Essential Oil Review: Cinnamon

There are four oils that together make up a blend that has been labeled by some bright marketer as 'Thieves Oil'. The reason for this name comes from legends of certain perfume house workers in the days of plague. They were purported to have gone around robbing the bodies of dead and dying plague victims, while they personally didn't get sick. The reason of course is the oils, which they used to protect themselves.

A multitude of studies have been done on various essential oils over the years and found that through certain combinations you can in fact kill plague and just about every other kind of fungal and bacterial nastiness around. Here in the US it still isn't accepted medical practice by the powers that be, however in other countries for sometime now it's common practice to prescribe herbs and oils as a means of fighting things like MRSA and other antibiotic resistant killers.

This week I present you with one of the four components of Thieves Oil.

Cinnamon

Scent: You know what cinnamon smells like? Yeah like that. Very warm and spicy. 

Medicinal Properties: Cinnamon has long been hailed for its various healing powers. Eating cinnamon regularly promotes heart health and can help prevent diabetes. The essential oil has strong antibacterial and antifungal capabilities. Cinnamon oil is great for colds and respiratory ailments. A few drops in a base oil, rubbed into the bottoms of the feet can help cut the duration and severity of a cold. Take car though not to mix it up with Cassia (false cinnamon) oil as the two have very different properties.

Flavor: Burn-y. I don't recommend anyone ingests any essential oil without proper instruction. Cinnamon oil is an irritant which means it will hurt like no one's business. How do I know? None of your business.

Warnings: As always, take care when using Essential Oils as they can be dangerous. Pregnant women and small children should abstain from use.

Comments: I'll put them up, but really I've found a lot of the warnings to be overblown. Yeah, misuse can seriously hurt a person, but as long as you take care to know what you're doing, you'll be fine. Cinnamon as I said is an irritant. This makes it good for a massage blend, as it will in small doses, bring blood to the surface, helping to warm the area and soothe aches. For all kinds of medicinal reasons I always keep Cinnamon on hand. Plus, if you mix it with a little clove oil and put it in an almond oil base, it smells like gingerbread cookies. 

Overall, a  solid medicinal and aromatherapy oil: 9 out of 10