Often called cassia, cinnamon bark or cinnamon twig, cinnamomum cassia or simply cinnamon serves as a popular cooking ingredient around the world as well as a widely used digestive aid. Additionally, cinnamon is also used as a supplement to combat HIV/AIDS, prevent heart attack and stop uterine bleeding.

Cinnamon comes from an evergreen tree which can be found growing in the rain forests of West Indies, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka. The soft reddish-brown bark and twigs are the parts used medicinally.

The following conditions can be treated with cinnamon:

Indigestion - Aside from serving as cooking spice, cinnamon's most popular use is perhaps to relieve intestinal gas. Both tinctures and teas are equally effective in quelling flatulence. Cinnamons method of working as an alternative treatment includes blocking the creation of chemicals that cause inflammation.

Peptic Ulcer - Propanoic acid - which is a compound found in cinnamon -stops stomach ulcers from forming without interfering with gastric acid production.

Fibroids and menstrual problems - Prior to the twentieth century, the standard remedy for uterine bleeding were cinnamon tinctures. A substance in the blood called thromboxane A₂ which causes blood clots can be inhibited by certain forms of cinnamon resulting in less clotting and more normal blood flow. This reduces uterine bleeding by stimulating blood flow away from the uterus.

Liver cancer - Camphornin and cinnamonin are two chemicals extracted from cinnamon, which have been shown to stop the growth of liver cancer and melanoma cells in laboratory tests. Cinnamon also contains compounds which have a reputation for deactivating a substance that allows cancer cells to infiltrate surrounding tissue called plasmin. Additionally, the production of an immune system chemical which combats cancer called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is stimulated in the body with cinnamon. Animal studies have shown a substance produced by a fungus that can be found in cinnamon bark called Antrodia cinnamomea to kill leukemia cells.

Yeast infection - In cases where yeast infection is resistant to treatment with the antifungal drug fluconazole (Diflucan), whole cinnamon, taken in tea or tincture form serves as an effective treatment. It is also an effective treatment for an oral yeast infection, thrush and the gum disease gingivitis. Cinnamon bark oil can be used to treat fungal infections of the respiratory tract including those caused by Aspergillus niger, Histoplasma and Candida albicans.

* Important notes: You can use cinnamon as an oil added to water or tea or file it onto food. People with prostate problems as well as those allergic to Balsam of Tolu or products containing it, should avoid cinnamon.

It is recommended that you seek the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner prior to using Cinnamon or any alternative therapies. Any recommended doses are for those over age 18. Always check herb and vitamin use with your child’s health care practitioner prior to administering them.