Fenugreek seed Defeating Diabetes – Glucose Control

New Yorkers like to say that they’ve seen it all, but apparently they haven’t smelled it all. One night a few years ago, the city’s hotline was flooded with phone calls about a mysterious odor reminiscent of maple syrup wafting across the western end of lower Manhattan. It wasn’t the first time such an “incident” was reported, and the mayor promised city officials would get to the bottom of it.

A few days later, the mayor called a press conference. With pointer in hand he spent the next 20 minutes aiming at dots on a map where the smell was reported and at arrows showing wind patterns coming across the Hudson River from northern New Jersey. The odor, said the mayor, occurred on days when the wind speed was moderate and the air somewhat humid. His investigators had traced the odor to a plant in north Jersey that manufactures flavors for the food, beverage, and fragrance industries. The maple syrup-like scent, he revealed, was the smell of fenugreek seeds being processed.

“I can think of a lot of things worse than maple syrup,” the mayor told a reporter. “It just happens to be one of the aromas that we’re going to have to live with in a city like New York.”

From Folk Medicine to the Medicine of the Future

What’s fenugreek?!?, you say? Fenugreek, for sure, is Greek to most of the Western world (even New Yorkers), but it is a common culinary spice in South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East. It also has a storied history as a medicinal spice: since ancient times (and right up to the present), fenugreek has been used as a folk remedy for an astonishingly long list of ills.

Fenugreek is a legendary aphrodisiac. Men have used it to grow hair and women to increase bust size. (Its rich content of the hormone-like compound diosgenin is probably responsible for any effects fenugreek might have on increasing libidos or bustlines.) It’s been used to help regulate menstrual cycles, ease labor pains, and encourage milk flow for breastfeeding. Soaked in water, the seeds soften and swell, and are used to normalize digestion, countering both constipation and diarrhea. It has battled asthma, allergies, and other respiratory ills. And in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, it’s a classic “drug” for blood sugar (glucose) control—a use that modern science has strongly seconded.

Good News for Glucose Control

The body works best on a steady supply of blood sugar: not too much, not too little, but just right. The hormone insulin, manufactured by the pancreas, keeps levels normal, ushering glucose into liver cells for processing, muscle cells for instant energy, and fat cells for storage. But the standard American diet—loaded with sugars and refined carbohydrates that turn into a flashflood of glucose—overwhelms the insulin-generating capacity of the pancreas. And all the fat in the American diet clogs insulin receptors on cells. The end result is chronically high levels of blood sugar: 57 million Americans have prediabetes(fasting blood sugar levels 100 to 125 mg/dL), and another 24 million have type 2 diabetes (fasting blood sugar levels above 125 mg/dL). The long-term consequences of diabetes are disastrous: year after year, extra blood sugar batters blood vessels, leading to heart disease, stroke, blindness (from damage to the vessels of the retina), kidney disease (from damage to these vessel-rich organs), nerve pain (from damage to the tiny vessels called capillaries that nourish nerves), and amputations (from poor circulation to the feet and legs).

Fenugreek to the rescue. More than 100 scientific studies—mostly in animals with experimentally induced diabetes—show that fenugreek has the power to regulate blood sugar. Fenugreek can: balance daily blood sugar levels, lower A1C (the percentage of red blood cells that have been frosted by hemoglobin, the best measurement of long-term blood sugar control), increase enzymes that help regulate blood sugar, and activate insulin signaling in cells. Fenugreek can also help control the circulatory aftershocks of high blood sugar: high total cholesterol, high “bad” LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low “good” HDL cholesterol.

In the most recent study on people, researchers in the Food Science Department at Louisiana State University (LSU) made flour from fenugreek seeds, baked up a batch of fenugreek bread, and fed two slices a day to eight people with type 2 diabetes. The bread lowered insulin resistance—the inability of cells to use the hormone insulin. Another demonstration, said the researchers in the Journal of Medicinal Food, that fenugreek “will reduce insulin resistance and treat type 2 diabetes.”

In another recent study, this one in the International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research, scientists studied 18 people with type 2 diabetes, feeding them powdered fenugreek seeds in either yogurt or hot water. After two months, there was a 25 percent decrease in fasting blood sugar, a 30 percent decrease in triglycerides, and a 30 percent decrease in “bad” LDL cholesterol. “Fenugreek seeds can be used . . . in the control of type 2 diabetes,” the researchers concluded.

Fenugreek seed may help prevent and/or treat:

Cancer

Cataracts

Cholesterol problems (high total cholesterol, high “bad” LDL cholesterol, low “good” HDL cholesterol)

Diabetes, type 2

Gallstones

Infection, bacterial and viral

Insulin resistance (prediabetes)

Kidney stones

Liver disease

Overweight

Triglycerides, high

In China, researchers studied 69 people with type 2 diabetes that wasn’t well-controlled with a standard diabetes drug. They divided them into two groups—one group continued taking the drug; one group took the drug and fenugreek seeds. After three months, those taking the drug and fenugreek had “remarkable” results, said the researchers: much lower fasting blood sugar, lower blood sugar levels after meals, lower A1C, and fewer symptoms of diabetes (such as fatigue). The combined therapy of an anti-diabetes drug and fenugreek “could lower blood glucose and ameliorate clinical symptoms in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,” said the researchers in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine.

Indian researchers gave 60 people with type 2 diabetes a mixture that included fenugreek seeds. After three months, many in the study had either lowered their dose of glucose-controlling medication or gotten off the medication completely.

In another study from India, doctors at the Jaipur Diabetes and Research Centre studied 25 people newly diagnosed with diabetes, dividing them into two groups. Half received an extract of fenugreek seeds and half were treated with diet and exercise. After two months, those on the fenugreek had more normal levels of glucose and insulin, a bigger drop in triglycerides, and a bigger increase in HDL. “Use of fenugreek seeds improves glycemic control and decreases insulin resistance in mild type-2 diabetic patients,” the researchers concluded.

Why is fenugreek so effective in controlling type 2 diabetes? “Fenugreek stimulates the insulin signaling pathway,” said the researchers from LSU. In other words, it helps cells respond to the hormone that moves glucose out of the blood, said the researchers. Fenugreek also stimulates insulin secretion from the pancreas, slows the absorption of glucose from the intestines, and helps generate enzymes that regulate the use of glucose for energy in muscle cells. And, they note, “fenugreek is very safe.”

Fenugreek: Multi-Tasking Natural Medicine

The LSU scientists point out that “fenugreek has other beneficial effects in addition to its effect on diabetes”—including stopping kidney stones, helping with weight loss, and controlling fatty liver disease. Let’s look at these and other benefits of the spice.

Weight loss. Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied 18 obese people (body mass index over 30), dividing them into three groups: at breakfast, one group took four grams of fenugreek fiber powder with orange juice, one took eight grams, and one didn’t take any. Between breakfast and lunch, the group taking eight grams of powder had a greater feeling of fullness, felt more satisfied (satiety), and felt less hungry—and they ate 10 percent fewer calories for lunch! “Fenugreek fiber may have a role in the control of food intake in obese individuals,” said the researchers in Phytotherapy Research. Fenugreek fiber powder—also called galactomannan—is widely available as a supplement.

In another experiment on fenugreek and food consumption, French researchers found that people taking fenugreek seed extract (about 600 mg a day) ate 17 percent less fat and 12 percent fewer calories. Fenugreek seed extract might help with “weight reduction in the long term, particularly in some . . . overweight or obese patients for whom a low-fat diet is recommended,” the researchers concluded in theEuropean Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Cancer. In a paper called “Fenugreek: A Naturally Occurring Edible Spice as an Anti-cancer Agent,” scientists at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University discuss how their studies have shown fenugreek seed extract can slow or stop the growth of breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer cells. “These studies add another biologically active agent to our armamentarium of naturally occurring agents with therapeutic potential,” said the scientists in Cancer Biology and Therapy.

High cholesterol. Fenugreek doesn’t just lower cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. Indian doctors studied 20 healthy people, dividing them into two groups—one took fenugreek seed powder and one didn’t. After one month, there was a “significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL levels,” wrote the researchers in Plant Foods in Human Nutrition.

Fatty liver disease. An estimated one-third of Americans have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): at least 20 percent of liver cells are filled with fat globules. The causes: overweight, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Another 10 million Americans have alcoholic fatty liver disease, caused by heavy drinking (more than two drinks a day for a woman and more than three drinks a day for a man). Fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In an animal study, Canadian researchers found that fenugreek seeds prevented or reversed fatty liver. “These findings . . . provide a strong impetus to explore the therapeutic benefit of fenugreek and its active components in [fatty liver disease] associated with obesity and insulin resistance,” the researchers said in the International Journal of Obesity.

Cataracts. Researchers in India used a chemical to induce cataracts in the eyes of two groups of experimental animals—one that was fed fenugreek seeds and one that wasn’t. Fenugreek seed completely prevented the development of cataracts; 72 percent of the animals not eating fenugreek developed the disease. The researchers found a high level of antioxidant activity in the eyes of the fenugreek-fed animals.

