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Cinnamon Bark Used in Chinese Medicine Used to Stop Parkinson’s
A study conducted recently and published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology states that eating cinnamon powder might cause the reversal of some of the brain changes that occur with Parkinson’s disease. This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Cinnamon has been used as a spice and for medicinal purposes around the world for centuries. This could possibly be one of the safest methods to stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is an incurable degenerative neurological disease that infects the middle part of the brain. This region experiences a rapid death of the cells which cause neurotransmitter failure. This produces symptoms such as uncontrollable tremors, slow movements, stiffness of the limbs, difficulty with balance and gait, bladder issues, constipation, difficulty swallowing, sleep problems and even mood disorder. This disease currently affects a little more than 1.2 million people in the United States and Canada. Read more about Parkinson’s disease.
In earlier studies, researchers have studied how the changes of the brain can lead to the development of this disease and its symptoms. It’s important to scientists to understand how this disease works in order to develop some drugs that would be effective in both protecting the brain and stop the progression of this disease.
In this new study, scientist gave mice with Parkinson’s ground cinnamon. Once the cinnamon reached the gut, it broke down into various compounds including sodium benzoate, which is commonly used as a food preservative. Once the sodium benzoate entered the brains of these mice, it prevented the loss of brain cells and stopped the progression of Parkinson’s disease. These mice also experienced a vast improvement in motor functions.
Researchers hope that these findings can possibly lead to a treatment or maybe even a cure, for Parkinson’s disease. Hopefully, the next phase will be used in human beings. If the results are duplicated in humans that have Parkinson’s, this would be a remarkable advance in treatment.
This study was conducted by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, and they say that it shows great promise that using cinnamon could be extremely helpful for those with Parkinson’s disease.
SEE ALSO: 10 Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s
Cinnamon comes Cinnamomum trees, and the inner bark of this tree has been used in many different sorts of traditional medical communities for perhaps hundreds, maybe even thousands of years to treat everything from the common cold, to colds and congestion, and diarrhea. Find out top 10 health benefits of cinnamon.
Cinnamon may also be very helpful in managing and preventing diabetes, according to other scientific research. In studies, cinnamon appears to reduce insulin resistance, lower the blood sugar levels in the body as well as reduce the complications for this disease.
Cinnamon is very high in antioxidants, which are good for removing those damaging free radicals from the body. This helps to prevent chronic disease and limit the effects of aging. This spice might help prevent Alzheimer’s disease by protecting the brain from oxidative stress, this according to a study done at the University of California Santa Barbara.
If you want to increase the amount of cinnamon in your diet, be sure to use Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and not Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) both are sold in the USA and although both types of cinnamon are metabolized by the liver into sodium benzoate, Ceylon cinnamon is much more pure and more powerful.
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