Cinnamon warms you up on a cold winters day. As a medicine, cinnamon shows up in some of the earliest herbal texts. The cinnamon bark we use, has a warming quality to the body that can be very useful in what are described as “cold” conditions. These are conditions marked by cold feelings in the body, tightness, low back pain, and dry skin.
As a medicine, cinnamon is used in many herbal formulas to strengthen the “source fire” of the body. Unlike many other hot or warm spices, cinnamon is seen as only mildly dispersing. Most hot spices are strongly dispersing and tend to expel energy out of the body. If you have ever started sweating after eating hot peppers, you have seen this dispersing process in action. Cinnamon has more of a sweet quality that strengthens the core energy of the body.
This capacity of cinnamon to delicately strengthen the system makes it a very valuable herb. It becomes the herb of choice when dealing with patients who are old and frail. Often many strongly nourishing herbs are too strong for a weak patient to handle, and can cause unwanted side effects. Cinnamon also has the advantage of being readily available in many kitchens. Elderly patients and others who “feel cold” should include cinnamon in the diet year round. For most people, adding cinnamon to foods during the winter can help the body adjust to the cold weather. That preparation can help the body be prepared for the stress of the cold and wind as well as winter colds and flu.
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