Cinnamon Medicine
This week, we will continue our exploration of culinary herbs with Cinnamon. This readily recognized spice has a long history of use and trade. The earliest writings about cinnamon date back to 2700 BCE in China. Cinnamon being used as an anointing oil by Moses is recorded in the Judeo-Christian bible. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in their cooking as well as embalming practices. Pliny the Elder in the 1st century CE wrote of cinnamon as having 15 times the value of silver. (1) This is quite the setup for a spice associated with pastries and pumpkin pie!
Cinnamon the Plant:
Cinnamon grows as a small bush/tree in tropic and subtropic areas. There are 100’s of species of cinnamon that grow naturally. However, we tend to see two species used most often.
The cinnamon we are most familiar with in the United States is known as Cinnamomum cassia or Cassia Cinnamon and is native to Indonesia this is the spicier and more pungent of the two main varieties commonly used in the West. Cassia Cinnamon has the most research done on it and is the form used in the studies on Diabetes that we will discuss in a moment.
The other species of cinnamon you may encounter is Cinnamomum verum also known as Ceylon Cinnamon. This species is native to Sri Lanka and tends to be a bit more sweet and mild than Cassia. Often chefs will use Cassia in savory dishes and Ceylon in desserts. If you ever see something labeled as “true cinnamon” it is most likely Ceylon cinnamon, but do not be tricked, there is no “true cinnamon” simply different species with different uses. I’ve seen several people lead astray by poorly researched online articles using self-prescribed Ceylon cinnamon in their diabetes care and paying much more for this “true cinnamon” when the research is on the more common and less expensive Cassia species. Don’t let a good marketing campaign formed on misinformation trick you into paying more money for less effective medicine! This also applies to anything labeled a “super food”, don’t fall for the hype!
Energetics of Cinnamon:
Temperature: Warm (Ceylon); Hot (Cassia)
Moisture: Drying
Energy: Stimulating
For more information on incorporating herbal energetics into your formula making, please see my article here.
Medicinal Effects of Cinnamon:
This list of effects comes from both Dr. Tilgner’s Herbal ABC’s book and Rosalee De La Foret’s Alchemy of Herbs. Cinnamon has been found to have the following benefits/effects:
Astringent - tissue tightening
Antiseptic - wound cleaning killing microbes on contact
Antifungal/Antibacterial - kills bacteria and fungi
Analgesic - pain killing
Anti-inflammatory - reduces inflammation
Antioxidant - prevents free-radical damage (oxidation)
Antihypertensive - lowers blood pressure
Blood thinner
Carminative - eases digestive gas and bloating
Diaphoretic - promotes sweating
Decreases insulin resistance
Gastrointestinal tonic
Hemostatic - stops bleeding
Hypoglycemic - reduces blood sugar
Hypolipidemic - reduces blood fats/cholesterol
You can see that cinnamon has quite a few effects that help get your blood flowing and moving, increase the tone of your digestive tract and tissues, kill potentially harmful bacteria and fungi, balance blood sugar and blood fats, and increase health overall through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
Matthew Wood in his Earthwise Herbal series states that Cinnamon is “indicated as a stimulant diaphoretic in weakness, tiredness, chilliness, and lack of resistance.” (3 pg 193)
When Not to Use Cinnamon:
Cinnamon is great if you are weak, tired, and chilly. If you are struggling with hot flashes or hyperthyroidism, cinnamon is probably not the right herb for you. If you are overall dehydrated, hot, and anxious - don’t turn to cinnamon.
Pregnant women should not use cinnamon in therapeutic doses, but can still enjoy sprinkling a small amount of cinnamon on their food. This is another herb that can stimulate uterine contractions and bleeding.
Persons who are allergic to cinnamon shouldn’t use cinnamon. And, finally, large single doses of cinnamon over 2 grams at a time or large doses 6 grams or more shouldn’t be used long-term. When used in this manner, cinnamon can bring on convulsions, delirium, hallucinations, and even death. 2 grams of cinnamon is about ¾ tsp of cinnamon.
A note of the Cinnamon Challenge:
Please do not do this! First, you most likely will not ingest much cinnamon, but remember how cinnamon is a hot herb? This means it can burn your skin on undiluted contact. Also, you are likely to inhale a significant amount of the powder which can cause an asthmatic attack and even collapsed lungs. If you do try to dry swallow powdered cinnamon, this can lead to choking and irritation of the tissues of your throat.
Cinnamon and Diabetes:
One area where cinnamon has received a lot of research attention is in the area of diabetes. We see significant reductions in blood sugar as well as triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol!
A 2020 meta analysis reviewed sixteen studies with 1025 subjects backed these claims up showing these claims are measurable, statistically significant, and reproducible - the gold standard in scientific research! (4)
Another meta analysis from 2013 reviewed 10 studies with 543 patients total also found the same effect from cinnamon on blood fats, but also showed a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar levels. (5)
The doses used in the studies above were between 1 and 6 grams of cinnamon daily. When combined with a whole foods - plant based diet and exercise, one can imagine that a good sprinkling of cinnamon with daily meals could be a fantastic way to both treat and prevent the development of diabetes and hyperlipidemia! Remember, research studies are used to study the effects of one change at a time, and simply taking a cinnamon capsule will not cure your diabetes nor treat it all that well, but when we make several different changes together, the effects add up quickly!
As I lived with a blood sugar dysregulation, polycystic ovarian syndrome, at an earlier stage of my healing journey, you can bet I sprinkle a good amount of cinnamon on my morning oats, flax seeds, and blueberries!
Working with Cinnamon:
The easiest way to work with cinnamon is to eat it. Sprinkling it on food, adding it to your curries, stews, chilis, etc, and drinking it as an after-dinner chai to stimulate digestion are all fantastic ways to incorporate cinnamon into your daily life.
Tinctures of cinnamon can also be used, but in small amounts of 2-3 drops at a time. Powdered cinnamon can be added to tooth powder recipes for brushing your teeth and is especially effective against fungi and biofilms in the mouth - there is a reason why cinnamon is the second most common dental product flavoring after mint!
Teas and lozenges are another way to incorporate cinnamon into your life. Lozenges are particularly good at delivering cinnamon to your mouth for toothaches and your throat. Cinnamon lozenges have also been effectively used to treat thrush in HIV/AIDS patients. Cinnamon tea or powder in food is also great for cases of intestinal candida overgrowth. To make a tea, simply add ¼ - 1 tsp cinnamon powder to 8 oz of hot water, cover and steep for 25 minutes then stir and drink.
I hope this article has helped you develop a greater appreciation of this spice known around the world.
References:
De La Foret, R, Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods & Remedies that Heal, Hay House, 2017
Tilgner, S, Herbal ABC’s: The Foundation of Herbal Medicine, Wise Acres, LLC, 2018
Wood, M, The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants, North Atlantic Books, 2008
Jamali N, Kazemi A, Saffari-Chaleshtori J, Samare-Najaf M, Mohammadi V, Clark CCT. The effect of cinnamon supplementation on lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2020 Dec;55:102571. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102571. Epub 2020 Sep 29. PMID: 33220625.
Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ. Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Fam Med. 2013 Sep-Oct;11(5):452-9. doi: 10.1370/afm.1517. PMID: 24019277; PMCID: PMC3767714.