A friend repeatedly visiting Chennai India was boggled that with the lack of fresh vegetables in the local diet, the citizenry appeared to be relatively healthy. This flies in the face of western dietary philosophy, which dictates that a large amount of fresh veggies and fruits are imperative to good health. He postulated that it was due to the high concentration of spices used in every meal (and the phytochemicals therein).
Many spices from warm climes (clove, ginger, cinnamon, coriander) have been associated with health-giving and antibacterial properties and Ayurveda certainly makes use of these attributes in it’s ancient healing systems. This topic turned into a rabbit hole, so I decided to focus on only one spice. The familiar sweet spice cinnamon is used in baking, beverages, cooking and cosmetics and comes from the bark of varying species of cinnamomom tree.
There are statements about ‘true’ versus ‘fake’ cinnamon. These are misnomers - they are just different species. The two most common cinnamon species consumed in the west are Cassia, and a varietal “Korintje” (grown in China and Viet Nam, cheaper, readily available in the grocery store), and Ceylon (mostly grown in Sri Lanka, available online, at health food stores and at the Portland Co-op). Scientific articles distinguish that Cassia/Korintje cinnamon has higher quantities of coumarin, an anticoagulant. If one is on an anti-clotting drug such as Warfarin, it’s best not to use too much Cassia/Korintje cinnamon, in fact more than 1 tsp a day could be harmful to anyone. Comparatively, Ceylon cinnamon has very low levels of coumarin. Cinnamon has been tested and proven to have antibacterial effects , possibly lowering blood sugar (so decreasing effects of type 2 diabetes), and having anti-inflammatory activity. It’s effective against the bacteria that cause gum disease and bad breath, perhaps moreso than cloves.
Cinnamon makes sweet and savory foods, mulled wine and cider taste wonderful - Choose the Ceylon variety and it’s a healthy anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial delicious way to spice up the holidays.
