![\"Cinnamon](\"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Cinnamon_Quills.jpg\")
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Many well-intentioned workout resolutions have been thwarted by the first signs of sore, stiff muscles in the days following a visit to the gym. One study found that two common kitchen spices help relieve that post-workout muscle pain.<\/p>\n
Researchers at Iran’s Isfahan University of Medical Sciences studied the effects of ginger and cinnamon on the muscle pain of 60 fit female competitive Taekwondo players, aged 13-25 years. The women were divided into three groups. For six weeks, each group took three grams (1 tsp = 4 grams) of either powdered\u00a0ginger<\/a><\/strong>, cinnamon or placebo every day.<\/p>\n During the study, the women were tested for an indicator of inflammation and for muscle soreness. The results,\u00a0published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine<\/a><\/strong>, showed that women in both the ginger and cinnamon groups had significantly less muscle soreness after exercising than the placebo group. A similar study from the University of Georgia, also confirmed\u00a0ginger’s ability to relieve muscle soreness after strenuous exercise<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The researchers did not find any difference in the inflammation marker among the three groups despite other studies showing\u00a0strong anti-inflammatory qualities of ginger<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and cinnamon. They speculated that the three gram dose may have been insufficient to make a measurable difference.<\/p>\n Both ginger and cinnamon have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Each contains a wide range of compounds shown to curb inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and modulate other healing mechanisms within the body.<\/p>\n