Kidney stones. Eighty percent of kidney stones are made of calcium oxalate. Noting that fenugreek seeds are “widely used in Morocco” to prevent the development of kidney stones in those prone to form them, Moroccan researchers tested the seeds on experimental animals. Fenugreek decreased the deposition of calcium oxalate in the kidney by 27 percent.

Gallstones. Researchers in India induced gallstones in experimental animals and then divided them into three groups: one group received a high dose of fenugreek seed powder, one group received a low dose, and one didn’t receive any powder. Fenugreek reversed gallstones by 64 percent in the high dose group and 61 percent in the low dose; there was no reversal in the other group. Fenugreek could help prevent gallstones, shrink ones that already exist, and prevent recurrence, the researchers concluded.

Fenugreek is a plant with yellow and white flowers that resembles alfalfa.

Fenugreek seed pairs well with these spices:

Asafoetida

Black cumin

seed

Black pepper

Chile

Clove

Coriander

Curry leaf

Garlic

Ginger

Mustard seed

Onion

Star anise

Tamarind

Turmeric

and complements recipes featuring:

Bread

Chutney

Pickles

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Vegetables

Caution: Pregnant women should not eat fenugreek seeds, because they contain saponins, an active compound that is found in oral contraceptives. Research indicates that fenugreek could induce a miscarriage.

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Other recipes containing fenugreek seed:

Berbere

Caribbean Curry Paste

Colombo Powder

Garbanzo Beans with Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds

Hot Curry Powder

Panch Phoron

Sambaar Masala

Infections. Researchers in India fed experimental animals a fenugreek extract and tested their immune systems. They found the spice increased the activity of macrophages, white blood cells that gobble up bacteria and viruses. “Overall, fenugreek showed a stimulatory effect on immune functions,” they wrote, a result that “strengthens the rationale of its use in several Ayurvedic drugs.”

Getting to Know Fenugreek Seed

Fenugreek—known to botanists as Trigonellafoenum-graecum—is a plant with yellow and white flowers that resembles alfalfa. In fact, its Latin name means “Greek hay,” and it was grown by the ancient Egyptians as fodder for animals. Today, fenugreek is grown around the world—in South Asia, the Middle East, South America, Europe, and China.

As a spice, fenugreek is popular in India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Iran, and Turkey, where it is used to make curries, chutneys, pickles, relishes, and an array of vegetarian dishes.

In India, the seeds are dry roasted or fried in hot oil and used whole to flavor curries (especially fish curry), broth-based stews called sambars, and fermented flat breads, such as dosas and idlis. It is also an ingredient in many Indian spice mixes, including curry powder. A few fenugreek seeds are always added to starchy vegetables and hard-to-digest legumes, especially if asafoetida is not available.

In the Middle East, seeds are soaked overnight in cold water and mixed into a paste with other spices to make a condiment called hilbeh and a sweetmeat called halva. Cooks also grind fenugreek into a paste and rub it into salted meat, which is then dried.

In Yemen, fenugreek is mixed with other spices to make zhug, which is put on top of stews. Armenians mix it with garlic and red chile to make a peppery spice mix called chemen, which is used to spice beef. The Greeks boil the seeds and eat them with honey.

How to Buy Fenugreek Seed

Fenugreek seeds are hard, yellowish-brown ovals that resemble tiny pebbles. You can recognize them by the deep furrow across one side. They are sold whole or ground in Indian markets. Fenugreek is also available in specialty spice shops and online, usually ground. (To find whole seeds, see the “Buyer’s Guide”.)

In terms of quality, one batch of fenugreek seeds is pretty much like another. But double-check for cleanliness. Because the seeds look like stones, it’s not uncommon to find them contaminated with little stones and grit. Examine them carefully before putting them in your grinder so you don’t damage it.

Brussels Sprouts Kulambu

Kulambu is a sweet-and-sour stew popular in India. This authentic Indian recipe, courtesy of Alamelu Vairavan’s Healthy South Indian Cooking, is a vegetarian entree to be served over rice. You can also serve it as a side dish to a roast. Check the “Buyer’s Guide” section to find some of the more unusual ingredients.

2 tablespoons canola oil

¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder

4 to 6 curry leaves (optional)

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon urad dal (split white lentils)

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped tomato

¼ teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons sambaar masala or commercial curry powder

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon tamarind paste

1½ cups brussels sprouts, cut in half (if large, cut into quarters)

1. Place oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the asafoetida powder, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and urad dal. Cover and fry over medium heat until the mustard seeds pop and urad dal is golden brown, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the onions, tomato, and turmeric, stirring constantly.

3. Add the sambaar masala, tomato sauce, and salt. Stir well. Add 2 cups of warm water to the saucepan. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add tamarind paste and mix thoroughly.

5. When the mixture in the saucepan begins to boil, add the brussels sprouts. Cover and cook over low heat until the brussels sprouts are just tender, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Makes 4 servings.

Whole seeds stay fresh for three years, as long as they’re kept in an airtight container and out of sunlight. Fenugreek’s flavor dissipates once the seeds are ground, and ground seeds keep for only a few months.

In the Kitchen with Fenugreek Seed

Don’t eat fenugreek seeds raw—hard as a rock, they’re impossible to chew. Cooking turns their pungent, slightly bitter taste into a nutty, maple syrup-like flavor. It also softens the seed, so it’s easier to grind. A light roasting of a minute or two is all that’s needed. (For directions on how to roast spices, see Roasting Spices.) Be careful, however, not to burn the seeds, which makes the flavor so bitter it’s unpalatable. You can also soak the seeds overnight to make them soft and jelly-like.

Add fenugreek to a dish cautiously—the strong flavor can overtake other flavorings.

Here are some ways to get more fenugreek into your diet:

• Add a sprinkling of ground seeds to the breading for fried foods.

• Sprinkle a few seeds in vegetable casseroles.

• Add a pinch of ground fenugreek to cookie recipes.

• Add a pinch or two to mayonnaise to give it a mustard-like bite.

• Mix roasted ground seeds with dried, ground chiles and other spices, and use as a dipping sauce for bread.

• Add roasted and coarsely chopped seeds to salads, which adds an interesting crunchiness.

Cinnamon: Balancing Blood Sugar – Defeating Diabetes

Maybe it’s ironic that cinnamon—the spicy-sweet favorite that cooks use to give sugary confections extra flavor—can help control blood sugar problems. Or maybe—given the fact that 24 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and 57 million have prediabetes—it’s Mother Nature’s way of cutting us a break.

Defeating Diabetes

The rate of type 2 diabetes in the US has doubled in the past two decades, from 5 to 10 percent of American adults, with 1.3 million new cases every year. This disease of chronically high blood sugar (fasting blood sugar levels above 125 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL) attacks arteries and veins, increasing the risk of heart disease six-fold. In fact, medical guidelines instruct doctors to treat a patient with type 2 diabetes as if he or she has already had a heart attack! This body-wide circulatory destruction can lead to many other health problems along with heart disease and stroke. They include painful nerve damage, hard-to-heal skin ulcers, vision loss and blindness, kidney failure, and even—as blood flow is choked—the amputation of gangrenous toes, feet, and lower limbs.

Managing type 2 diabetes requires a total approach that typically includes losing weight, eating more whole foods, exercising regularly, and taking (or injecting) glucose-controlling medications such as insulin (the pancreas-hormone that helps control blood sugar levels). Preventing diabetes or reversing prediabetes (fasting blood sugar levels from 100 to 125) is possible with lifestyle alone—and lifestyle changes are more effective than preventive medications, as the 10-year Diabetes Prevention Program Study showed. But study after study also shows that cinnamon can play a role in the everyday management of blood sugar (glucose) levels and other cardiovascular disease CVD risk factors.

Will the Real Cinnamon Please Stand Up?

You know that stuff you sprinkle on your morning toast and oatmeal called cinnamon? It’s not true cinnamon. It’s cassia.

Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) belong to the same botanical family (Cinnamomum). They also look alike—it takes a trained eye to tell them apart. But they differ in flavor. Cassia is the sweeter and stronger of the two—and the one preferred throughout most of the world (including the US) as a culinary spice. It’s also the version that was used in all the studies discussed in this post.

Cassia cinnamon is commonly used in the United States, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia. True cinnamon is found in kitchens in Mexico, Latin America, India, and other nations in South Asia.

In some parts of the world it’s actually illegal to refer to cassia as cinnamon. In Great Britain and Australia, for example, Cinnamomum cassia can only be sold as cassia, and Cinnamomum verum can only be sold as cinnamon. In the US, both are legally sold as cinnamon.

France has solved the issue quite nicely—they call the spice cannelle, applying the name to both cassia and true cinnamon.

