I always find it interested to find where some of the everyday spices we use come from, because it’s something that I don’t usually think about. Like cinnamon. Did you know that it comes from a tree’s bark? Cinnamon is one of those spices that is well used in my kitchen, but there are more uses to it besides just using it in you cinnamon rolls!
Check out these ways cinnamon is used besides as a sweet spice used in cooking and baking:
- Cinnamon leaf oil has been found to be effective in killing mosquito larvae. It has been proposed to use cinnamon in an insect repellent, but it is yet to be tested.
- In medicine, cinnamon has been known to help cure colds and problems with the digestive system.
- The essential oils in cinnamon has antimicrobial properties which help in the preservation of some foods.
- There are healing compounds found in cinnamon called Terpenoids. One of these healing compounds is a potent antifungal and antimicrobial agent.
- Cinnamon can be used to help deter moths. Just take 4 cinnamon sticks, broken, 1/2 cup whole cloves and 1/2 cup whole peppercorns and fill a small square of fabric with the mixture. Tie it shut and hang it in your closets.
- Studies have been shown that cinnamon helps to promote brain function. Tests have shown that subjects chewing cinnamon gum or smelling the scent of cinnamon had better better memory functions and could process information more quickly.
So next time you pull the cinnamon out of your spice cabinet, remember that it is so much more than just a way to spice up your cookies!
This does look promisnig. I’ll keep coming back for more.