My personal favorite homemade herbal tea is cinnamon tea, and not merely cos it reminds me so much of cinnamon rolls without the added calories! The deep and rich notes warm the coldest of weathers, soothing to a fault, however, relaxing isn’t one of the benefits cinnamon tea is known for. So what is cinnamon tea actually good for? That is one of the things I will be discussing here, so keep reading.
What is Cinnamon?
Now herbal tea couldn’t be more wrong when describing cinnamon tea, what we actually use for this infusion is an inner bark. Cinnamon is in fact a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. This is an evergreen, aromatic tree family found mainly all over America, Asia, Oceania, and Australia, however, Indonesia and China are the main producers of the cinnamon we use.
Cinnamon is mainly composed of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, it is also rich in calcium, iron, and vitamin K. Most of its flavor is derived from an essential oil called cinnamaldehyde, however, it also contains coumarin, an aromatic organic chemical that should be ingested with caution. Research shows that one should take 0.1 mg of coumarin per kg of body weight (5mg of coumarin for someone weighing 50kg).
Health Benefits
Some benefits one may enjoy while drinking this beverage include:
- A healthy digestive system
- Healthy complexion
- Helps the pancreas
- Better respiratory system
- Ease menstrual symptoms
- Ease inflammation
- Lowers blood sugars
Side Effects
As we mentioned before cinnamon contains coumarin and thus should be taken in small doses. Coumarin may cause:
- Liver damage
- Cancer
- Low blood sugars
- Breathing problems
Making the Tea
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cups of water
- Lime juice (optional)
Now a bark is a little more stubborn to release its flavor. Here we need to bring our water and the cinnamon stick to a boil, let it simmer for a minute or two, and let it cool down for about 15 minutes. This brew has a rather strong color, so you will know when it’s done. In Mexico, this tea is famous with a dash of lime, giving a nice balance to its sweet taste. You may still wish to add honey to this drink if you have a really sweet tooth.