Sweet and spice success

The miracle combination of honey and cinnamon is a cure for countless ailments

By VISHMA MISTRy

Do you find yourself going through medication after medication to cure a cold, an upset tummy or other illness but nothing seems to work?

Look no further! You can zap diseases and boost your health with two miracle ingredients that are probably sitting in your kitchen –cinnamon and honey!

Honey and cinnamon have been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and now scientists across the world also accept honey and cinnamon as effective medicine for all kinds of diseases and disorders.

The nutritional values of honey have been documented in Vedic, Greek, Roman, Christian, Islamic and other texts for centuries; all mentioning honey to be ‘good’. According to scientists honey contains powerful anti-bacterial properties which can fight against at least sixty species of bacteria, unlike antibiotics which are useless against many types of bacteria.

Honey is made up with a number of vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron amongst many others, as well as vitamins such as vitamin B and C. When used topically, for wound dressings, as the honey dilutes with the bodily fluids hydrogen peroxide is produced acting as an antiseptic.

Every time I have fallen ill with a cold my parents always tell me to have a spoon full of honey. As a young girl, whenever I fell ill, I remember how I absolutely used to dread that spoon full of honey first thing in the morning and before going to bed and never quite understood their fascination with honey even though it use to do the job. Now I do. So the next time you’re ill and someone tells you to have a spoon full of honey think of all of the good that one spoon of honey, is doing to your health and body.

Cinnamon on the other hand, is an ingredient I absolutely love, whether ground or whole, cin namon is one fragrant, warm and versatile spice which can be used in both sweet and savoury foods.

Cinnamon is obtained from the bark of several trees and for centuries has been believed to have medicinal properties from the essential oils found in the bark, and was used to cure snakebites, common colds, and kidney troubles to name a few.

So you might be wondering how these two miracle ingredients can benefit you?

Here are a few of the benefits when both ingredients are combined together.

Heart disease Create a paste of honey and cinnamon powder and apply to bread/toast or chappati regularly for breakfast. This will reduce cholesterol and keep you miles away from a heart attack. This also revitalises the arteries and veins and strengthens the heartbeat.

Insect bites A paste of one part

Cholesterol Mix two table spoons of honey with three teaspoons of cinnamon powder. It is also said that having a spoon full of pure honey with a meal daily relieves cholesterol.

This is one that I’m familiar with, although instead of cinna mon, I was always given a spoon full of honey with turmeric powder or made to mix honey into warm water and drink...

Colds Take a tablespoon of luke warm honey with some cinnamon powder regularly. It is said that this will instantly cure coughs and colds and help you breath easyily once again.

Infertility

For men: It is said that taking a tablespoon of honey before going to bed will solve all problems. For women: In countries such as China and Japan, women who are unable to conceive take a pinch of cinnamon powder and half a teaspoon of honey and rub this on their gums. This is said to strength en the uterus.

There are many other factors for which these two ingredients are said to work as miracle healing aid, amongst which are: stomach upsets, pimples, skin infections, hot olive oil, a tablespoon of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder to your hair before taking a bath, and keep in for approximately 15 minutes.

Bladder infection Take two table spoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink. This will kill bacteria and germs in the bladder.

Toothache cancer, bad breath, hearing loss and many many more... the list is almost endless!

Make a paste using these two ingredients and apply to the affected area at least three times a day.

So the next time you fall ill and find medication just isn’t doing the trick, try giving your body a spoon full of sweetness and spice!