Cinnamon Tea
Here is another cinnamon article I had saved..
Glucose-Lowering Cinnamon Tea
Excerpted from Diabetes: Prevention and Cure, by C. Leigh Broadhurst, PhD, Kensington Books, New York, 1999, pp. 192-193
“In the laboratory where I work at the US Department of Agriculture, we have investigated over 60 plant extracts in a special cell culture test that determines how much a particular compound stimulates the uptake and utilization of glucose. While these tests are no substitute for human or animal studies, they are important because they identify safe compounds that act directly on cell metabolism. Plenty of plants and individual phytochemicals can lower blood sugar, but many accomplish this by imposing toxic effects on the body. Cinnamon was by far the most active compound in our assay, so we focused on it.
From an extract of commercial cinnamon, we identified new phytochemicals called chalcone polymers that increase glucose metabolism in the cells twentyfold or more. In addition, cinnamon contains anthocyanins of the type thought to improve capillary function, and an extract similar to ours has been shown to inhibit the formation of ulcers and increase blood flow to the stomach in rats. As chalcone polymers strongly inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species in activated blood platelets, we also know them as antioxidants.
A number of antioxidant phytochemicals have already been identified in cinnamon, so that cinnamon may have all three of the beneficial actions mentioned previously. Since the first published results that identify cinnamon as a potential therapy for diabetes, we have heard from hundreds of people who found that it works. Since cinnamon is very safe, there is little harm in trying it yourself.
To use cinnamon to help lower blood sugar and broadly improve Types I and II diabetes, put 3 rounded tablespoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda (use a lesser amount if sodium is a problem for you) in a 32-ounce (quart) canning jar. Fill the jar with boiling water and let steep at room temperature until cool. Strain or decant the liquid and discard the grounds, and then put a lid on the jar and refrigerate.
Drink 1 cup (8 ounces) of the tea 4 times per day. After 1-3 weeks, drop to 1-2 cups per day or use as needed. For those with Type I diabetes, start with only 1-2 cups per day and increase by 1 cup per week, monitoring blood sugar closely. Buying cinnamon in bulk is cost-effective and highly recommended....”
.... I WOULD HAVE TO GUESS AT THE REASON FOR THE BAKING SODA IN THE RECIPE; SINCE BOTH POWDERS ARE ALKALINE, I DOUBT THE SODA IS ADDED TO PROTECT THE LIPS FROM IRRITATION. FOR THAT, I'D SUGGEST SIPPING THE TEA THROUGH A STRAW. BUT GIVEN THE AUTHOR'S CREDENTIALS, I AM NOT INCLINED TO QUESTION THAT SHE HAS A SOUND PURPOSE FOR THIS. MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT THE BAKING SODA EXTRACTS THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS INTO THE WATER MORE EFFECTIVELY AND TAKES OUT SOME OF THE MORE QUESTIONABLE COMPONENTS.
This beverage is easily portable. If pre-chilled, it will stay fresh and palatable enough for a few hours (as long as you are not in a high temperature environment). Or of course you can carry it in some kind of cold pack and keep it fresh all day. To put the tea into a carry-along plastic water bottle, be sure to allow it to cool down at least until lukewarm before you pour.
Regarding cleanup: Cinnamon can be difficult to launder out of fabrics, so avoid dripping this tea onto anything of value. The only other thing of note is that the sludge actually does not clog the drain. The strainer and the jar or teapot can be rinsed out and hand-washed normally. I wouldn't put a cinnamon sludge-filled item in a dishwasher, though... rinse it first.
AT FIRST I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE TEA MIGHT STAIN TEETH, SINCE ITS COLOR IS SO DARK. THIS HAS NOT MATERIALIZED.
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