Medical Properties of Honey & Cinnamon

Honey and cinnamon may help to treat many ailments.

Honey and cinnamon have been used in Asian and Ayurvedic medicine for centuries and often are used as natural ways to treat a variety of ailments. Cinnamon's essential oils and honey's hydrogen peroxide-producing enzymes give these foods their ability to prevent and stop the growth of bacteria and fungi. Because of their antimicrobial properties, cinnamon and honey are used in certain cultures and in homeopathic medicine.

Honey's Properties for Sore Throats, Cuts and Burns

Honey may treat sore throats, cuts and burns effectively .

Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and many other people have used honey to treat common ailments. Modern medicine hasn't fully recognized the health benefits of bee products, but the effectiveness of the medical use of honey, known as apitherapy, has been the subject of many studies, often with positive findings. While apitherapy has been considered from both legal and medical viewpoints an experimental approach, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved honey for its antimicrobial properties.

Because honey contains high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and sugar, both of which kill bacteria, strong evidence exists that honey has antibacterial qualities that might make it effective in helping to heal wounds and burns. Honey's powerful antimicrobial properties make it ideal for soothing raw tissues. Taking 1 tsp. full of honey topped with a little lemon juice will help to ease a sore throat. Honey's natural anti-inflammatory effect aids in healing the irritated issue more swiftly than some other treatments. A 2007 study conducted by Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine found honey to be more effective than over-the-counter cough syrup for calming coughs. Evidence also shows that honey helps with stomach aches and stomach ulcers.

The phytochemicals found in honey may help to kill off viruses, bacteria, and fungus, making it a good substance to place on wounds. If you have a cut, honey's natural antiseptic and antimicrobial properties may help to prevent infections by killing the bacteria in and around the wound. Burns also benefit from honey.

Furthermore, honey's antibacterial properties have been reported to be effective against staph aureus, which causes many wound infections, as well as a strain of staph known as MSRA, or methicillin resistant staph aureus, which is notoriously resistant to antibiotics.

Honey's Properties for Allergies

Raw honey may stave off seasonal allergies.

People often take raw honey for seasonal allergies. Studies from Tulane University scientifically support the idea that eating raw honey effectively helps to reduce allergy symptoms. Honey acts as an inoculant; by eating honey, you eating the same pollen that gave you the allergic reaction. Only the consumption of raw, local honey works, particularly in the case of treating seasonal allergies because it ensures that the pollens are local and unaltered.

Cinnamon's Properties for Certain Respiratory Problems

Cinnamon may help with respiratory ailments.

Cinnamon has been used as a medicinal plant for a very long time. Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Asian cultures use it to treat everything from toothaches and bad breath to common colds and digestive problems such as diarrhea.

Its traditional uses have scientific support. Like honey, cinnamon is high in antioxidants, and its essential oil has antimicrobial properties. Because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties, cinnamon is considered good for treating bronchitis, colds and coughs. A typical treatment calls for combining honey and cinnamon for the best results: two or three drops of cinnamon oil dissolved in one glass of warm water sweetened with 1 tsp. of honey, consumed three times per day.

Cinnamon's Properties for Digestive Ailments

Cinnamon is used to treat digestive issues.

Cinnamon's essential oils contain food disaggregating properties and stimulate saliva and gastric juices to help digestion and treat digestive issues. Cinnamon can be used for flatulence; one spoonful of cinnamon in a little water eases excessive gas. When ground cinnamon is mixed with honey, it can aid digestion because the components stimulate gastric acid and promote the breakdown of food. The combination of honey and cinnamon is also helps to treat nausea. Sprinkling a little cinnamon on food helps to reduce stomach acidity.

References

• "Courier-Post" (Cherry Hill, N.J.: Jury's Out on Honey's Health Benefits, but Buzz Grows; Kim Mulford; March 28, 2011
• Botanical Online: Cinnamon Medicinal Properties
• Parent Jazz: What Are the Medical Uses of Honey?; March 2008