Cinnamon is a well-known aromatic spice commonly used in baking and delicacies, but a study published in Nutritional Neuroscience on Jan. 18 indicates its potential value for preventing memory loss and learning disabilities. This study suggests some good news for the middle-aged and elderly, since memory loss is inevitable as we age. Cinnamon is also an amazing herbal material. According to Chinese medicine, cinnamon is good for strengthening the spleen and warming the stomach, nourishing fire and drawing it back to its source, helping yang, dispersing cold and relieving pain, warming the meridians, and opening the veins.
Cinnamon Improves Learning Capacity and Memory
Researchers from Birjand University of Medical Sciences in Iran recently reported in Nutritional Neuroscience the potential value of cinnamon for improving learning and memory capacity. This was a large systematic review in which researchers collected 2,605 studies from multiple databases in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science and finally selected 40 eligible studies for systematic review based on evaluation criteria. Of these, 33 were studies in living organisms (e.g., humans, mice, or other animals), two of which were clinical studies (i.e., clinical patients), and five of which were studies outside of living organisms (e.g., various isolated cells or tissues).The review’s authors noted that in most of these studies, the results indicated that cinnamon significantly improved learning and memory capacity. The results of one of the studies in vivo suggest that eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, and cinnamic acid, which are contained in cinnamon, may be associated with improved cognitive function. In vitro studies found that cinnamaldehyde was effective in reducing tau protein aggregation and beta-amyloid and increasing cell viability. Analysis of two clinical studies showed that one concluded that cinnamon had a positive efficacy on cognitive function, while the other concluded that it had no such effect.
