Honey and Cinnamon: A Cure-all, or Just a Tasty Treat?

A mixture of honey and cinnamon has been purported by many to be nigh onto a miracle drug. Claims are made that it will cure maladies as trivial as bad breath and as serious as cancer. So is there any truth to these claims? Let’s see what we can find out.

The History

Though there seems to be a recent renewal of interest in the uses of honey combined with cinnamon, the concept has been around for centuries.

Ayurdeva is a holistic approach to medicine that originated in India more than 5000 years ago. Practitioners of Ayurdeva have prescribed the use of honey with cinnamon, both together and separately, for many centuries. Similarly, traditional Chinese medicine has long recommended the use of honey with cinnamon, together and also separately.

And the ancient Egyptians used both cinnamon and honey as ingredients in their embalming methods (no, it’s not claimed to have raised the dead!).

The Claims

Here are just some of the illnesses that are said to be cured or improved by using a mixture of honey and cinnamon.

• Arthritis
• Bad Breath
• Bladder Infections
• Cancer
• Cholesterol
• Colds
• Hair Loss
• Hearing Loss
• Heart Disease
• Indigestion
• Influenza
• Skin Infections
• Upset Stomach

What’s the Truth?

Is a cinnamon and honey mixture a miracle cure for a multitude of ailments? Well, I’m afraid I don’t have a definitive answer. I’ve not seen any indisputable evidence one way or the other.

But if I may editorialize a bit, I would say that many of the claimed benefits of honey with cinnamon seem a bit over the top. Ludicrous, even! I’m highly skeptical that it can cure cancer, reverse heart disease, reverse hair loss (don’t I wish!), or even cure the common cold.

And yet, there is scientific evidence that both cinnamon and honey separately do have some medicinal properties. So it doesn’t seem unreasonable that a combination of the two may indeed have some unique curative effects – at least to some degree.

But regardless of how effective honey and cinnamon may be in treating illnesses, I can’t think of any medicine that would go down with more delight!

Do You Use Honey And Cinnamon?

Have you experienced any benefits (or not) from using honey and cinnamon? Please share!