Everyone has a pint jar of cinnamon, right? I mean, I’m not weird or anything…. well, moving on…

Many herbs and spices that we use in everyday cooking have medicinal uses as well. Supposedly, many were used to cover the smell or taste of foods that had gone ‘off’ in the days before refrigeration. Maybe true, maybe not… I actually was not alive at that time (hard to believe). While other herbs like the ones I’ve shown are amazing and a lot of the photos are from my garden, they are not always widely available. Items like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (yes you can use the powdered form too), thyme, rosemary, etc can be picked up at your local dollar store – although, homegrown is certainly better. I don’t want you to think that all herbal therapy has to be expensive or hard to obtain. You may just need to use more or in a different way.

Anyhow, back to cinnamon. I do use it occasionally in herbal tincture blends, but it is a small amount. Cinnamon is hot and dry – maybe not as much as cayenne (another fabulous herb), but still. I prefer to eat my cinnamon. And while it feels like 127* here (not really), for some reason I’m hungry for cinnamon rolls and chili.

So, why develop a liking for cinnamon? Cinnamon warms you up and strengthens the digestive system. It is a great hemostatic for any bleeding. As it tends to dry things up, so it’s also useful for diarrhea. Cinnamon can help with nausea and vomiting and is a really good adjunct to other herbs during cold and flu season.

That being said, large amounts of cinnamon over an extended period can do just the opposite and cause gastric irritation and even hallucinations (I’ve never seen this, but several sources list this as a potential). As it can be an emmenagogue, it is contraindicated in pregnancy. So – food amounts of it are better.

In appropriate amounts, cinnamon can decrease insulin resistance and lower blood sugars. It also works as an antibacterial, antifungal (really helpful for oral candida), and boosts vitality. In my opinion, as it is a ‘sweet’ spice, adding cinnamon can let you decrease the amount of sugar you are using as well.

Now, where did I put my recipe for cinnamon rolls? And wow! Thanks for all the comments!