Cassia cinnamon is also called Chinese cinnamon. True cinnamon also goes by the names Ceylon and Sri Lankan cinnamon. You can find cassia cinnamon . . . everywhere. In the US, you can find true cinnamon in Indian marketplaces and specialty spice shops or online.

Long-term blood sugar control. In a recent study from the US, 109 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups, with one receiving one gram of cinnamon a day and one receiving a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had a 0.83 percent decrease in A1C, or glycosylated hemoglobin—the percentage of red blood cells that have been frosted (glycated) by blood sugar, and the most accurate measurement of long-term blood sugar control. (Seven percent or less means the diabetes is controlled, and a decrease from 0.5 to 1.0 percent is considered a significant improvement.) Those taking the placebo had a 0.37 percent decrease in A1C. “Taking cinnamon could be useful . . . in addition to usual care” of diabetes, concluded the study leader in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

However, cinnamon probably won’t work to control blood sugar in type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease that attacks the insulin-producing pancreas. In a study by researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, researchers asked 72 adolescents with type 1 diabetes to take either cinnamon or a placebo. After three months, there was no change in A1C levels in either group, or the amount of insulin they had to take to control the disease.

Heart-protecting power. In another study, 30 people with type 2 diabetes took one to six grams of cinnamon a day (about ¼ to ½ teaspoon). After 40 days, they had decreases up to 29 percent in fasting blood sugar—and decreases up to 27 percent in “bad” artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, up to 26 percent in total cholesterol, and up to 30 percent in triglycerides (another blood fat, with high levels linked to heart disease). “Those who have type 2 diabetes, or those who have elevated glucose, triglycerides or total cholesterol, may benefit from regular inclusion of cinnamon in their daily diet,” concluded the researchers in Diabetes Care.

The researchers also noted that the study participants had lower levels of blood sugar and blood fats even after 20 days without taking any cinnamon—“indicating that cinnamon would not need to be consumed every day” for health benefits.

They also pointed out that cinnamon worked at every level it was tested, from one to six grams—and that “intake of less than one gram daily is likely to be beneficial in controlling blood sugar and lipid [fat] levels.”

Finally, they said that regular inclusion of cinnamon in the diet is probably a good idea not only for those with type 2 diabetes, but for everybody—“cinnamon may be beneficial for the remainder of the population to prevent . . . elevated glucose and blood lipid levels.” There’s a lot of evidence that shows they’re right.

Lowering risk factors in prediabetes. Researchers in France studied 22 people who were overweight and had prediabetes, dividing them into two groups. One group took a widely available supplement containing 250 mg of a water extract of cinnamon (Cinnulin PF). The other group took a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon supplement had much lower levels of several biomarkers ofoxidation—the destructive, cell-destroying process that contributes to the development of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And the lower the oxidation levels, the more stable the levels of blood sugar. “The inclusion of water soluble cinnamon compounds in the diet could reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” concluded the researchers in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Mastering the metabolic syndrome. This condition—also known as the insulin resistance syndrome and syndrome X—is characterized by blood sugar problems, overweight (especially around the abdomen), high blood pressure, and high triglycerides (but not necessarily high LDL). It’s one form of prediabetes, and, needless to say, it’s a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Cinnamon can help control it.

In one study, 22 people with metabolic syndrome were divided into two groups: one took 500 mg a day of Cinnulin PF and one took a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had significant decreases in average fasting blood sugar (down 8.4 percent, to 106), lower systolic blood pressure (the top reading, down 4 points to 128), and more muscle, or lean body mass. (That’s good news, because additional muscle means additional ability to burn up excess blood sugar.) They also had a small drop in body fat. “This naturally-occurring spice can reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases,” concluded the researchers.

Stopping spikes in blood sugar after a meal. Swedish researchers studied 14 people, feeding them the same meal twice—rice pudding, with or without a hefty sprinkling of cinnamon. The cinnamon-spiced meal significantly lowered post-meal levels of blood sugar.

Works in healthy people, too. British researchers studied healthy young men, dividing them into two groups. For two weeks, one group received three grams of cinnamon a day and the other a placebo. After two weeks, the men taking the cinnamon supplement had a much improved “glucose tolerance test”—the ability of the body to process and store glucose. They also had better “insulin sensitivity”—the ability of this hormone to usher glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells.

Richard Anderson, PhD, a scientist at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture, who has conducted several studies on cinnamon and diabetes, theorizes that the spice mimics the action of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. It may stimulate insulin receptors on fat and muscle cells the same way insulin does, he said, allowing excess sugar to move out of the blood and into the cells.

And a team of Indian researchers laud cin, cinnamon’s active ingredient—which their study on experimental animals with diabetes showed can decrease blood sugar, A1C, total cholesterol, and triglycerides, and increase insulin and “good” HDL cholesterol. The findings were in Phytomedicine.

Controlling Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

There’s another disease where insulin and blood sugar levels are haywire and the sufferer is at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke—polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormonal disorder, which strikes 5 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age in the US, lines the ovaries with small cysts. Symptoms include menstrual abnormality, extra facial and body hair, acne, and overweight. It’s also the most common cause of female infertility.

In a study by a team of American researchers from Columbia University, the University of Hawaii, and the US Department of Agriculture, 13 women with PCOS were asked to take either a daily cinnamon supplement (333 mg, three times a day) or a placebo. After eight weeks, those taking cinnamon had a 17 percent decrease in fasting glucose, a significant decrease in insulin resistance, and 21 percent reduction in levels of blood sugar after a glucose tolerance test. The researchers called the findings “interesting” and encouraged other scientists to conduct additional studies to validate their findings, which were reported in Fertility and Sterility.

Manhandling Microbes

Cinnamon has the power to fight disease-causing microbes such as bacteria and fungi.

Preserving food. Scientists proved cinnamon’s ability to preserve food and help prevent food poisoning in a kitchen experiment with two pots of vegetable broth. They added cinnamon oil to one pot but not the other and let the two sit in the refrigerator—for two months! When they took off the lids, the pot without the cinnamon was teeming with bacteria. The other pot? Good enough to eat. In fact, the scientists said the added cinnamon improved the flavor! (Don’t try this at home.)

Fighting fungi. Cinnamon is also effective against Candida albicans, the fungus that causes most cases of vaginal yeast infections. In laboratory tests, cinnamon extracts were able to stop the growth of strains of C. albicans resistant to fluconazole (Diflucan), the medication commonly used to treat yeast infections.

Beating bacteria. Researchers in Italy found that cinnamon is effective at eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection, the bacterial cause of most stomach ulcers and a leading cause of stomach cancer. In fact, their research showed that cinnamon was more effective than the antibiotic amoxicillin (Amoxil) at killing H. pylori. And the bacteria didn’t show any resistance to the spice—important, because H. pylori are becoming more and more resistant to standard antibiotic treatment.

Cinnamon is derived from the bark of a tropical evergreen tree.

Cinnamon, On and On

There are other intriguing areas of research for cinnamon.

Cancer. American researchers found that cinnamon may slow angiogenesis, the development of new blood supplies to tumors. They concluded that an extract of the spice “could potentially be useful in cancer prevention and/or treatment.” The findings were in Carcinogenesis.

Post-stroke protection. Researchers in Korea found that cinnamon protected brain cells in the laboratory from the type of damage caused by a stroke.

Brain injury from liver failure. Similarly, cinnamon protected brain cells from the type of damage seen in hepatic encephalopathy—a type of brain damage caused by advanced liver disease.

Wound healing. In a study from Indian researchers, extracts of cinnamon bark improved wound healing in animals.

Getting to Know Cinnamon

Cinnamon’s sweet-and-spicy bite is the same as its bark—the spice is derived from the bark of a tropical evergreen tree.

That deliciously aromatic bite has been heralded since the beginning of human history. God commanded Moses to include cinnamon in a recipe for sacred anointing oil. The Song of Solomon praises its scent. The Greeks and Romans offered it to their gods.

The ancient cultures of India and China also used cinnamon—as medicine. The Ayurvedic physicians of India used it (and continue to use it) for respiratory ailments, stomach upset, muscles spasms—and, of course, for diabetes. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine used it (and continue to use it) for its “warming” qualities, particularly for respiratory problems and muscle aches. (It’s also a major ingredient in Tiger Balm, the popular Chinese ointment for pain relief.)

Of course, cinnamon is more than medicine—it’s a much-beloved ingredient in cuisines around the world. In the United States and Europe, it’s most popular in sweet dishes—apple pie, coffee cake, fruit compotes, buns, muffins, doughnuts, cakes, and cookies. It is a key ingredient in apple pie spice and mulling spice. It is sprinkled on toast and whipped cream. Cinnamon sticks are stirred into hot beverages, including mulled cider and wine.

The English are very fond of what they call cassia. (For more on the difference between “true cinnamon” and cassia, please see the box.) Many households keep a large sterling silver canister on the table for sprinkling cassia onto sweets and into beverages. It is an ingredient in English fruitcakes, stewed fruits, and pastries.

