Why is the Cinnimon Challange so Hard?

Authors note: This is a research piece on the Cinnamon Challenge and why it is so hard.

What would you do if your child tried the cinnamon challenge and either died or was hospitalized? To make it worse they did it because it was a dare. The cinnamon challenge is very dangerous and people need to know the dangers of the challenge.

This challenge has been around since 2001 but became popular in 2007. The cinnamon challenge is a challenge where a person must eat or swallow a tablespoon full of ground cinnamon in less than 60 seconds without drinking anything. Sounds easy right? Well it is not easy at all. There are many reasons that the challenge is so hard and the reason is the cinnamon it’s self.

Cinnamon has a moderately toxic substance called coumarin which can damage the liver. European Health agencies have warned against consuming large amounts of cinnamon. Usually the result of the challenge is coughing, gagging, gasping for air, and even vomiting. Most people think of cinnamon is a sweet southing spice because it is on apple pies and cinnamon buns but that is because it is mixed with lots of sugar. Cinnamon is what makes candies hot like Atomic Fireballs, Hot Tamales, cinnamon gum, and Red Hots. Even though the cinnamon is so hot there are also dangers.

Inhaling the cinnamon can lead to inflammation of the lungs or scarring of the lungs. According to abcnews.com Dejah Reed spent four days in the hospital with an infection and a collapsed right lung after she ingested cinnamon. You are probably wondering why it is so hard.

The reason it is so hard is because the cinnamon acts like a sponge socking up all of the salvia in your mouth and therefore expanding in size. It dries out your mouth making it nearly impossible to swallow. Drinking water makes it even worse because the cinnamon soaks up the water and turns into a mud like substance that can lead to choking.

Thousands of people do the cinnamon challenge every year. If people knew about all the dangers no one would want to put their life on the line. Even though many people are okay after the challenge would, you want to be the one that is not okay?