Plants are Medicine too!

Figure 1

Who doesn't love snicker doodle cookies. Did you know the main ingredient in snicker doodles, cinnamon, is more than just great tasting (Figure 1)? Most people do not realize how helpful cinnamon can be. It is also known as a medical herb. It has multiple uses outside of cooking. Cinnamon is the tan to dark brown spice that is prepared from cinnamon bark by powdering and has a somewhat sweet and spicy taste (1). Let’s find out where cinnamon comes from.

Figure 2

Most of the world’s cinnamon comes from Asia, and can be found on trees. The cinnamon tree can grow up to 60 feet tall (Figure 2)!! Another fact about this sweet herb is that it is "one of the oldest spices, goes all the way back to ancient Egypt"(2).

As we know cinnamon is mostly a main ingredient in most of your holiday deserts. Around the holidays we love to make cookies, cakes, pies, especially apple pies. They all have some hint of cinnamon in them. Did you ever think to yourself when you’re eating all of these delicious treats that they could have ingredients that could soothe a sore stomach? Cinnamon is used to soothe an upset stomach. Next time that you have an upset stomach you should ask your mom if you could try eating some applesauce or another treat that contains cinnamon. The cinnamon in that tasty treat will help you stomach process the food that is inside relieving you from pain cause by blocked up food. It will take away the feeling of sickness and heartburn.

Figure 3

With that being said there are so many more benefits that come with eating cinnamon. You should try to include cinnamon into every meal. It can help to keep you away from the doctor’s office, because no one like going to the doctor’s office. There is only one place that could possibly be worse that the doctor’s office, the dentist. Most kids would rather die than go to the dentist. With the help of cinnamon, you can avoid the dentist a little longer. Just ask your mom to put a half to a full teaspoon into you oatmeal in the morning. It will kill bacteria in your mouth and help with the health of your gums. Your teeth will thank you because it will make the inside of your mouth a lot cleaner and also much healthier (Figure 3).

Another thing that can really bum you out is getting the cold or even worse the flu. It can ruin your whole week and even worse you may have to miss some school. A great way to prevent this is to eat cinnamon regularly in your diet. The oils in the cinnamon kill bacteria that is found to cause the common cold and the flu virus. It will not take away the cold or flu after you already have it. The cinnamon is used to prevent these viruses. They kill the bacteria that cause them before they can set in and make you sick. Your parents will thank you when they don’t have to take care of you.

Figure 4

There are many complicated and expensive ways to make yourself a healthier person. One that people often look right past is cinnamon (Figure 4). This natural herb can help you stomach teeth and immune system and make you a much healthier person. It is also a very tasty treat that kids and adult of all ages love. Next time you see an apple pie or cup of applesauce you will now realize all of the benefits that come with eating this tasty treat.

                                                        References

1.) Cinnamon. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinnamon
2.) Herb, A. P. D. Health Benefits.
3.) Kegeles, S. S. (1963). Some motives for seeking preventive dental care. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 67(1), 90-98.