In Spain, cinnamon is a popular addition to chocolate dishes and confections. In Germany, it’s used in apple strudel, to flavor sweet and sour dishes, and in foods containing raisins. In the Netherlands, cinnamon is the dominant flavor in the Christmas spiced cookie called speculaas. Italians put whole cinnamon sticks in mostarda, a classic chutney-like condiment.

Can Chewing Gum Make You Smarter?

Maybe—if you chew cinnamon gum. In fact, you don’t even have to chew it. Just smelling cinnamon might boost your thinking ability.

That’s the result of a study conducted by Phillip R. Zoladz, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio Northern University, who found students scored better on several mental performance tests after smelling or tasting cinnamon.

In the first part of the study, Dr. Zoladz gave a group of students one of the following to chew: cinnamon, peppermint, cherry, or flavorless gum. In the second part, he asked students to sniff cinnamon, peppermint, jasmine, or no odor.

In both parts of the study, the students who chewed the cinnamon gum or smelled cinnamon scored best—with the best memory, the most focused attention, and the fastest reflexes between connecting what they saw and what they had to do.

Dr. Zoladz and his colleagues concluded that cinnamon has potential for decreasing test anxiety—and even preventing age-related memory loss!

The French favor canelle (their word for cinnamon) in savory foods featuring game, such as duckling à la Montmorency, a classic dish flavored with cinnamon and spiked with cherry sauce. It’s one of the four ingredients in the French spice quatre épices, which is most often used to enhance game dishes.

In Asia, cinnamon is almost exclusively used in savory dishes. In China, it’s used in braises and clay pot cooking, or what is often called “red cooking.” In this technique, you simmer cinnamon, star anise, and orange zest in water, rice wine, and soy sauce, then cook a chicken breast side down in the liquid until it is red and cooked through. Cinnamon is also one of the five spices in Chinese five-spice powder.

Cooks in the Middle East use cinnamon as a flavoring in meat stew. It’s a popular spice in many Moroccan spice blends, including the famous ras-el-hanout. It also gives a tang to Moroccan stews calledtagines. In Syria, it’s one of only two spices found in the kitchen. (The other is allspice.) In Iran it’s a key spice in khoresht, a thick tart stew made with pomegranate juice.

In India, it’s a common spice in curry cooking, and in rich dishes called biryanis. Indian cooks fry a whole cinnamon stick in hot oil to release its aroma, then add it to the curry or rice as it is being cooked. It’s also used in many Indian spice blends, and is a key flavoring in the ubiquitous garam masala.

Vietnamese use it in pho bos, long-simmering beef soups, which are served with noodles.

Mexicans are fond of cinnamon tea (té de canela), which is made from broken cinnamon quills. It’s also an ingredient in Mexican moles.

Cinnamon is also used in a wide array of non-food products. It is put in toothpastes to mask the taste of pyrophosphate, an unpleasant-tasting compound that inhibits the formation of plaque. It is used in making toiletries, pharmaceutical products, and even tobacco.

How to Buy Cinnamon

Virtually all of the cinnamon imported into the United States is cinnamon cassia. (For the difference between cassia and so-called “true cinnamon,” please see the box.) If you want to find “true cinnamon,” take a trip to an Indian marketplace or shop online. Cassia cinnamon is usually called cinnamon, cassia, or Chinese cinnamon. True cinnamon is usually called true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon, or Sri Lankan cinnamon.

Cinnamon may help prevent and/or treat:

Cancer

Cholesterol problems

(high total cholesterol, high “bad” LDL cholesterol, low “good” HDL cholesterol)

Diabetes, type 2

Food poisoning

Heart disease

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Insulin resistance (prediabetes)

Metabolic syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Stroke

Triglycerides, high

Ulcer

Vaginal yeast infection

Wounds

___________________________________

Cinnamon pairs well with these spices:

Caraway

Cardamom

Clove

Cocoa

Coriander

Cumin

Ginger

Mint

Nutmeg

Star anise

Sun-dried tomato

Tamarind

Turmeric

and complements recipes featuring:

Apples

Baked or stewed fruit

Bananas

Cantaloupe

Cauliflower

Chicken

Chocolate

Corn

Curries

Grapes

Hot toddies

Pastries

Oranges

Pork

Both cinnamon and true cinnamon are harvested from dried bark and rolled, scroll-like, into tight quills—or what we call cinnamon sticks.

Quills of cinnamon are usually cut into four or five-inch pieces that easily fit in a spice jar. The quills are thick and are dark reddish-brown in appearance and deliver a sweet and strong aroma. It is grown in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

True cinnamon is cut the same way, but the quills are longer, have a brittle, paper-like appearance, and are light-brown in color. The taste is mild, delicate, and sweet. Though true cinnamon grows wild in South India, the best comes from Sri Lanka, off the coast of South India.

The best quality cinnamon is harvested from the trunk and is graded according to its length, breadth, and thickness.

The best quality quills are tightly rolled, evenly colored, and blemish free. When transported, the quills often break and are then sold as second-grade quillings. The next grade is called featherings, which are the inner bark of twigs and small shoots that were not large enough to form a full quill. They are still considered cinnamon, but lack the visual appeal of good quality quills. The lowest grade is cinnamon chips, made from shavings and trimmings. The lower grade featherings and chips generally come from the Seychelles Islands or Madagascar, which accounts for much of the world’s supply of lower-grade cinnamon bark.

Once ground, cinnamon begins to lose the fragrance that comes from its volatile oils, so it’s best to buy whole quills and grind them as needed. The quills are somewhat tough, so you’ll need a sturdy spice grinder.

If your only option is to buy ground cinnamon, you’ll get the most fragrance from the finest quality, which is smooth rather than gritty. Ground cinnamon quills are the best grade, though the spice is also ground from quillings and featherings. Ground cassia, often called “baker’s cinnamon,” is usually lower-priced than the ground quills of true cinnamon.

Whole quills keep for three years, as long as they aren’t in extreme heat. Ground cinnamon begins to fade in flavor after a few months.

In the Kitchen with Cinnamon

All the studies on the health benefits of cinnamon were done on . . . cinnamon (cassia, Chinese cinnamon)—the spice you’re familiar with and that is sold in supermarkets. Culinary experts generally agree (with some dissenters) that cinnamon cassia also has the best flavor—more robust, more perfume. Cassia goes best with other strong flavors, liked dried fruit. The more delicate true cinnamon is a better complement to fresh fruit. But there’s no rule that says you can’t mix the two and get the best of both worlds!

Other recipes containing cinnamon:

Apple Pie Spice

Baharat

Berbere

By-the-Bay Fisherman’s Chowder

Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning

Chinese Five-Spice Powder

Garam Masala

Grilled Lamb Patty Pockets with Cucumber Mint Sauce

Grilled Pork Chile Adobo

Jamaican Jerk Marinade

La Kama

Malaysian Curry Paste

Mulling Spice

Pears Poached in Port and Star Anise

Pickling Spice

Quatre Épices

Ras-el-hanout

Sambaar Masala

Spiced Milk Tea

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Spicy Vanilla Rice Pudding

Banana Cinnamon French Toast

Cinnamon is a classic on toast—and is even better on a special dish like French toast.

2 large very ripe bananas

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

4 eggs, cracked

8 slices thick whole grain bread

3 tablespoons butter

Maple syrup

1. Place the bananas, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg in a blender or food processor. Add the cracked eggs and process until smooth. Transfer to a large baking pan large. Add the bread slices, turning occasionally, under the bread has absorbed most of the mixture, about 30 minutes.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium head. Add the bread in batches and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve with maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Ground cinnamon is more commonly used in the US because it is the form that is generally used in baking. Quills are preferred for liquid-based savory dishes; they’re used to infuse flavor and are discarded after cooking and before eating.

Whatever form of cinnamon you choose and use, make sure you don’t overcook it. Cinnamon turns bitter if it’s in the pot too long.

Here are some ideas to help get more cinnamon in your diet:

• Put a cinnamon quill in beef or vegetarian stews, or in lentil soup.

• Make spiced wine: Put a bottle of wine in a large pot and gently simmer it with ½ cup of sugar, a cinnamon stick, and a lemon studded with cloves for 15 minutes.

• Make spiced tea: Put a quart of brewed tea in a pot, add two cups of apple juice, and gently simmer it with a sliced lemon and two cinnamon sticks for 10 minutes.

• Sprinkle some cinnamon into pastry dough for pies and quiches.

• Sprinkle cinnamon on apples, bananas, melons, and oranges.

• Mix cinnamon with mint and parsley in ground beef for burgers or meatloaf.

• Combine equal parts of cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper and rub it into pork tenderloin or lamb before baking.

• Mix cinnamon into rice pilaf.

• Add cinnamon to hot cocoa to enhance the flavor of the chocolate.

