Ayurvedic lore states that every plant carries a cure for some disease. It should thus come as no surprise that spices have medicinal value.

This week, I wish to highlight the virtues in the bark of the Cinnamon.

Commonly known as dalchini, cinnamon lends exotic flavour to dishes like apple pie or apple stew. Even tea tastes far better if cinnamon is added at the time of brewing.

In India and China, cinnamon has been used to treat various ailments for many centuries. In fact, it is also one of the earliest spices mentioned.

The tree is native to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Egypt. The range of its curative powers has been observed in case of colds, diabetes and indigestion. It is also believed that cinnamon improves energy, vitality and circulation of blood in the body.

The use of cinnamon in treating Type 2 diabetes and in lowering blood levels of the bad cholesterol LDL as well as triglycerides has a scientific basis. The medical journal Diabetes Care in 2003 reported a study where sixty people with Type 2 diabetes were divided into 3 different groups according to the varying amounts of cinnamon that they took ranging from a quarter teaspoon to one teaspoon. After a period of 40 days, in all the groups, fasting blood sugar levels dropped by 18 to 29 per cent.

This spice also has a beneficial effect on triglycerides and LDL cholesterol too. Another small study from Sweden reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that small quantities of cinnamon added to a dish like rice pudding could lower the post meal rise in blood sugar.

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