Wednesday, July 07, 2023

What's So Special About Cinnamon?

I don't know about you, but just the smell of cinnamon makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over.

My favorite cookies to make is Snickerdoodles because I just LOVE the smell of them baking. There's just something warm and delicious about it.

And that's why there are several recipes - my subconscious must have been working on the recipe selections - with the Homeschool Cooking With Kids course that include Cinnamon.

The sense of smell is powerful - and when my kids smell Cinnamon, they are going to feel warm and fuzzy all over because of the fun we've had in the kitchen.

But, you might be surprised to know that the history of Cinnamon goes waaaay back - it was one of the first trade spices.

In fact, cinnamon is mentioned in the Bible - it was used in the combination of ingredients used to make a holy anointing oil for the tabernacle:

Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses saying,

Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.
Exodus 30:22-25 NKJV
The ointment or oil was used to anoint the tabernacle of the congregation, the ark of the testimony, the table and all the vessels, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt-offering, etc.

I find two things interesting about this passage:

1. Cinnamon was an ingredient in this holy anointing oil
2. Cinnamon is called "an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary".

Does cinnamon have health benefits as well?

A quick search on the internet showed me that there are people practicing the use of cinnamon for medicinal purposes: cinnamon pills for diabetes, cinnamon bark used by the Chinese for calming stomach acids, cinnamon bark being used in India for childbirth labor, and cinnamon pills for increasing blood circulation and creating a warm feeling.

Well, didn't I start out by saying just the smell of cinnamon makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over?

Hope you found this information on cinnamon facts interesting and useful!

Laura Bankston


Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with Kids Curriculum: “Homeschool Cooking in a Box” and the “Homeschool Cookbook”. She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit Homeschool Cooking With Kids

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4 Comments:

Heather Holston said...

Hi Laura!

I wanted to let you know that sometimes (when I think of it!) I give my children a couple of drops of cinnamon oil in a teaspoon with milk when they've been around a group of children, such as Sunday School, as a preventative of catching a cold, sickness, etc. Especially during the winter months.

My friend even had a terrible migraine and the only thing that helped without taking a prescribed medication was cinnamon!

Thanks!
Heather Holston, CALIFORNIA

P.S. Cayenne is wonderful too!

4:58 PM  
Lakisha Toussaint said...

Dear Laura,
There have been a few times I have wanted to email and ask to be removed from you mailing list. Not because of anything that YOU have done or said.. but because it's just one less thing to HAVE to read. But then, as I was reading todays email. I thought, " Wow, Laura has such a wonderful connection to the rest of the world. She is like a mini Super Mom. Lives in Alaska, nestled in the beauty of the true northwest, dedicated to her family and finding remarkable ways to keep them entertained and raising children of GOD." Laura, girl, you are blessed. I respect you and I appreciate you for sending those emails out to me. I live in Hawaii and that is full of all kinds of people and I know that you live in ALaksa which has less "different" people. But our places are very similair. We get to see true beauty every day...because of our children, because of our husbands and because God has blessed us with HIS eyes to see it. Have a super fantastic fantabulous week. and Laura...Thank you. Kisha

5:01 PM  
Michele said...

Laura, one time in a church service, I actually thought I smelt that anointing oil...it was a cinnamony smell. Truly incredible; it had never happened before nor since.

I'm amazed at the medicinal qualities. Thanks for sharing. I'll have to look for cinnamon oil.

6:39 PM  
Anonymous said...

Hi Laura

I just came across a web site that shows a person how to identify true Cinnamon.Actually what I have been buying all these years has been Cassia.

This site might help others too

http://www.ceylon-cinnamon.com

Regards

Jan

12:18 AM  

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