Cinnamon: Balancing Blood Sugar – Defeating Diabetes

Maybe it’s ironic that cinnamon—the spicy-sweet favorite that cooks use to give sugary confections extra flavor—can help control blood sugar problems. Or maybe—given the fact that 24 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and 57 million have prediabetes—it’s Mother Nature’s way of cutting us a break.

Defeating Diabetes

The rate of type 2 diabetes in the US has doubled in the past two decades, from 5 to 10 percent of American adults, with 1.3 million new cases every year. This disease of chronically high blood sugar (fasting blood sugar levels above 125 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL) attacks arteries and veins, increasing the risk of heart disease six-fold. In fact, medical guidelines instruct doctors to treat a patient with type 2 diabetes as if he or she has already had a heart attack! This body-wide circulatory destruction can lead to many other health problems along with heart disease and stroke. They include painful nerve damage, hard-to-heal skin ulcers, vision loss and blindness, kidney failure, and even—as blood flow is choked—the amputation of gangrenous toes, feet, and lower limbs.

Managing type 2 diabetes requires a total approach that typically includes losing weight, eating more whole foods, exercising regularly, and taking (or injecting) glucose-controlling medications such as insulin (the pancreas-hormone that helps control blood sugar levels). Preventing diabetes or reversing prediabetes (fasting blood sugar levels from 100 to 125) is possible with lifestyle alone—and lifestyle changes are more effective than preventive medications, as the 10-year Diabetes Prevention Program Study showed. But study after study also shows that cinnamon can play a role in the everyday management of blood sugar (glucose) levels and other cardiovascular disease CVD risk factors.

Will the Real Cinnamon Please Stand Up?

You know that stuff you sprinkle on your morning toast and oatmeal called cinnamon? It’s not true cinnamon. It’s cassia.

Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) and true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) belong to the same botanical family (Cinnamomum). They also look alike—it takes a trained eye to tell them apart. But they differ in flavor. Cassia is the sweeter and stronger of the two—and the one preferred throughout most of the world (including the US) as a culinary spice. It’s also the version that was used in all the studies discussed in this post.

Cassia cinnamon is commonly used in the United States, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia. True cinnamon is found in kitchens in Mexico, Latin America, India, and other nations in South Asia.

In some parts of the world it’s actually illegal to refer to cassia as cinnamon. In Great Britain and Australia, for example, Cinnamomum cassia can only be sold as cassia, and Cinnamomum verum can only be sold as cinnamon. In the US, both are legally sold as cinnamon.

France has solved the issue quite nicely—they call the spice cannelle, applying the name to both cassia and true cinnamon.

Cassia cinnamon is also called Chinese cinnamon. True cinnamon also goes by the names Ceylon and Sri Lankan cinnamon. You can find cassia cinnamon . . . everywhere. In the US, you can find true cinnamon in Indian marketplaces and specialty spice shops or online.

Long-term blood sugar control. In a recent study from the US, 109 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups, with one receiving one gram of cinnamon a day and one receiving a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had a 0.83 percent decrease in A1C, or glycosylated hemoglobin—the percentage of red blood cells that have been frosted (glycated) by blood sugar, and the most accurate measurement of long-term blood sugar control. (Seven percent or less means the diabetes is controlled, and a decrease from 0.5 to 1.0 percent is considered a significant improvement.) Those taking the placebo had a 0.37 percent decrease in A1C. “Taking cinnamon could be useful . . . in addition to usual care” of diabetes, concluded the study leader in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

However, cinnamon probably won’t work to control blood sugar in type 1 diabetes—an autoimmune disease that attacks the insulin-producing pancreas. In a study by researchers at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, researchers asked 72 adolescents with type 1 diabetes to take either cinnamon or a placebo. After three months, there was no change in A1C levels in either group, or the amount of insulin they had to take to control the disease.

Heart-protecting power. In another study, 30 people with type 2 diabetes took one to six grams of cinnamon a day (about ¼ to ½ teaspoon). After 40 days, they had decreases up to 29 percent in fasting blood sugar—and decreases up to 27 percent in “bad” artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, up to 26 percent in total cholesterol, and up to 30 percent in triglycerides (another blood fat, with high levels linked to heart disease). “Those who have type 2 diabetes, or those who have elevated glucose, triglycerides or total cholesterol, may benefit from regular inclusion of cinnamon in their daily diet,” concluded the researchers in Diabetes Care.

The researchers also noted that the study participants had lower levels of blood sugar and blood fats even after 20 days without taking any cinnamon—“indicating that cinnamon would not need to be consumed every day” for health benefits.

They also pointed out that cinnamon worked at every level it was tested, from one to six grams—and that “intake of less than one gram daily is likely to be beneficial in controlling blood sugar and lipid [fat] levels.”

Finally, they said that regular inclusion of cinnamon in the diet is probably a good idea not only for those with type 2 diabetes, but for everybody—“cinnamon may be beneficial for the remainder of the population to prevent . . . elevated glucose and blood lipid levels.” There’s a lot of evidence that shows they’re right.

Lowering risk factors in prediabetes. Researchers in France studied 22 people who were overweight and had prediabetes, dividing them into two groups. One group took a widely available supplement containing 250 mg of a water extract of cinnamon (Cinnulin PF). The other group took a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon supplement had much lower levels of several biomarkers ofoxidation—the destructive, cell-destroying process that contributes to the development of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And the lower the oxidation levels, the more stable the levels of blood sugar. “The inclusion of water soluble cinnamon compounds in the diet could reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” concluded the researchers in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Mastering the metabolic syndrome. This condition—also known as the insulin resistance syndrome and syndrome X—is characterized by blood sugar problems, overweight (especially around the abdomen), high blood pressure, and high triglycerides (but not necessarily high LDL). It’s one form of prediabetes, and, needless to say, it’s a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Cinnamon can help control it.

In one study, 22 people with metabolic syndrome were divided into two groups: one took 500 mg a day of Cinnulin PF and one took a placebo. After three months, those taking the cinnamon had significant decreases in average fasting blood sugar (down 8.4 percent, to 106), lower systolic blood pressure (the top reading, down 4 points to 128), and more muscle, or lean body mass. (That’s good news, because additional muscle means additional ability to burn up excess blood sugar.) They also had a small drop in body fat. “This naturally-occurring spice can reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases,” concluded the researchers.

Stopping spikes in blood sugar after a meal. Swedish researchers studied 14 people, feeding them the same meal twice—rice pudding, with or without a hefty sprinkling of cinnamon. The cinnamon-spiced meal significantly lowered post-meal levels of blood sugar.

Works in healthy people, too. British researchers studied healthy young men, dividing them into two groups. For two weeks, one group received three grams of cinnamon a day and the other a placebo. After two weeks, the men taking the cinnamon supplement had a much improved “glucose tolerance test”—the ability of the body to process and store glucose. They also had better “insulin sensitivity”—the ability of this hormone to usher glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells.

Richard Anderson, PhD, a scientist at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture, who has conducted several studies on cinnamon and diabetes, theorizes that the spice mimics the action of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. It may stimulate insulin receptors on fat and muscle cells the same way insulin does, he said, allowing excess sugar to move out of the blood and into the cells.

And a team of Indian researchers laud cin, cinnamon’s active ingredient—which their study on experimental animals with diabetes showed can decrease blood sugar, A1C, total cholesterol, and triglycerides, and increase insulin and “good” HDL cholesterol. The findings were in Phytomedicine.

Controlling Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

There’s another disease where insulin and blood sugar levels are haywire and the sufferer is at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke—polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This hormonal disorder, which strikes 5 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age in the US, lines the ovaries with small cysts. Symptoms include menstrual abnormality, extra facial and body hair, acne, and overweight. It’s also the most common cause of female infertility.

In a study by a team of American researchers from Columbia University, the University of Hawaii, and the US Department of Agriculture, 13 women with PCOS were asked to take either a daily cinnamon supplement (333 mg, three times a day) or a placebo. After eight weeks, those taking cinnamon had a 17 percent decrease in fasting glucose, a significant decrease in insulin resistance, and 21 percent reduction in levels of blood sugar after a glucose tolerance test. The researchers called the findings “interesting” and encouraged other scientists to conduct additional studies to validate their findings, which were reported in Fertility and Sterility.

Manhandling Microbes

Cinnamon has the power to fight disease-causing microbes such as bacteria and fungi.

Preserving food. Scientists proved cinnamon’s ability to preserve food and help prevent food poisoning in a kitchen experiment with two pots of vegetable broth. They added cinnamon oil to one pot but not the other and let the two sit in the refrigerator—for two months! When they took off the lids, the pot without the cinnamon was teeming with bacteria. The other pot? Good enough to eat. In fact, the scientists said the added cinnamon improved the flavor! (Don’t try this at home.)

Fighting fungi. Cinnamon is also effective against Candida albicans, the fungus that causes most cases of vaginal yeast infections. In laboratory tests, cinnamon extracts were able to stop the growth of strains of C. albicans resistant to fluconazole (Diflucan), the medication commonly used to treat yeast infections.

