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Page 9
| Cinnamon (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) |
| Cinnamon is widely used as a flavoring in cooking although it also has a long tradition as a medicinal plant. The Chinese regard cinnamon twigs as warming for the peripheries and use them to encourage circulation to cold hands and feet, while the inner bark is seen as more centrally warming and is used to treat cold problems associated with low energy such as debility, rheumatic problems, and kidney weakness. |
| Parts used: Inner bark, twigs. |
| Actions: Antispasmodic, antiseptic, carminative, warming digestive remedy, diaphoretic, tonic; topical essential oil: antibacterial and antifungal. |
| Uses: As a warming herb, cinnamon can be helpful for all sorts of "cold" conditions including chills and rheumatic pains. Add a pinch of powdered cinnamon to teas to make a soothing drink to combat colds, chills, aches, or stomach upsets or combine it with ginger in a warming decoction. (Mix one slice of fresh ginger root and a 2-inch length of cinnamon bark to 1 1/2 cups of water.) Cinnamon has been used for centuries to treat nausea and vomiting and is also helpful for many digestive problems including diarrhea and gastroenteritis. The herb also shows some antifungal activity and is sometimes added to remedies for candidiasis. |
| Caution: Cinnamon should be avoided in pregnancy. |
| Cloves (Syzygium Aromaticum) |
| Cloves have been used for flavoring for around 2,000 years and were known in Roman times as an exotic spice. The Chinese have used them medicinally since around 600 A.D., regarding them as a kidney tonic to increase yang energy and treat impotence. The herb is familiar as a culinary spice, a traditional favorite with baked apples. |
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