Both honey and cinnamon are natural foods that on their own, bestow so many amazing benefits on your body. A combination of these two medicinal foods gives you that extra synergistic effect of their health advantages.
For centuries this mix has been used as a cure in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. Both have antioxidant properties, which are responsible not only for cures but also as prophylaxis in a number of diseases.
Health benefits of honey and cinnamon
It is important to note that, you choose your honey well. You should go in for raw honey, which maintains the original nutritional ingredients that are otherwise lost when the honey is heated and pasteurized. Unfortunately, most of the honey seen on store shelves is processed.
Therefore, choose raw honey and preferably raw organic honey to get the most benefits. Similarly, use fresh ground cinnamon, as its benefits are better than stored cinnamon. By themselves, each individually has potential health benefits.
When consumed as a mix, their benefits have a synergistic effect. That the benefits of this combination are bringing awareness and gaining popularity can be gauged by the increasing searches on the web. This cannot happen without there being some authenticity in the benefits of this combination.
The cinnamon and honey combination benefits the heart by increasing the flexibility of the blood vessels, thereby increasing blood circulation to the body including the heart.
This results in a healthier heart and an increase in its performance. This is especially helpful in older patients or in people with heart disease or those who have had a heart attack. Cinnamon powder can be mixed to taste with cinnamon and could be consumed either with lukewarm water or even as a bread spread.
2. Benefits on arthritis
Add one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and two tablespoons of honey to a glass of lukewarm water and drink this mix twice a day. A paste of this mix can also be massaged over a painful joint for pain relief.
Patients with arthritis have shown improvement in their pain symptoms. Taking this combination for arthritis, therefore, forms an important part of arthritis therapy.
3. Prevents hair loss
If you suffer from hair loss, massage a mix of olive oil, honey, and cinnamon over the scalp and let it stay for about 30 minutes before washing the hair. This acts as a good natural remedy and stops your hair fall.
4. Increases immunity
Both cinnamon and honey have antioxidant properties, which strengthen the immune system of the body. A strong immune system means an increased ability of your body to ward off infections and diseases.
A mix of both in the ratio of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and one tablespoon of honey taken daily preferably on an empty stomach will give you this benefit. Taking on an empty stomach will help in better absorption.
5. Fights bladder infections
One teaspoon of ground cinnamon mixed with one tablespoon of honey taken daily in the morning helps to fight urinary bladder infection by the bactericidal property of this mix.
6. Reduces high cholesterol levels
Three teaspoons of ground cinnamon and two tablespoons of honey mixed in water to taste taken daily help to reduce raised cholesterol levels. This mix lowers LDL, bad cholesterol, and triglycerides thereby preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
7. Relief from toothache
Applying the mix on a painful tooth three times a day gives quick relief from pain.
8. Relief from cold and influenza symptoms
Taking this mix will help give relief from colds and influenza. If you suffer from a cold, cough, or sinusitis, take one-tablespoon honey and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder daily for three days. This will cure your chronic cough, cold, and will clear your blocked sinuses.
9. Benefits of cinnamon and honey on skin and pimples
Due to the antioxidant properties of both the components, free radicals are easily neutralized. It is the free radicals, which cause skin wrinkles and aging of the skin. Taking the mixture of cinnamon and honey daily will disallow the aging of the skin and help improve skin complexion.
It will also help fight skin inflammation seen in pimples. Apply this mix to your pimples and keep it overnight. Wash your face in the morning. This will help in curing your pimples. The use of this mix for acne gives wonderful results.
10. Benefits on ulcer, digestion, and flatulence
A mixture of cinnamon and honey taken daily will help in the healing of peptic ulcers and will give relief from flatulence and gas. It also helps in proper digestion.
11. Benefits on bad breath (Halitosis)
Gargle daily with warm water mixed with cinnamon and honey. This will keep away bad breath. This is attributed to the anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties of both honey and cinnamon.
12. Benefits of cinnamon and honey on cancer
That both cinnamon and honey have antioxidant properties is an established fact. Taking a mix of both on a daily basis will help prevent cancer because it is the free radicals that are responsible for causing damage to the cell DNA, which can lead to the formation of cancer cells.
It is difficult to imagine that taking this mix will cure cancer but realistically, taking this mix daily will definitely help in reducing the cancer risk caused by free radicals, or will help arrest the progress of cancer cells.
13. Benefits on infertility
Taking a mix of one teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon and one tablespoon of honey is reported to increase fertility in both men and women who have been having infertility problems.
14. Benefits for weight loss
Taking half a teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon and one tablespoon of raw honey daily twice a day will help you lose weight.
That you lose weight by regularly taking this mix is supported by scientific evidence, which shows that taking this mix daily helps reverse insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Taking this mix daily will help control blood sugar in diabetes and the reasons for this benefit are explained in the benefits of honey.
Summary
Taking one teaspoon of freshly, ground cinnamon with one tablespoon of pure raw (preferably organic) honey daily has nothing to offer but benefits.
And, these benefits span across different systems of the body. This mix also exhibits prophylactic and curing properties against a number of health conditions and diseases.