Beating bacteria. Researchers in Italy found that cinnamon is effective at eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection, the bacterial cause of most stomach ulcers and a leading cause of stomach cancer. In fact, their research showed that cinnamon was more effective than the antibiotic amoxicillin (Amoxil) at killing H. pylori. And the bacteria didn’t show any resistance to the spice—important, because H. pylori are becoming more and more resistant to standard antibiotic treatment.

Cinnamon is derived from the bark of a tropical evergreen tree.

Cinnamon, On and On

There are other intriguing areas of research for cinnamon.

Cancer. American researchers found that cinnamon may slow angiogenesis, the development of new blood supplies to tumors. They concluded that an extract of the spice “could potentially be useful in cancer prevention and/or treatment.” The findings were in Carcinogenesis.

Post-stroke protection. Researchers in Korea found that cinnamon protected brain cells in the laboratory from the type of damage caused by a stroke.

Brain injury from liver failure. Similarly, cinnamon protected brain cells from the type of damage seen in hepatic encephalopathy—a type of brain damage caused by advanced liver disease.

Wound healing. In a study from Indian researchers, extracts of cinnamon bark improved wound healing in animals.

Getting to Know Cinnamon

Cinnamon’s sweet-and-spicy bite is the same as its bark—the spice is derived from the bark of a tropical evergreen tree.

That deliciously aromatic bite has been heralded since the beginning of human history. God commanded Moses to include cinnamon in a recipe for sacred anointing oil. The Song of Solomon praises its scent. The Greeks and Romans offered it to their gods.

The ancient cultures of India and China also used cinnamon—as medicine. The Ayurvedic physicians of India used it (and continue to use it) for respiratory ailments, stomach upset, muscles spasms—and, of course, for diabetes. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine used it (and continue to use it) for its “warming” qualities, particularly for respiratory problems and muscle aches. (It’s also a major ingredient in Tiger Balm, the popular Chinese ointment for pain relief.)

Of course, cinnamon is more than medicine—it’s a much-beloved ingredient in cuisines around the world. In the United States and Europe, it’s most popular in sweet dishes—apple pie, coffee cake, fruit compotes, buns, muffins, doughnuts, cakes, and cookies. It is a key ingredient in apple pie spice and mulling spice. It is sprinkled on toast and whipped cream. Cinnamon sticks are stirred into hot beverages, including mulled cider and wine.

The English are very fond of what they call cassia. (For more on the difference between “true cinnamon” and cassia, please see the box.) Many households keep a large sterling silver canister on the table for sprinkling cassia onto sweets and into beverages. It is an ingredient in English fruitcakes, stewed fruits, and pastries.

In Spain, cinnamon is a popular addition to chocolate dishes and confections. In Germany, it’s used in apple strudel, to flavor sweet and sour dishes, and in foods containing raisins. In the Netherlands, cinnamon is the dominant flavor in the Christmas spiced cookie called speculaas. Italians put whole cinnamon sticks in mostarda, a classic chutney-like condiment.

Can Chewing Gum Make You Smarter?

Maybe—if you chew cinnamon gum. In fact, you don’t even have to chew it. Just smelling cinnamon might boost your thinking ability.

That’s the result of a study conducted by Phillip R. Zoladz, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio Northern University, who found students scored better on several mental performance tests after smelling or tasting cinnamon.

In the first part of the study, Dr. Zoladz gave a group of students one of the following to chew: cinnamon, peppermint, cherry, or flavorless gum. In the second part, he asked students to sniff cinnamon, peppermint, jasmine, or no odor.

In both parts of the study, the students who chewed the cinnamon gum or smelled cinnamon scored best—with the best memory, the most focused attention, and the fastest reflexes between connecting what they saw and what they had to do.

Dr. Zoladz and his colleagues concluded that cinnamon has potential for decreasing test anxiety—and even preventing age-related memory loss!

The French favor canelle (their word for cinnamon) in savory foods featuring game, such as duckling à la Montmorency, a classic dish flavored with cinnamon and spiked with cherry sauce. It’s one of the four ingredients in the French spice quatre épices, which is most often used to enhance game dishes.

In Asia, cinnamon is almost exclusively used in savory dishes. In China, it’s used in braises and clay pot cooking, or what is often called “red cooking.” In this technique, you simmer cinnamon, star anise, and orange zest in water, rice wine, and soy sauce, then cook a chicken breast side down in the liquid until it is red and cooked through. Cinnamon is also one of the five spices in Chinese five-spice powder.

Cooks in the Middle East use cinnamon as a flavoring in meat stew. It’s a popular spice in many Moroccan spice blends, including the famous ras-el-hanout. It also gives a tang to Moroccan stews calledtagines. In Syria, it’s one of only two spices found in the kitchen. (The other is allspice.) In Iran it’s a key spice in khoresht, a thick tart stew made with pomegranate juice.

In India, it’s a common spice in curry cooking, and in rich dishes called biryanis. Indian cooks fry a whole cinnamon stick in hot oil to release its aroma, then add it to the curry or rice as it is being cooked. It’s also used in many Indian spice blends, and is a key flavoring in the ubiquitous garam masala.

Vietnamese use it in pho bos, long-simmering beef soups, which are served with noodles.

Mexicans are fond of cinnamon tea (té de canela), which is made from broken cinnamon quills. It’s also an ingredient in Mexican moles.

Cinnamon is also used in a wide array of non-food products. It is put in toothpastes to mask the taste of pyrophosphate, an unpleasant-tasting compound that inhibits the formation of plaque. It is used in making toiletries, pharmaceutical products, and even tobacco.

How to Buy Cinnamon

Virtually all of the cinnamon imported into the United States is cinnamon cassia. (For the difference between cassia and so-called “true cinnamon,” please see the box.) If you want to find “true cinnamon,” take a trip to an Indian marketplace or shop online. Cassia cinnamon is usually called cinnamon, cassia, or Chinese cinnamon. True cinnamon is usually called true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon, or Sri Lankan cinnamon.

Cinnamon may help prevent and/or treat:

Cancer

Cholesterol problems

(high total cholesterol, high “bad” LDL cholesterol, low “good” HDL cholesterol)

Diabetes, type 2

Food poisoning

Heart disease

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Insulin resistance (prediabetes)

Metabolic syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Stroke

Triglycerides, high

Ulcer

Vaginal yeast infection

Wounds

___________________________________

Cinnamon pairs well with these spices:

Caraway

Cardamom

Clove

Cocoa

Coriander

Cumin

Ginger

Mint

Nutmeg

Star anise

Sun-dried tomato

Tamarind

Turmeric

and complements recipes featuring:

Apples

Baked or stewed fruit

Bananas

Cantaloupe

Cauliflower

Chicken

Chocolate

Corn

Curries

Grapes

Hot toddies

Pastries

Oranges

Pork

Both cinnamon and true cinnamon are harvested from dried bark and rolled, scroll-like, into tight quills—or what we call cinnamon sticks.

Quills of cinnamon are usually cut into four or five-inch pieces that easily fit in a spice jar. The quills are thick and are dark reddish-brown in appearance and deliver a sweet and strong aroma. It is grown in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

True cinnamon is cut the same way, but the quills are longer, have a brittle, paper-like appearance, and are light-brown in color. The taste is mild, delicate, and sweet. Though true cinnamon grows wild in South India, the best comes from Sri Lanka, off the coast of South India.

The best quality cinnamon is harvested from the trunk and is graded according to its length, breadth, and thickness.

The best quality quills are tightly rolled, evenly colored, and blemish free. When transported, the quills often break and are then sold as second-grade quillings. The next grade is called featherings, which are the inner bark of twigs and small shoots that were not large enough to form a full quill. They are still considered cinnamon, but lack the visual appeal of good quality quills. The lowest grade is cinnamon chips, made from shavings and trimmings. The lower grade featherings and chips generally come from the Seychelles Islands or Madagascar, which accounts for much of the world’s supply of lower-grade cinnamon bark.

Once ground, cinnamon begins to lose the fragrance that comes from its volatile oils, so it’s best to buy whole quills and grind them as needed. The quills are somewhat tough, so you’ll need a sturdy spice grinder.

If your only option is to buy ground cinnamon, you’ll get the most fragrance from the finest quality, which is smooth rather than gritty. Ground cinnamon quills are the best grade, though the spice is also ground from quillings and featherings. Ground cassia, often called “baker’s cinnamon,” is usually lower-priced than the ground quills of true cinnamon.

Whole quills keep for three years, as long as they aren’t in extreme heat. Ground cinnamon begins to fade in flavor after a few months.

