Page 50 - the NOISE December 2013

I LOVE CINNAMON!
Genus Cinnamomum Family Lauraceae
The Magic of the Holidays exude the warmth and smokey smell of burning wood in the fireplace or woodstove on a cold and frosty
winter’s day. A blanket of freshly fallen snow lies silent on the ground while illuminating its rainbow sparkles in the air.
Walking or driving through the neighbor- hood at night, we love looking for Christmas lights and decorations on front lawns, and for lit up Christmas trees through windows.
Scented candles of pine and cinnamon bring the aromas of pine forests and cinnamon trees right into our homes while freshly baked Gin- gerbread cookies cool on the kitchen counter along with hot apple pie and warm apple cider.
Oh how the sights, smells, and sounds of the Season bring a sense of joy, family, adventure, change, and comfort.
As winter sets in, the deep, fragrant, sweet and warm taste of Cinnamon is a wonderful spice to use. Cinnamon comes from the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, and you can find it as a quill in a dried tubular form, as ground powder, or as an essential oil.
Nope, the Cinnamon tree doesn’t grow here in AZ, however it does grow in various zones in the USA.
There are two common varieties of cinna- mon, Chinese or cassia cinnamon and Ceylon, and both are members of the genus Cinnamo- mum in the family Lauraceae.
The cinnamon from Ceylon, known as “true cinnamon” is still produced in Sri Lanka and is more expensive, slightly sweet, milder, and more difficult to find in the local markets. This cinnamon offers a sweet flavor for baking and blending with hot chocolate and coffee.
The taste of cassia cinnamon is a stronger aroma and flavor, and is normally what you find in the grocery stores to sprinkle on toast or apple pies.
The history of Cinnamon includes its use both as a spice and as a medicine, and it is one of the very oldest spices known. In ancient his- tory, Cinnamon was considered more precious than gold and silver! Cinnamon is mentioned in the Bible as an anointment, is known to early Egypt and China especially for embalmment and to preserve meats, and even documented in Chinese botanical medicine dated back to 2,700 BC. As one of the most trusted spices in Medieval Europe, Cinnamon became one of the first regular commodities traded between the Near East and Europe.
Nutrients in Cinnamon consists of manga- nese, fiber, and calcium. Cinnamon’s health benefits come from three basic types of active components in the essential oils found in its bark called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, in addition to other vola- tile substances.
The flavor of cinnamon also comes from its aromatic essential oil that makes up abaout 0.5% to 1% of its composition. The prepara- tion of cinnamon as an essential oil is made by pounding the bark, then macerating it in sea
water, following up with a distillation process. Cinnamon essential oil produces a rich golden- yellow color, along with its characteristic taste and smell of cinnamon.
When I was a kid we used to put toothpicks in a spice size jar filled with cinnamon oil. We would let them soak for about 3 days, and then suck on the toothpicks to take in its warm and sweet flavor. As a tradition in my childhood, my friend Barb Steiner and I would often take a jar of cinnamon toothpicks with us as we climbed to the very top of my family’s yellow cherry tree, find a comfortable limb, and suck on the tooth- picks. We would see how many toothpicks we could suck on before we needed to climb back down the tree to get a glass of water! Is that crazy or what?
Cinnamon is known for its effect on prevent- ing unwanted clumping of blood platelets. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory, and anti- fungal (helps stop the growth of fungi & yeasts associated with Candida).
Using Cinnamon to season high carb foods can help lower blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows down the process of the stomach empty- ing after meals, lowering the increase in blood sugar after eating. Studies today include giv- ing people Cinnamon who have type 2 Diabe- tes to improve in their response to insulin and to normalize blood sugar levels.
Just by taking in the warm and fragrant scent of Cinnamon is known to stimulate and increase the function of the brain by improving memory, cognition, and the ability to focus.
Cinnamon also helps to improve colon health and protects against heart disease due to its powerful sources of fiber, manganese, and calcium by breaking down and removing bile salts from the body.
By doing so, the fiber prevents damage that particular bile salts can produce to colon cells, thus decreasing the risk of colon cancer.
When the bile is removed by fiber, cholester- ol is broken down to make new bile which low- ers high cholesterol levels and helps to prevent atherosclerosis and heart disease. Cinnamon may help those who suffer from constipation or diarrhea.
Because of its warming qualities, Cinnamon is also used to provide relief of the common cold or flu and congestion, especially blended in a tea with fresh ginger.
My sister reminded me of the aroma of our Mom’s hot apple schnitzel coming out of the oven. One of Mom’s signatures was her love of cinnamon and her apple schnitzel. As tradi- tion has it, Mom mixed her cinnamon in a sugar shaker to shake on her toast and cereal in the mornings. Of course, she did have a sweet tooth and the cinnamon added to it.
| Rhonda PallasDowney is the founder of Living Flower Essences and the Center for Plant Studies & Healing Arts. Author of The Healing
Power of Flowers, and Voices of Flow- ers and has produced a new video: A Journey into Plants & Flowers. info@centerpsha.com
50 • DECEMBER 2013 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us