making a big presentation, walking up on stage, speaking in public, or showing up at a family gathering or party (especially if you’re an introvert like me).

Benefits of Cinnamon

Cinnamon helps digestion and prevents flatulence, bloating, heartburn, and nausea. Since it helps stabilize blood sugar and appetite, warming and stimulating the whole digestive system, it’s a great herb for supporting weight loss and a powerful ally if you’re dealing with type 2 diabetes.

Cinnamon’s antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties make it a wonderful addition to many cold and flu remedies, including essential oil blends. When mixed with a carrier oil, the essential oil cinnamon is warming and healing for strained muscles, fungal infections, and cuts and scrapes.

Did You Know?

Adding cinnamon oil to your sunscreen or lotion can help prevent insect bites.

How to Make Cinnamon Tea

I like to simmer up a big quart jar of cinnamon tea and keep it in the fridge for ease of access. Pour 4 cups water into a small saucepan and add 4 good-quality (organic) cinnamon sticks. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then doctor with stevia (a sweetener that won’t affect your blood sugar), unsweetened nut milk or soymilk, and a dash of vanilla. If you battle high blood sugar, drink this tea 20 minutes after your meal. And if you battle low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), drink it throughout the day on an empty stomach.

Electric Air Party Blend

This blend is great to run during parties, events, and general activities around your home or workplace. It contains essential oils that, when they permeate the air, are reported to provide vitality to everyone around with their generally stimulating properties. You don’t want a crowd of exhausted people trying to get the night over with! Turn it into a party with these awesome oils.

Yield: 1 Application

• 7 drops bergamot oil
• 2 drops cinnamon oil
• 2 drops lemongrass oil
• Water

Most diffusers come with directions for using essential oils. Add the manufacturer’s recommended amount of water and the oils to the diffuser and run it several times during the day to produce the desired effect. Excerpted from Essential Oils for Healing by Vannoy Gentles Fite