Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the shoots of a tree (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) that grows predominantly in India, China, and Ceylon. The inner rind when dried and rolled into cylinders forms the cinnamon of commerce. The fruit and coarser pieces of bark when boiled yield a fragrant oil. Cinnamon is aromatic and one of the best tasting spices. In recent years scientists have discovered that cinnamon extract has strong antioxidant activity and has the potential to help maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Patients with diabetes may find cinnamon to be a healthful addition to their diet. Cinnamon is sometimes added to natural weight loss products, especially in combination with Green-Tea-Extract or another herb called hoodia extract.
   A combination of hoodia, ginger, cinnamon, green tea extract, spirulina, acetylcarnitine, choline, guggul, 5htp, and several other herbs and nutrients, as found in Diet Rx, a very effective herbal diet pill for weight loss. Users of Diet Rx have lost several pounds within two to three weeks. Acai juice is not likely to lead to weight loss.

Cinnamon pill use has become popular since studies indicate it may have a role to play in lowering blood sugar. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the shoots of a tree (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum) that grows predominantly in India, China, and Ceylon. The inner rind when dried and rolled into cylinders forms the cinnamon of commerce. The fruit and coarser pieces of bark when boiled yield a fragrant oil. Cinnamon is aromatic and one of the best tasting spices. In recent years scientists have discovered that cinnamon extract has strong antioxidant activity and has the potential to help maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Patients with diabetes may find cinnamon to be a healthful addition to their diet.

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One of the oldest remedies used in traditional Chinese herbalism for digestive support, recent studies have shown cinnamon may support healthy blood sugar levels, when used as part of your diet, by activating insulin and glucose transport and improving glucose metabolism.

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Cinnamon, blood sugar control, and diabetes
There is a debate in the medical community regarding the role of cinnamon in blood sugar control. Several studies have shown that cinnamon can help reduce blood sugar in those with type two diabetes. One study in September 2007 in the journal Diabetes Care did not find such benefit. However, there were at least two design flaws. The cinnamon dose was only one gram a day as opposed to several grams a day, and the diabetics were already taking blood sugar lowering prescription drugs.
   Researchers at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City randomly assigned type 2 diabetics to take either cinnamon capsules or a placebo every day for three months. The cinnamon group took two capsules a day, each of which contained 500 milligrams of the spice. In the end, there were no differences in the groups' average levels of blood sugar, insulin or cholesterol, according to Dr. Steve M. Blevins. Diabetes Care, September 2007.

Cinnamon lowers blood sugar
It has been quite a number of years now that researchers have tested the role of cinnamon supplements in blood sugar control. Most studies, but not all, have shown cinnamon to play a positive role. In this latest study done at Malmo University Hospital, University of Lund, in Sweden, the effect of cinnamon was tested on the rate of gastric emptying, the after meal blood glucose response, and satiety in healthy subjects. Healthy subjects ingested 300 grams of rice pudding or 300 grams of rice pudding along with 6 grams of cinnamon. The addition of cinnamon to the rice pudding significantly delayed gastric emptying and lowered the glucose response after the meal.
   My comments: Most cinnamon supplements come in 300 to 500 mg of regular powder, and lower amounts for concentrated extracts. It would seem reasonable to use about 3 grams a day of the regular powder and less of the extracts. This study did not include other supplements. Many people who have diabetes are often taking several other supplements and medicines. It is not clear how the cinnamon addition would interact with these medicines or other products. For this reason perhaps starting with one cinnamon capsule and gradually building up could be a good option. Discuss with your health care provider.

Cinnamon study
Cinnamon extract prevents the insulin resistance induced by a high-fructose diet.
Qin B. Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
Horm Metab Res. 2004 Feb;36(2):119-25.
The aim of this study was to determine whether cinnamon extract would improve the glucose utilization in normal male Wistar rats fed a high-fructose diet (HFD) for three weeks with or without cinnamon extract added to the drinking water (300 mg/kg/day). In vivo glucose utilization was measured by the euglycemic clamp technique. Further analyses on the possible changes in insulin signaling occurring in skeletal muscle were performed afterwards by Western blotting. At 3 mU/kg/min insulin infusions, the decreased glucose infusion rate (GIR) in HFD-fed rats (60 % of controls) was improved by cinnamon extract administration to the same level of controls (normal chow diet) and the improving effect of cinnamon extract on the GIR of HFD-fed rats was blocked by approximately 50 % by N-monometyl-L-arginine. The same tendency was found during the 30 mU/kg/min insulin infusions. There were no differences in skeletal muscle insulin receptor (IR)-beta, IR substrate (IRS)-1, or phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase protein content in any groups. Our results suggest that early cinnamon extract administration to HFD-fed rats would prevent the development of insulin resistance at least in part by enhancing insulin signaling and possibly via the NO pathway in skeletal muscle.

