Cinnamon as a Supplement? Pt. 4
Check out previous parts for important info
7. Anti-Bacterial/Anti Microbial
Ceylon cinnamon leaf oil works as a great anti-bacterial and therefore, a great natural disinfectant. Cinnamon oil had the best antimicrobial effect when compared against several oils. That is when used against escherichia coli , staphylococcus aureus , aspergillus oryzae , and penicillium digitatum according to one study.
Cinnamon bark oil is also a good anti bacterial. This study discovered that cinnamaldehyde levels of cinnamon bark oil was effective against listeria monocytogenes, salmonella typhimurium, and enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli.
Dilute the cinnamon oil with water as a disinfectant for kitchen countertops, sinks, your refrigerator, etc.. When there are young children around and you do not want harsh cancer causing chemicals use cinnamon oil. Cinnamon sticks works also an effective anti bacterial. However, you would need a lot of it to be effective. For a mild disinfectant, to wash something like your face, feet, or hands, then a few cinnamon sticks boiled in hot water could be an idea.
8. Food Preservative
Cinnamon can be used to good effect to inhibit bacterial growth. Some say this is the reason for the wide use of cinnamon in food preparation in Asian countries. In Sri Lanka, almost all dishes have a pinch of cinnamon. In addition to pleasing flavor, ceylon cinnamon in combination with spices like turmeric and chili may have been a way to preserve food before refrigeration.
One study used cinnamon oil coated paper as a preserving practice. They found a 6% cinnamon oil solution was responsible for completely stopping mold in sliced bread packaging. This study also found cinnamon oil effective in creating insect resistant food packaging film. Cinnamon also came on top in this study, even against allspice and clove oil as very effective for making an edible food film.