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With the rise of technology, factories, and power plants, comes a new breed of Bacteria and Virus. Today’s industrial growth resulted in massive risk for our health. The best thing that we could do is to fight bacteria using alternative medicine.
Cinnamon As We Know It
We are all familiar with Cinnamon. It’s a common condiment or spice that we add to our dishes and baked goods. It kicks the flavor up, making our dishes unique and tastier. Picture an image of your favorite Cinnamon Rolls, think of its deliciously not-so-sweet but mildly-sweet scent, and imagine its flavor once you take a bite from that roll of bread. Heavenly, right?
If you’re not that fond of Cinnamon, there are also a lot of people who are like you. I know someone who doesn’t like Cinnamon for its scent.
But I’ll guarantee you, after reading this blog, you’ll have a better picture of Cinnamon.
Cinnamon is not only there to spice up our food and make them smell tasty and delicious. Some people also use Cinnamon for medicinal purposes. If you know someone who has Type II Diabetes, they can use Cinnamon as an Alternative Medicine. Aside from that, Cinnamon can also be used to cure common colds, stomach flu, and many more. We will get into that later in this blog.
Aside from that, Cinnamon can also be used for skincare. With all of these benefits that Cinnamon can provide, it’s a spice that is quite underrated.
With all of that benefit, you can be asking yourself is that it? Or does Cinnamon have something else in store?
Well, Good news! Years ago, even without any of these technological advancements, Cinnamon has been used as a treatment for virus and bacteria.
Is Cinnamon Antibacterial and Antiviral?
Definitely! Cinnamon contains phytochemicals, these are Eugenol and Cinnamaldehyde. This is why Cinnamon can be used to prevent viral and bacterial degradation in foods and cosmetics.
Is Cinnamon Antibacterial & What are its Antibacterial Components?
Cinnamon has a lot of offers, and one of which is its ability to fight off bacteria and Viruses. In fact, back then, people used Cinnamon as an antiseptic to get rid of the bacteria on raw food, cosmetics, wounds, and infections as well.
Here are the components of Cinnamon that makes this spice an excellent treatment for viral infections:
1. Cinnamon Contains Antivirus
As mentioned earlier, Cinnamon can kill Viruses. According to Dr. Schiffenbauer from the New York School of Career and Applied Studies, Cinnamon was proven effective in deactivating Virus. During the trials, Cinnamon was compared with other botanic extracts that are said to have antiviral components.
These were garlic, onion, Spanish saffron, peppermint, cocoa, and cloves. They found Cinnamon to be very effective in deactivating Viruses from selected microorganisms.
This is one of the reasons why most doctors highly recommend that you take Cinnamon once a day. This makes Cinnamon a tremendous preventive measure whenever you can sense the flu coming up.
Why? The reason behind this is that it can help you prevent sickness, which is caused by the Virus. Remember, prevention is better than cure.
2. Cinnamon Has an Antibacterial Component
Not only does Cinnamon contain an antiviral, but it also has an antibacterial component. This makes Cinnamon great against common colds, fever, and other sicknesses that are caused by bacteria.
Studies have been conducted, and it has shown that Cinnamon’s Antibacterial effects are due to Cinnamaldehyde, a bioactive phytochemical. Cinnamaldehyde is the main reason why Cinnamon tastes as it is now. It gives Cinnamon both odor and flavor.
Cinnamaldehyde from Cinnamon is commonly used to prevent bacterial degradation in cosmetics as well as food products. It lowers down the bacterial infection in our food products and cosmetics. Aside from these, it can also be used to prevent and treat any bacterial infection. One of the common illnesses that Cinnamon can treat that’s caused by bacteria is the common cold.
So next time you get colds, simply mix Cinnamon with honey, and you’re on your way to recovery.
3. Vitamin C
Cinnamon is also an excellent source of Vitamin C. It’s the responsibility of Vitamin C to fix cell damage, repairing tissue, and healing wounds. It also assists in the production of your red blood cells and It also helps you strengthen your immune system. It lends a helping hand on your immune system so it can help you win the fight against bacteria and microbial infections.
To add with that, it also prevents inflammation and strengthens your antibiotic resistance. Overall, Vitamin C works like an assistant that backs your immune system up so you will be fully healed.
Choosing the Right Cinnamon
This is the tricky part. You may not be aware of this, but there are two main types of Cinnamon, Cassia, and Ceylon.
Cassia is the Cinnamon that you often find on your local market. This Cinnamon has a reddish-brown hue, strong scent, and intense flavor. It’s also the affordable one as compared to the other type. Now behind all of this lies a toxic component. Cassia contains 4% coumarin, which can kill your liver when taken in excess. As opposed to what has been stated earlier, Cassia Cinnamon is NOT recommended to be consumed daily.
Ceylon, on the other hand, is the more expensive type. It’s almost 4x the cost of Cassia Cinnamon. It’s also the kind that is not sold in your local market. Identifying it is fairly easy. It has a tan brown color with a mild scent and flavor, as compared to Cassia. If you’re looking for a Cinnamon Stick, you’ll find Ceylon Cinnamon as quite crumbly. The stick is made up of a lot of paper-thin layers.
The great thing about Ceylon Cinnamon is that it only contains .001% coumarin. It has the same nutrients as Cassia Cinnamon. However, it’s not toxic to your liver.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cinnamon’s Antibacterial Capabilities
Takeaways
Next time you see a Cinnamon, never hesitate to buy it. It’s a whole pack of anti-bacteria, antivirus, and vitamin C. So, next time someone asks you ‘is Cinnamon antibacterial?’, the answer is yes. Perhaps, it’s even one of the best viral infection treatment home remedies there is.
The best way to prevent viral infection is to take Ceylon Cinnamon daily. Not only will it strengthen your immune system, but it will also help you prevent any illness that is caused by a virus or bacteria.