Isolation and characterization of polyphenol type-A polymers from cinnamon with insulin-like biological activity.
Anderson RA.Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA, ARS, Bldg 307C, Rm 223, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2350, USA.
J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Jan 14;52(1):65-70.
We have shown that extracts from cinnamon enhance the activity of insulin. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize insulin-enhancing complexes from cinnamon that may be involved in the alleviation or possible prevention and control of glucose intolerance and diabetes. Water-soluble polyphenol polymers from cinnamon that increase insulin-dependent in vitro glucose metabolism roughly 20-fold and display antioxidant activity were isolated and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The polymers were composed of monomeric units with a molecular mass of 288. Two trimers with a molecular mass of 864 and a tetramer with a mass of 1152 were isolated. Their protonated molecular masses indicated that they are A type doubly linked procyanidin oligomers of the catechins and/or epicatechins. These polyphenolic polymers found in cinnamon may function as antioxidants, potentiate insulin action, and may be beneficial in the control of glucose intolerance and diabetes.

Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes.
Khan A. NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan.
Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8.
The objective of this study was to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. A total of 60 people with type 2 diabetes, 30 men and 30 women aged 52.2 +/- 6.32 years, were divided randomly into six groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consumed 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon daily, respectively, and groups 4, 5, and 6 were given placebo capsules corresponding to the number of capsules consumed for the three levels of cinnamon. The cinnamon was consumed for 40 days followed by a 20-day washout period. After 40 days, all three levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18-29%), triglyceride (23-30%), LDL cholesterol (7-27%), and total cholesterol (12-26%) levels; no significant changes were noted in the placebo groups. Changes in HDL cholesterol were not significant. The results of this study demonstrate that intake of 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon per day reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Controlled trial of the effect of cinnamon extract on Helicobacter pylori.
Nir Y. Bnai Zion Medical Center, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
Helicobacter. 2000 Jun;5(2):94-7.
Helicobacter pylori has been associated with the pathogenesis of antral gastritis, duodenal ulcer, and gastric lymphoma. Eradication of H. pylori has been shown to reverse or prevent relapse of these diseases. Antimicrobials employed in the eradication of H. pylori are not without adverse effects. Newer treatment modalities, therefore, are required. In vitro studies have shown the effectiveness of cinnamon extract against H. pylori and its urease. In this pilot study, we tested the activity of an alcoholic extract of cinnamon in a group of patients infected with H. pylori. Fifteen patients (11 women, 4 men) aged 16 to 79 years were given 40 mg of an alcoholic cinnamon extract twice daily for 4 weeks; eight patients aged 35 to 79 (7 women, 1 man) received placebo. The amount of H. pylori colonization was measured by the 13C urea breath test before and after therapy. The mean urea breath test counts in the study and control groups before and after therapy were 22 and 23 versus 24 and 25, respectively. The cinnamon extract was well tolerated, and side effects were minimal. We concluded that cinnamon extract, at a concentration of 80 mg /day as a single agent, is ineffective in eradicating H. pylori. Combination of cinnamon with other antimicrobials, or cinnamon extract at a higher concentration, however, may prove useful.

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Cinnamone bark extract availability from raw herb and ingredient suppliers
Cinnamon bark is available as a plain powder or in various extract potencies, for instance a 5 to 1 concentration.

Cinnamon supplement questions
Q. Can a cinnamon supplement be taken along with 5-HTP supplement.
   A. If the 5htp and cinnamon supplement dosages are low or reasonable, yes. See further reading herbal research information.

Q. How many capsules a day of cinnamon supplement would help with blood sugar control?
   A. It's difficult to predict in any one individual, but it's best to begin with one capsule and take more over time.

Q. I discovered your site while trying to find out what may have caused one of the worst nights of my life. Could too much cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon), sprinkled on, say, grapefruit or oranges, cause intestinal aches? Onslaughts of pain like tidal waves striking an unprotected beach? Intermittent tortures occurring every twelve minutes and lasting about 12 seconds, OVER TEN HOURS?! My insides are still sore, and I'm still shaky and wobbly, but I think cinnamon, and to a much greater degree, nutmeg, should not be treated like harmless aromatic spices. Even a pinch too much can cause agony.

Q. I read somewhere about adding honey and cinnamon to "tea water". Is this just hot water, or is it any flavor of tea that you add this to?
   A. Some people like cinnamon taste in various teas, others don't, you may wish to try to see which teas you like combined with cinnamon.

