Honey and Cinnamon Benefits and Natural Cures

Could the honey and cinnamon cure work for you? Cinnamon has been used by Chinese and Ayurvedic folk medicine for over 2,000 years and honey also has a rich history dating back to ancient Greek, Roman, Vedic, and Egyptian texts.

The healing properties of honey were even referenced by Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) and Aristoxenus (320 BC). Countless stories from people being cured from everything fromdiabetes (type 2) to acne have filled the natural health testimonials since honey and cinnamon were first discovered.

Here are some of the most historically common ways honey and cinnamon have been used to treat and heal various health conditions:
Honey and Cinnamon Cure Under Fire

Ever since Beatrice Dexter wrote an article forThe Weekly World Newstabloid in 1995 claiming that honey and cinnamon can cure virtually anything, this tasty combo has been under hot scrutiny by health enthusiasts and scientists alike.

At this point, conclusive evidence suggesting that a honey and cinnamon mixture will produce miraculous results is lacking in the scientific literature, which is why the medical community is quite reluctant to recommend it to their patients.

However, in my opinion, if you take the individual healing properties of each, it is not preposterous to assume that if one is good by itself, then the two combined can only be great!

I see this a lot in essential oil studies where specific blends have healing property several times more potent than the individual ingredients and I suspect the same thing is true with honey and cinnamon.
Honey and Cinnamon Health Benefits

Cinnamon (cassia) has been shown to be especially beneficial in treating digestive disorders, menstrual discomfort and joint pain because of its high content of cinnamaldehyde (the anti-inflammatory molecular compound that gives cinnamon its flavor and odor).

Honey is also known for its anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to being full of nutrients such as:
Amino acids
Vitamin C
Riboflavin
Niacin
Vitamin B6
Folate
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Zinc

At the end of the day, recent research is just tapping into the powerful antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics of honey and cinnamon. It is most likely that these powerful healing properties have led to “miracle” healings for countless people since the beginning of time.
8 Medicinal Uses for Honey and Cinnamon

The reasons these two superfoods create such a powerful effect on the body vary, but they generally center on their ability to control inflammation, combat free radicals and boost the immune system. Some other common health benefits oftentimes experienced by people mixing honey and cinnamon together are:

1. Allergies – A perfect example of how cinnamon can help with allergies can be seen in an Egyptian study that evaluated its ability to control the powerful allergen house mites. This allergen has become a global problem and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment states that at least 45% of young people with asthma are allergic to house dust mites!

Researchers from Egypt tested the effect that various essential oils had in killing the highly allergic house mite and found that cinnamon was the most potent agent.

Regarding honey, taking just a teaspoon of local raw honey every day can boost your immune system by helping build a tolerance to local pollen and naturally fight allergies.

The International Archives of Allergy and Immunology published an article that tested this theory and discovered that pre-seasonal use of birch pollen honey helped people with birch pollen allergies by lowering total symptoms by 60%, experiencing twice as many asymptomatic days, having 70% fewer days with severe symptoms, and by using 50% less antihistamines compared to the group that took conventional meds.

2. Diabetes – Recent studies published out of the journals Nutrition Research andParmacognosy Research suggest that up to 1,500 mg of cinnamon supplementation benefits the lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in diabetics and people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients (the #1 cause of liver disease in the world).

According to a study out of Dubai, honey has been observed to cause a lower elevation of plasma glucose levels in diabetics compared to dextrose and sucrose. Some suggest that the insulin boosting power of cinnamon can counteract this glucose elevation in honey, which would make your honey/cinnamon mixture a low glycemic index food!

3. Acne & Skin Infection – Cinnamon oil mixed with honey is used all over the world to treat skin conditions such as acne and skin infections because of its antimicrobial capacity.

Researchers from Iran have even discovered that because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties honey is actually more potent in treating wounds and burns and result in less skin infection than conventional medicine!

4. Common Cold – In a study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, cinnamon essential oil was found to be highly effective in slowing the growth of a number of bacteria and fungus including E. coli, Candida, and Staph aureus (microorganisms that can cause a number of diseases including the common cold).

Essentially, when regularly combined with immune-boosting raw honey, many people never get sick at all. Or, if they do get sick with the common cold, they recover rapidly!

5. UTI – The Iran Journal of Medical Sciences published a study this past year that evaluated 28 plant extracts against Gram-negative such as E. coli (the main cause of urinary track infections).

Cinnamomum zeylanicum ranked in the top 4 most potent, which provides an explanation to why people who supplement cinnamon and antibacterial honey into their diets reportedly suffer from less UTI’s than people who don’t.

6. Digestive issues – Honey and cinnamon have become quite popular in managing digestive issues such as constipation, nausea, and ulcers. Because honey is predigested nectar, it is easy for the body to break it down, which can soothe an aggravated system.

Cinnamon, because of its antimicrobial characteristics, has helped countless people with bacterial overload in their digestive system; especially with people suffering from an E. coli infection as you just read in the study out of Iran.

7. Energy – Chinese folk medicine has used cinnamon to promote a healthy flow vital energy for centuries, and because of its insulin-boosting property, cinnamon has been known to give people energy as it stabilizes your blood sugar.

And, of course, honey is pure energy. So, when you take a teaspoon mixture of the two, you get a low-glycemic boost to help fuel your burst training or when you simply need a pick-me-up throughout the day!

8. Gingivitis – The past few years, several studies have come out claiming that Manuka honey can help cure gingivitis and periodontal disease.

Due to its superior antimicrobial properties, researchers from the School of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand discovered that chewing/sucking on a Manuka honey product not only caused a 35% decrease in plaque, it led to a 35% reduction in bleeding sites in people suffering from gingivitis!

When combined with the powerful antimicrobial cinnamon, regular use of the amazing mixture can do wonders to your smile! Honey and cinnamon benefits are proving to be a winning combination.

To make this amazing and simple recipe just mix:
1 cup hot water
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp cinnamon

To learn more about cinnamon, read my article: 7 Essential Cinnamon Benefits.

To learn more about raw honey, read my article: Raw Honey Health Benefits.

Do you eat honey and cinnamon? What honey and cinnamon benefits have you found from this amazing superfood mixture?

References:
NCCAM. Cinnamon. [Internet]. No copyright – public domain. Available at:http://nccam.nih.gov/health/cinnamon
Potter M. House dust mites. [Internet]. Copyright 2010. Available at:http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef646.asp.
Saad el-Z, et al. Acaricidal activities of some essential oils and their monoterpenoidal constituents against house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Acari: Pyroglyphidae). J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2006; 7(12):957-62.
Ooi LS, et al. Antimicrobial activities of cinnamon oil and cinnamaldehyde from the Chinese medicinal herb Cinnamomum cassia Blume. Am J Chin Med 2006; 34(3):511-22.
Yaghoobi R, et al. Evidence for Clinical Use of Honey in Wound Healing as an Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory Anti-oxidant and Anti-viral Agent: A Review. Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod 2013; 8(3):100-104
Saarinen K, et al. Birch pollen honey for birch pollen allergy–a randomized controlled pilot study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2011; 155(2):160-6.
Askari F, et al. Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Nutr Res 2014; 34(2):143-8.
Al-Waili NS. Natural honey lowers plasma glucose, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and blood lipids in healthy, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic subjects: comparison with dextrose and sucrose. J Med Food 2004;7(1):100-7.
Ranasinghe P, et al. Effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) on blood glucose and lipids in a diabetic and healthy rat model. Pharmacognosy Res 2012; 4(2):73-9.
English HK, et al. The effects of manuka honey on plaque and gingivitis: a pilot study. J Int Acad Periodontol 2004; 6(2):63-7.