In the Kitchen with Cinnamon

All the studies on the health benefits of cinnamon were done on . . . cinnamon (cassia, Chinese cinnamon)—the spice you’re familiar with and that is sold in supermarkets. Culinary experts generally agree (with some dissenters) that cinnamon cassia also has the best flavor—more robust, more perfume. Cassia goes best with other strong flavors, liked dried fruit. The more delicate true cinnamon is a better complement to fresh fruit. But there’s no rule that says you can’t mix the two and get the best of both worlds!

Other recipes containing cinnamon:

Apple Pie Spice

Baharat

Berbere

By-the-Bay Fisherman’s Chowder

Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning

Chinese Five-Spice Powder

Garam Masala

Grilled Lamb Patty Pockets with Cucumber Mint Sauce

Grilled Pork Chile Adobo

Jamaican Jerk Marinade

La Kama

Malaysian Curry Paste

Mulling Spice

Pears Poached in Port and Star Anise

Pickling Spice

Quatre Épices

Ras-el-hanout

Sambaar Masala

Spiced Milk Tea

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Spicy Vanilla Rice Pudding

Banana Cinnamon French Toast

Cinnamon is a classic on toast—and is even better on a special dish like French toast.

2 large very ripe bananas

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

4 eggs, cracked

8 slices thick whole grain bread

3 tablespoons butter

Maple syrup

1. Place the bananas, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg in a blender or food processor. Add the cracked eggs and process until smooth. Transfer to a large baking pan large. Add the bread slices, turning occasionally, under the bread has absorbed most of the mixture, about 30 minutes.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium head. Add the bread in batches and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve with maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Ground cinnamon is more commonly used in the US because it is the form that is generally used in baking. Quills are preferred for liquid-based savory dishes; they’re used to infuse flavor and are discarded after cooking and before eating.

Whatever form of cinnamon you choose and use, make sure you don’t overcook it. Cinnamon turns bitter if it’s in the pot too long.

Here are some ideas to help get more cinnamon in your diet:

• Put a cinnamon quill in beef or vegetarian stews, or in lentil soup.

• Make spiced wine: Put a bottle of wine in a large pot and gently simmer it with ½ cup of sugar, a cinnamon stick, and a lemon studded with cloves for 15 minutes.

• Make spiced tea: Put a quart of brewed tea in a pot, add two cups of apple juice, and gently simmer it with a sliced lemon and two cinnamon sticks for 10 minutes.

• Sprinkle some cinnamon into pastry dough for pies and quiches.

• Sprinkle cinnamon on apples, bananas, melons, and oranges.

• Mix cinnamon with mint and parsley in ground beef for burgers or meatloaf.

• Combine equal parts of cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper and rub it into pork tenderloin or lamb before baking.

• Mix cinnamon into rice pilaf.

• Add cinnamon to hot cocoa to enhance the flavor of the chocolate.

Fenugreek seed Defeating Diabetes – Glucose Control

New Yorkers like to say that they’ve seen it all, but apparently they haven’t smelled it all. One night a few years ago, the city’s hotline was flooded with phone calls about a mysterious odor reminiscent of maple syrup wafting across the western end of lower Manhattan. It wasn’t the first time such an “incident” was reported, and the mayor promised city officials would get to the bottom of it.

A few days later, the mayor called a press conference. With pointer in hand he spent the next 20 minutes aiming at dots on a map where the smell was reported and at arrows showing wind patterns coming across the Hudson River from northern New Jersey. The odor, said the mayor, occurred on days when the wind speed was moderate and the air somewhat humid. His investigators had traced the odor to a plant in north Jersey that manufactures flavors for the food, beverage, and fragrance industries. The maple syrup-like scent, he revealed, was the smell of fenugreek seeds being processed.

“I can think of a lot of things worse than maple syrup,” the mayor told a reporter. “It just happens to be one of the aromas that we’re going to have to live with in a city like New York.”

From Folk Medicine to the Medicine of the Future

What’s fenugreek?!?, you say? Fenugreek, for sure, is Greek to most of the Western world (even New Yorkers), but it is a common culinary spice in South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East. It also has a storied history as a medicinal spice: since ancient times (and right up to the present), fenugreek has been used as a folk remedy for an astonishingly long list of ills.

Fenugreek is a legendary aphrodisiac. Men have used it to grow hair and women to increase bust size. (Its rich content of the hormone-like compound diosgenin is probably responsible for any effects fenugreek might have on increasing libidos or bustlines.) It’s been used to help regulate menstrual cycles, ease labor pains, and encourage milk flow for breastfeeding. Soaked in water, the seeds soften and swell, and are used to normalize digestion, countering both constipation and diarrhea. It has battled asthma, allergies, and other respiratory ills. And in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, it’s a classic “drug” for blood sugar (glucose) control—a use that modern science has strongly seconded.

Good News for Glucose Control

The body works best on a steady supply of blood sugar: not too much, not too little, but just right. The hormone insulin, manufactured by the pancreas, keeps levels normal, ushering glucose into liver cells for processing, muscle cells for instant energy, and fat cells for storage. But the standard American diet—loaded with sugars and refined carbohydrates that turn into a flashflood of glucose—overwhelms the insulin-generating capacity of the pancreas. And all the fat in the American diet clogs insulin receptors on cells. The end result is chronically high levels of blood sugar: 57 million Americans have prediabetes(fasting blood sugar levels 100 to 125 mg/dL), and another 24 million have type 2 diabetes (fasting blood sugar levels above 125 mg/dL). The long-term consequences of diabetes are disastrous: year after year, extra blood sugar batters blood vessels, leading to heart disease, stroke, blindness (from damage to the vessels of the retina), kidney disease (from damage to these vessel-rich organs), nerve pain (from damage to the tiny vessels called capillaries that nourish nerves), and amputations (from poor circulation to the feet and legs).

Fenugreek to the rescue. More than 100 scientific studies—mostly in animals with experimentally induced diabetes—show that fenugreek has the power to regulate blood sugar. Fenugreek can: balance daily blood sugar levels, lower A1C (the percentage of red blood cells that have been frosted by hemoglobin, the best measurement of long-term blood sugar control), increase enzymes that help regulate blood sugar, and activate insulin signaling in cells. Fenugreek can also help control the circulatory aftershocks of high blood sugar: high total cholesterol, high “bad” LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low “good” HDL cholesterol.

In the most recent study on people, researchers in the Food Science Department at Louisiana State University (LSU) made flour from fenugreek seeds, baked up a batch of fenugreek bread, and fed two slices a day to eight people with type 2 diabetes. The bread lowered insulin resistance—the inability of cells to use the hormone insulin. Another demonstration, said the researchers in the Journal of Medicinal Food, that fenugreek “will reduce insulin resistance and treat type 2 diabetes.”

In another recent study, this one in the International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research, scientists studied 18 people with type 2 diabetes, feeding them powdered fenugreek seeds in either yogurt or hot water. After two months, there was a 25 percent decrease in fasting blood sugar, a 30 percent decrease in triglycerides, and a 30 percent decrease in “bad” LDL cholesterol. “Fenugreek seeds can be used . . . in the control of type 2 diabetes,” the researchers concluded.

Fenugreek seed may help prevent and/or treat:

Cancer

Cataracts

Cholesterol problems (high total cholesterol, high “bad” LDL cholesterol, low “good” HDL cholesterol)

Diabetes, type 2

Gallstones

Infection, bacterial and viral

Insulin resistance (prediabetes)

Kidney stones

Liver disease

Overweight

Triglycerides, high

In China, researchers studied 69 people with type 2 diabetes that wasn’t well-controlled with a standard diabetes drug. They divided them into two groups—one group continued taking the drug; one group took the drug and fenugreek seeds. After three months, those taking the drug and fenugreek had “remarkable” results, said the researchers: much lower fasting blood sugar, lower blood sugar levels after meals, lower A1C, and fewer symptoms of diabetes (such as fatigue). The combined therapy of an anti-diabetes drug and fenugreek “could lower blood glucose and ameliorate clinical symptoms in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,” said the researchers in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine.

Indian researchers gave 60 people with type 2 diabetes a mixture that included fenugreek seeds. After three months, many in the study had either lowered their dose of glucose-controlling medication or gotten off the medication completely.

In another study from India, doctors at the Jaipur Diabetes and Research Centre studied 25 people newly diagnosed with diabetes, dividing them into two groups. Half received an extract of fenugreek seeds and half were treated with diet and exercise. After two months, those on the fenugreek had more normal levels of glucose and insulin, a bigger drop in triglycerides, and a bigger increase in HDL. “Use of fenugreek seeds improves glycemic control and decreases insulin resistance in mild type-2 diabetic patients,” the researchers concluded.

Why is fenugreek so effective in controlling type 2 diabetes? “Fenugreek stimulates the insulin signaling pathway,” said the researchers from LSU. In other words, it helps cells respond to the hormone that moves glucose out of the blood, said the researchers. Fenugreek also stimulates insulin secretion from the pancreas, slows the absorption of glucose from the intestines, and helps generate enzymes that regulate the use of glucose for energy in muscle cells. And, they note, “fenugreek is very safe.”