Q. Recently, there have been a lot of publication on cinnamon herb. I would like your input on this subject. My friend had mentioned to me that he started taking 2 cinnamon capsules 1,000mg daily on what he heard about cinnamon. He is pre-diabetic. He did stop after I had showed him the site that I was reading. Never asked his Doctor if he could take the supplement. I was concern because he is taking 3 blood pressure medications and gout medication, and that the combination would interfere with each other.
   A. There is no clear evidence yet that a few grams of cinnamon make a significant difference in blood sugar control.

Q. "Cinnamon extract inhibits the aggregation of tau and disassembles fibers that have already formed." I ran across this rather tantalizing information:  The title is "CINNAMON EXTRACT USEFUL FOR INHIBITING THE AGGREGATION OF TAU AND TREATING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE" by a researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara by the name of Donald Graves. Here is the most detail I've found about this: "Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have discovered an extract of common cinnamon that contains a class of small organic molecules that inhibit several key processes in Alzheimer's disease. The cinnamon extract inhibits the aggregation of tau and disassembles fibers that have already formed, suggesting that neurofibrillary tangles can possibly be reversed by these compounds. The extract exhibits potent inhibitory activity, is orally available, water-soluble, non-toxic, and the bioactive molecules are likely brain permeable. The extract is readily produced in large quantities and can be encapsulated in powder form for oral administration. These properties make the cinnamon extract a highly favorable substance for development into an effective therapeutic to slow or prevent Alzheimer's disease." I haven't been able to find much more about this, but as you can imagine, I'm extremely interested. I don't know what the "extract" is, exactly, and if regular old cinnamon has enough of this stuff to do the job.
   A. There are many, many laboratory studies with a variety of herbs and natural substances that have shown benefits for Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. Until human trials are done one should not get overly excited. However, cinnamon has many healthy compounds and one can either add more cinnamon spice to their diet or take cinnamon extract capsules.

How much does each cinnamon tablet of your cinnamon supplement product extract equate to? Should I take 2 tablets after each meal or 2 tablets total?
    It is difficult to say, but each cinnamon extract pill is about 1500 mg of cinnamon powder. This is a very rough guess. As to your cinnamon dosage, that is a decision you and your doctor would need to make based on your individual needs.

Would one capsule of a cinnamon extract interfere with tongkat ali herb?
    One capsule should be okay as long as the dosage of the aphrodisiac herb is low.

I am taking cinnamon zeylenicum, half teaspoon daily. Can I purchase cinnamon powder or quills? If not if you have pure cinnamon zeylenacom capsules, can you advise the dose equivalent to what I am taking?
    Cinnamon capsules are available for sale, but these are cinnamon extract capsules which are more potent that cinnamon powder. We suggest starting with one cinnamon capsule a day.

I started taking 1 capsule of cinnamon about 12 days ago after reading about it on my computer. my A1C diabetic test for 3 months was 7, so I was worried about having to take a diabetic drug. I could find no side effects for cinnamon, which I can not say for the diabetic medications. The cinnamon I am taking is only 1/2 of the daily dose but the results are amazing. It has reduced my blood sugar to where it is less than 100 a lot of the time. If you are interested, I can give you exact readings to show you how effective this is. I would be glad to be part of a test, if it would help other type 2 diabetics like myself. I am 81 years old. The name of the cinnamon product is Natures Bounty. It contains 500 mg per capsule of cinnamon. ( Cinnamomum cassia (bark) also some magnesium. dosage is 1 capsule twice a day.
I am only taking 1 capsule (500 mg) and am having great success with it. I watch my diet very carefully and eat the green stuff. I am so happy and thank God for allowing me to read about the test that was run. My husband is also a diabetic 2 . It has not reduced his sugar as much as mine. He is on medication, which I am not.

I take 2 grams of cinnamon daily as a supplement, would this interact if I use yohimbe extract once a week?
    We don't think the occasional use of the aphrodisiac herb would interact with cinnamon supplement.

I am interested (and concerned) about cinnamon's safety. The information I have gathered seems to indicate that it's GRAS and safe if taken over short periods of time. My concern is about the essential oil, which I think is what flavors the gum and candy. Of course, I have taken to chewing cinnamon gum recently. Most says that the oil is much stronger than the bark, and could be harmful in some people. Citing mouth sores, and other such symptoms that disappear when use is stopped. One however, mentions that long term use could cause cancer. And anytime I see this word, I freak. I cannot find any other article that concurs with this, which leads me to think that it's probably bunk. In your description, I didn't see any safety precautions at all (unless I missed it). What is your feeling on the safety of whatever oil they use to flavor gum and candy?
    We have not seen any strong evidence at this time that cinnamon oil use leads to serious health concerns such as cancer.