Cinnamon may boost brain power, ability to learn
Cinnamon may boost brain power, ability to learn
Based on experiments with mice, the spice appears to improve brain function and memory, suggesting it could help patients with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
By Stephen Feller, UPI, July 22 2016
Mice given cinnamon for a month cut the time it took to run a maze and find a hole by more than half, suggesting the spice could help improve cognitive ability in people, according to researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Photo by Oksana Shufrych/Shutterstock
CHICAGO, July 22 (UPI) -- A daily dose of cinnamon could be the answer for struggling students to improve their ability to learn, according to recent experiments with mice.
Cinnamon treatments helped mice learn mazes faster in an experiment conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, suggesting certain forms of the spice may be useful in enhancing brain performance.
The study was funded by the VA, National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer's Association to find cinnamon's effects on the brain based on theories it could help in cognitive disorders, as well as enhance memory performance.
Most studies on cinnamon have focused on diabetes, but when researchers studied the brains of mice treated with it they found it stimulated hippocampal plasticity and strengthened the structural integrity of brain cells, improving function and possibly explaining its effects on the rodents' ability to learn.
"Individual differences in learning and educational performance is a global issue," Dr. Kalipada Pahan, a researcher at Rush University and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, said in a press release . "In many cases, we find two students of the same background studying in the same class, and one turns out to be a poor learner and does worse than the other academically. Now we need to find a way to test this approach in poor learners. If these results are replicated in poor-learning students, it would be a remarkable advance. At present, we are not using any other spice or natural substance."
For the study, published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology , researchers treated poor-learning mice with cinnamon, finding that after just a month of treatment the mice were cutting the time it took to run a maze and find a hole less than half the time it took before treatment.
When comparing the effects of cinnamon in poor-learning mice receiving treatment to good-learning mice, they found that as time went on, treated mice closed the learning gap.
The researchers found that sodium benzoate, which the body produces after breaking down cinnamon, becomes an active compound entering the brain, changing the hippocampus and improving function.
In addition to planning more studies on cinnamon's ability to improve learning, the researchers are planning a clinical trial to test its benefits for patients with Alzheimer's disease.
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Although my wife is a great cook, I make most of our breakfasts. I have always used cinnamon on French Toast and in pancakes and in hot cereal, and sometimes I make cinnamon toast rather than putting peanut butter and jam on it, but from now on I'm going to put some in my one cup of coffee I have every morning. I hope it works. Of course I'm always wary of headlines that use the word "may" rather than "will".
Here's something many people are not aware of-- there are 2 different (but similar) spices are referred to as "Cinnamon".
-Real Cinnamon. It says "Ceylon Cinnamon" on the bottle. Its more fragrant, but more importantly, its healthier.
-Cassia Cinnamon, which is similar but not the same thing. Its cheaper, but should not be used on a regular basis. It has several other names, but its not real Ceylon Cinnamon. It can come from various countries. If you use it in excess, it may have some minor negative effects.
I would imagine you might not easily find the real Cinnamon in China-- perhaps some more modern stores that carry health foods might carry it.
P.S: Most herbs & spices have health benefits.
I googled to find an article re: the difference between the two types-- here's one I found.
Thank you so much for that information, Krishna. I have no doubt that the cinnamon I get here is NOT the Ceylon cinnamon. In the circumstances I'll limit its use to the breakfast ones I occasionally use, and NOT put it in my daily coffee.
Thanks Buzz for the article and thank you Krishna for the link. I read some of it and saved it to my Favorites. I've been eating the wrong one. I will be changing that. Very interesting. Thanks.
I don't know if this is true. My wife eats a lot of cinnamon/sugar toast and has all of her life, but was dumb enough to marry me!
I understand that cinnamon is also good for diabetics, used without sugar, of course. A friend also uses cinnamon as a baseline for a homeopathic cold remedy (it works, I've tried it twice in fact).
There's a traditional Chinese remedy for colds called Yin Chao-- its supposed to be very effective if used early on during onset of a cold.
I discovered a simple western remedy for lung congestion-- Thyme Tea. Pour boiling water over 1 tsp of thyme, cover, and let steep 15 minutes or more. Then it time for tea-- Thyme tea. (Unlike regular tea which is brewed a relatively short time, to extract the maximum benefit out of herbal teas, they are brewed for at least 15 minutes-- sometimes 1/2 hour).
Many illnesses are accompanied by, or made worse by, inflammation. Probably the best natural anti-inflammatory herb is Turmeric. Ginger Root is also good. (I grate a little Ginger root on top of food sometimes,. Its also an interesting taste in coffee or tea. I also put Turmeric in lots of things).
I use a lot of plants for their health benefits. Its easy to get in a lot of "super-food" ingredients by making smoothies (which IMO is in most cases is much better than juicing).
Most plants have anti-oxidants-- amongst the most powerful anti-oxidants in herbs are Oregano and Rosemary. (Also Cacao).
Dear Friend Spikegary: You are correct.
Cinnamon doe lower blood sugar levels.
Good point.
E.
P.S: traditionally, one herb that boots "brain power" is Ginko. (I think its because its supposed to increase blood circulation to the brain). There may be some negative interaction between Ginko and some prescription drugs, it pays to check. Eating fish (especially Salmon-- Wild-Caught only-- also Sardines, Herring or a good brand of fish oil caps may be beneficial. And more vegetables!!!
I make a smoothie every weekday for breakfast, and I dump in a tablespoon of cinnamon, a tablespoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of nutmeg, four grinds of pepper, and a heaping spoonful of ground avacado pit. There's about ten other ingredients in my recipe too. After making at least 1,000 of them, I've perfected it down to a science. It tastes something like ice cream and has no added sugar.