Fenugreek: Multi-Tasking Natural Medicine

The LSU scientists point out that “fenugreek has other beneficial effects in addition to its effect on diabetes”—including stopping kidney stones, helping with weight loss, and controlling fatty liver disease. Let’s look at these and other benefits of the spice.

Weight loss. Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied 18 obese people (body mass index over 30), dividing them into three groups: at breakfast, one group took four grams of fenugreek fiber powder with orange juice, one took eight grams, and one didn’t take any. Between breakfast and lunch, the group taking eight grams of powder had a greater feeling of fullness, felt more satisfied (satiety), and felt less hungry—and they ate 10 percent fewer calories for lunch! “Fenugreek fiber may have a role in the control of food intake in obese individuals,” said the researchers in Phytotherapy Research. Fenugreek fiber powder—also called galactomannan—is widely available as a supplement.

In another experiment on fenugreek and food consumption, French researchers found that people taking fenugreek seed extract (about 600 mg a day) ate 17 percent less fat and 12 percent fewer calories. Fenugreek seed extract might help with “weight reduction in the long term, particularly in some . . . overweight or obese patients for whom a low-fat diet is recommended,” the researchers concluded in theEuropean Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Cancer. In a paper called “Fenugreek: A Naturally Occurring Edible Spice as an Anti-cancer Agent,” scientists at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University discuss how their studies have shown fenugreek seed extract can slow or stop the growth of breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer cells. “These studies add another biologically active agent to our armamentarium of naturally occurring agents with therapeutic potential,” said the scientists in Cancer Biology and Therapy.

High cholesterol. Fenugreek doesn’t just lower cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. Indian doctors studied 20 healthy people, dividing them into two groups—one took fenugreek seed powder and one didn’t. After one month, there was a “significant reduction in total cholesterol and LDL levels,” wrote the researchers in Plant Foods in Human Nutrition.

Fatty liver disease. An estimated one-third of Americans have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): at least 20 percent of liver cells are filled with fat globules. The causes: overweight, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Another 10 million Americans have alcoholic fatty liver disease, caused by heavy drinking (more than two drinks a day for a woman and more than three drinks a day for a man). Fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In an animal study, Canadian researchers found that fenugreek seeds prevented or reversed fatty liver. “These findings . . . provide a strong impetus to explore the therapeutic benefit of fenugreek and its active components in [fatty liver disease] associated with obesity and insulin resistance,” the researchers said in the International Journal of Obesity.

Cataracts. Researchers in India used a chemical to induce cataracts in the eyes of two groups of experimental animals—one that was fed fenugreek seeds and one that wasn’t. Fenugreek seed completely prevented the development of cataracts; 72 percent of the animals not eating fenugreek developed the disease. The researchers found a high level of antioxidant activity in the eyes of the fenugreek-fed animals.

Kidney stones. Eighty percent of kidney stones are made of calcium oxalate. Noting that fenugreek seeds are “widely used in Morocco” to prevent the development of kidney stones in those prone to form them, Moroccan researchers tested the seeds on experimental animals. Fenugreek decreased the deposition of calcium oxalate in the kidney by 27 percent.

Gallstones. Researchers in India induced gallstones in experimental animals and then divided them into three groups: one group received a high dose of fenugreek seed powder, one group received a low dose, and one didn’t receive any powder. Fenugreek reversed gallstones by 64 percent in the high dose group and 61 percent in the low dose; there was no reversal in the other group. Fenugreek could help prevent gallstones, shrink ones that already exist, and prevent recurrence, the researchers concluded.

Fenugreek is a plant with yellow and white flowers that resembles alfalfa.

Fenugreek seed pairs well with these spices:

Asafoetida

Black cumin

seed

Black pepper

Chile

Clove

Coriander

Curry leaf

Garlic

Ginger

Mustard seed

Onion

Star anise

Tamarind

Turmeric

and complements recipes featuring:

Bread

Chutney

Pickles

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Vegetables

Caution: Pregnant women should not eat fenugreek seeds, because they contain saponins, an active compound that is found in oral contraceptives. Research indicates that fenugreek could induce a miscarriage.

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Other recipes containing fenugreek seed:

Berbere

Caribbean Curry Paste

Colombo Powder

Garbanzo Beans with Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds

Hot Curry Powder

Panch Phoron

Sambaar Masala

Infections. Researchers in India fed experimental animals a fenugreek extract and tested their immune systems. They found the spice increased the activity of macrophages, white blood cells that gobble up bacteria and viruses. “Overall, fenugreek showed a stimulatory effect on immune functions,” they wrote, a result that “strengthens the rationale of its use in several Ayurvedic drugs.”

Getting to Know Fenugreek Seed

Fenugreek—known to botanists as Trigonellafoenum-graecum—is a plant with yellow and white flowers that resembles alfalfa. In fact, its Latin name means “Greek hay,” and it was grown by the ancient Egyptians as fodder for animals. Today, fenugreek is grown around the world—in South Asia, the Middle East, South America, Europe, and China.

As a spice, fenugreek is popular in India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Iran, and Turkey, where it is used to make curries, chutneys, pickles, relishes, and an array of vegetarian dishes.

In India, the seeds are dry roasted or fried in hot oil and used whole to flavor curries (especially fish curry), broth-based stews called sambars, and fermented flat breads, such as dosas and idlis. It is also an ingredient in many Indian spice mixes, including curry powder. A few fenugreek seeds are always added to starchy vegetables and hard-to-digest legumes, especially if asafoetida is not available.

In the Middle East, seeds are soaked overnight in cold water and mixed into a paste with other spices to make a condiment called hilbeh and a sweetmeat called halva. Cooks also grind fenugreek into a paste and rub it into salted meat, which is then dried.

In Yemen, fenugreek is mixed with other spices to make zhug, which is put on top of stews. Armenians mix it with garlic and red chile to make a peppery spice mix called chemen, which is used to spice beef. The Greeks boil the seeds and eat them with honey.

How to Buy Fenugreek Seed

Fenugreek seeds are hard, yellowish-brown ovals that resemble tiny pebbles. You can recognize them by the deep furrow across one side. They are sold whole or ground in Indian markets. Fenugreek is also available in specialty spice shops and online, usually ground. (To find whole seeds, see the “Buyer’s Guide”.)

In terms of quality, one batch of fenugreek seeds is pretty much like another. But double-check for cleanliness. Because the seeds look like stones, it’s not uncommon to find them contaminated with little stones and grit. Examine them carefully before putting them in your grinder so you don’t damage it.

Brussels Sprouts Kulambu

Kulambu is a sweet-and-sour stew popular in India. This authentic Indian recipe, courtesy of Alamelu Vairavan’s Healthy South Indian Cooking, is a vegetarian entree to be served over rice. You can also serve it as a side dish to a roast. Check the “Buyer’s Guide” section to find some of the more unusual ingredients.

2 tablespoons canola oil

¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder

4 to 6 curry leaves (optional)

½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon urad dal (split white lentils)

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped tomato

¼ teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons sambaar masala or commercial curry powder

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon tamarind paste

1½ cups brussels sprouts, cut in half (if large, cut into quarters)

1. Place oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the asafoetida powder, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and urad dal. Cover and fry over medium heat until the mustard seeds pop and urad dal is golden brown, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the onions, tomato, and turmeric, stirring constantly.

3. Add the sambaar masala, tomato sauce, and salt. Stir well. Add 2 cups of warm water to the saucepan. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add tamarind paste and mix thoroughly.

5. When the mixture in the saucepan begins to boil, add the brussels sprouts. Cover and cook over low heat until the brussels sprouts are just tender, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Makes 4 servings.

Whole seeds stay fresh for three years, as long as they’re kept in an airtight container and out of sunlight. Fenugreek’s flavor dissipates once the seeds are ground, and ground seeds keep for only a few months.

In the Kitchen with Fenugreek Seed

Don’t eat fenugreek seeds raw—hard as a rock, they’re impossible to chew. Cooking turns their pungent, slightly bitter taste into a nutty, maple syrup-like flavor. It also softens the seed, so it’s easier to grind. A light roasting of a minute or two is all that’s needed. (For directions on how to roast spices, see Roasting Spices.) Be careful, however, not to burn the seeds, which makes the flavor so bitter it’s unpalatable. You can also soak the seeds overnight to make them soft and jelly-like.

Add fenugreek to a dish cautiously—the strong flavor can overtake other flavorings.

Here are some ways to get more fenugreek into your diet:

• Add a sprinkling of ground seeds to the breading for fried foods.

• Sprinkle a few seeds in vegetable casseroles.

• Add a pinch of ground fenugreek to cookie recipes.

• Add a pinch or two to mayonnaise to give it a mustard-like bite.

• Mix roasted ground seeds with dried, ground chiles and other spices, and use as a dipping sauce for bread.

• Add roasted and coarsely chopped seeds to salads, which adds an interesting crunchiness.