Self Help

Cinnamon is on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, cinnamon is considered safe in amounts typically recommended. Cinnamon should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. Below are 3 important health benefits of cinnamon:

1. Pain Relief: There’s another reason to dust a bit of cinnamon on cuts and scrapes—it contains the natural anesthetic oil eugenol, which might help relieve the pain of household mishaps.

2. Aids in Digestion: Cinnamon does more than add flavor to cakes, cookies, ice creams, and other high-fat desserts. Once you’ve consumed these delicacies, the herb helps break down fats in your digestive system, possibly by boosting the activity of some digestive enzymes.

3. Healthy for Women: Despite some modern herbalists’ contention that cinnamon helps calm the uterus, the weight of historical evidence suggests the opposite. Pregnant women should limit their use to culinary amounts. Other women might try it to bring on menstruation or after delivery.