Cinnamon is one of the most loved and healthiest spices in the world. This wonderful spice is used in all kinds of recipes and sprinkled on foods like sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and toast. But did you know there are different types of cinnamon, and not all cinnamon has health benefits. Ceylon cinnamon is the healthiest cinnamon, but it’s not the most commonly used. The most common is cassia cinnamon, which has some real health risks you should be aware of.
The Different Types of Cinnamon
- Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, or Cinnamomum verum). Also called true cinnamon or Sri Lankan cinnamon from Sri Lanka.
- Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia). Also called Chinese cinnamon or fake cinnamon.
- Saigon cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi). Also called Vietnamese cinnamon and is a type of cassia cinnamon.
- Indonesian cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanni). Also called Korintje cinnamon or Java cinnamon.
- Mexican cinnamon or Canela in Spanish is the same cinnamon variety as Ceylon cinnamon.
In the United States, about 90% of the imported cinnamon is cassia cinnamon and is the most commonly sold and used. Saigon, Korintje and cassia cinnamon are sometimes referred to as fake cinnamon. That is not technically true as they are all types of cinnamon.
The word for true in Latin is verum, which is why Ceylon cinnamon is also called true cinnamon, cinnamon verum or Cinnamomum verum.
Ceylon cinnamon has a sweet flavor and is tan in color. Cassia cinnamon is more of a reddish-brown color and is courser in texture with a stronger more bitter taste. Ceylon cinnamon is not as hollow in the middle as cassia is.
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| Cassia and Ceylon cinnamon sticks / CinnamonVougue/Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Where Does Cinnamon Come From
The ground Ceylon cinnamon powder you love so much, comes from a genus or group of trees known by its Latin name Cinnamomum. Cinnamon is the bark of the tree, which is unusual considering most of the foods we get from trees are nuts and fruits.
A cinnamon tree will be left to grow for about two years until shoots start to grow around the base of the tree. The entire tree is not harvested for the cinnamon bark, just the shoots. The shoots are cut off a few inches above the ground.
The shoots will start to grow again each time the shoots are harvested for cinnamon. Once the shoots of the cinnamon tree have been cut, it is then time to remove the outer layer of the bark from the cinnamon shoots. The outer layer is not used for the making of cinnamon.
It is the inner bark that is used to make cinnamon that will become a cinnamon stick. Next, the layer of the inner cinnamon bark needs to dry. As the cinnamon stick dries, it will cause the cinnamon bark to curl, giving it that beautiful look. The next time you see a cinnamon stick, you’ll know that it came from the inner bark of a shoot from the cinnamon tree.
Most cinnamon is sold as a powder, which is made by milling the cinnamon sticks into a powder. Manufacturers use a special milling process that keeps the processing temperatures low, so the special oils in cinnamon are not ruined. It is the oils that give cinnamon a wonderful flavor.
Cinnamon can also be turned into cinnamon supplements, cinnamon extract and essential oil. Many people take a cinnamon supplement each day for the health benefits cinnamon provides.
Why You Should Only Use Ceylon Cinnamon
Coumarin is naturally found in various plants including cinnamon and is used in certain medicines and to fragrance personal care products like aftershave lotion, sunscreens, moisturizers, and other skincare products.
Coumarin is mainly known because of its use in the making of the anti-coagulant drugs, Warfarin and Coumadin.
In 1954, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of added coumarin as a food additive because it possibly causes cancer. [1]
Coumarin is actually toxic to the liver and is a health risk if too much is eaten at one time or over a long period of time. And cassia cinnamon has some of the highest concentration of coumarin of any food.
The coumarin amount in cassia cinnamon can range from 7 to 18 mg per teaspoon while Ceylon cinnamon is basically coumarin-free. [2]
Health Risks of Coumarin
- Possible liver damage
- Possibly promote cancer development
- Possibly impairs cognitive development in children, especially if eaten while pregnant
There are also short-term health risks that include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Easy bruising, unusual bleeding, and blood in the urine or stools
The fact that these types of cinnamon have coumarin can mean that cuts, injuries, and a bloody nose might take longer than normal to stop bleeding and clot.
The Wonderful Health Benefits of Ceylon Cinnamon
Ceylon cinnamon is one of the healthiest spices in the world with health benefits that include:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-oxidant
- Antimicrobial (antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral)
- Anti-parasitic
- Regulates blood sugar
- Enhances cognitive ability
- May prevent certain types of cancer
- May prevent Alzheimer’s disease
Cinnamon Increases Insulin Sensitivity
Increasing insulin sensitivity is what helps reverse insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Several studies have found that cinnamon can increase insulin sensitivity almost immediately, and the effect can last for as long as 12 hours. [3]
Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar
Depending on what you eat, your blood sugar can rise dramatically after a meal. Cinnamon can help keep your blood sugar from spiking too high. [4]
Another study found that participants with diabetes lowered their blood sugar by 24% after consuming 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon for 40 days. [5]
Cinnamon and Diabetes
There is a connection between Alzheimer’s and diabetes with 70% of those with type 2 diabetes also developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
You might not have heard of it, but there is also type 3 diabetes, which has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Just like our body, our brain needs to utilize glucose or blood sugar to function properly. [6]
The brain can also get insulin resistance which can proceed to type 3 diabetes and possibly lead to Alzheimer’s later in life. Cinnamon can increase insulin sensitivity in the brain and prevent type 3 diabetes.
Cinnamon and Alzheimer’s
It is now believed that Alzheimer’s is caused when a protein in the brain — called tau — collapses into aggregates called tau tangles.
In a healthy brain, tau forms microtubules, essential structures that transport nutrients within nerve cells. The tau protein helps these microtubules remain strong and straight.
In the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient, the tau proteins collapse into tangles. When this happens, the microtubules can no longer sustain the transport of nutrients in the nerve cells, which over time leads to cell death causing Alzheimer’s.
Cinnamon has been shown to prevent these tau tangles or clumps from occurring, possibly preventing Alzheimer’s. [7]
Ceylon Cinnamon Conclusion
Ceylon cinnamon not only tastes great, it also has some amazing health benefits without any of the health risks that cassia cinnamon has. Especially if you’re like me and use a lot of cinnamon on your food and in cooking, it is probably best to only use Ceylon cinnamon.
About The Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Health Forum Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
© 2019-2022 Sam Montana/Healthy Food and Life
[2] The Scientific World Journal Volume 2012, Article ID 263851
[3] PubMed: Effects of short-term cinnamon ingestion on in vivo glucose tolerance
[4] PubMed: Effect of cinnamon on postprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects
[5] WebMD: Does Cinnamon Help Diabetes?
[6] National Institute of Health: Alzheimer's Disease Is Type 3 Diabetes–Evidence Reviewed
[7] Alzheimer’s Net: Why Cinnamon May Hold Secrets to Alzheimer’s Prevention
