6 Healthy Reasons to Eat More Real Cinnamon (Not its Cousin)


By GreenMedInfo Research Group
If you live in North America or Europe that jar of “cinnamon” in your cupboard is probably not truly cinnamon at all, but a very similar spice known as cassia or “bastard cinnamon.”
True cinnamon is usually labeled “Ceylon cinnamon” and comes principally from Sri Lanka (called Ceylon in colonial times), India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean. Cassia, on the other hand, is often designated as “Chinese cinnamon” or “Saigon cinnamon” and comes principally from Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Japan and Korea.
Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices and most popular spices, and has been used for millennia both for its flavoring and medicinal qualities. In ancient Egypt, it was used to fill body cavities of corpses as an embalming agent. In ancient Rome it was considered so valuable that the Emperor Nero burned a year’s supply on his wife’s funeral pyre as proof of his devotion to her.
Whatever you do, makes sure to buy all your spices USDA certified organic because many conventional brands irradiate their raw material with intense doses of radiation. Learn more about this invisible nuclear threat within non-organic food.
Here are six reasons to make sure you’re getting more cinnamon in your diet:
1. Lowers blood sugar levels
Cinnamon has been shown to normalize blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics by improving the ability to respond to insulin. It does so in part by slowing the rate at which the stomach empties after eating as evidenced by a study in which people ate about a cup of rice pudding with and without about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Adding the cinnamon slowed the rate the stomach emptied from 37% to 34.5% and significantly slowed the rise in blood sugar levels. Even less than a half of a teaspoon a day reduces blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics.
2. Favorably alters the blood lipid profile 
Diabetics can also reduce their risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease by consuming even one daily gram (about 1/3 teaspoon) of cinnamon. One 2003 USDA study found that after 40 days of eating between just 1 and 6 grams of cinnamon (about 2 teaspoons), type 2 diabetics were not only able to reduce their blood sugar levels by 18-29%, but also lowered their triglycerides by 23-30%, their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 7 to 27% and total cholesterol by 12-26%. Note: the focus on [LDL cholesterol particles by number versus their quality is misleading. Learn more about the cholesterol myth here.]
3. Supports healthy blood clotting
Much research has been devoted to cinnamon’s effect on blood platelets which contribute to clotting. It helps thin the blood and prevent unwanted clumping of platelets. It is so effective as an anti-coagulant that patients taking prescription blood thinners are warned not to take cinnamon in concentrated form such as supplements or extracts. Cassia has higher concentrations of the blood-thinning agent coumarin, which is all the more reasont to opt for the Ceylon form.
4. Fights bacteria and fungus
5. Boosts memory and protects the brain.
Chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling the sweet spice has been found to improve brain activity. Research led by Dr. P. Zoladz and presented at the 2004 meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, in Sarasota, Florida concluded that cinnamon enhances cognitive processing and was found to improve test subjects scores related to attention, memory and visual-motor speed when working at a computer.
A 2011 study suggested that it may have a role in reducing the kind of chronic inflammation that leads to various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, and meningitis.
6. Improves digestion
In traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon has been used for flatulence, nausea and diarrhea. It is also believed to improve the body’s ability to digest fruit, milk and other dairy products.
For information on the health benefits of cinnamon, view our database on the topic here

Originally published: 2012-07-31
Article updated: 2019-06-30