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Cinnamon

Cinnamomum cassia / Cinnamomum verum

Also known as cinnamon, cassia, Ceylon cinnamon, true cinnamon, dalchini

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Dried inner bark from several Cinnamomum species. Almost all supermarket cinnamon is cassia, which contains far more coumarin than Ceylon or "true" cinnamon; the USDA entry is per 100 g of ground bark, while a culinary portion is a gram or two.

The cassia and Ceylon distinction is the single most useful thing to know about cinnamon. Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia, C. burmannii, C. loureiroi) is the hard, dark, strongly flavoured bark sold as ordinary ground cinnamon in most of the world. Ceylon cinnamon (C. verum) is paler, layered and crumbly, milder in flavour, and contains coumarin at a small fraction of cassia levels. Research on cinnamon and blood sugar has almost all used cassia; safety ceilings almost all concern cassia too.

Blood Sugar & Metabolic HealthHeart HealthWeight Management

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Limited evidence

Meta-analyses of cinnamon trials in type 2 diabetes report small reductions in fasting glucose, but reviews disagree with each other, HbA1c results are inconsistent, and heterogeneity is high enough that reviewers repeatedly decline to recommend it. Doses are typically one to six grams a day of cassia powder in capsules, which is well above ordinary seasoning use.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Some of the same trials report small reductions in triglycerides and total cholesterol. The findings are inconsistent between reviews, the trials are short, and the effect sizes are of uncertain clinical relevance.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Cinnamon is heavily marketed for weight loss and appetite control. The trials that measured body weight or fat mass are few, short and largely null, so there is not enough human evidence to support that use.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories247 kcal12%
Protein3.99 g8%
Total fat1.24 g2%
Carbohydrate80.6 g29%
Fibre53.1 g190%
Total sugars2.17 g—
Water10.6 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.345 g2%
Monounsaturated fat0.246 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.068 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.011 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.044 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A15 µg2%
Vitamin C3.8 mg4%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E2.32 mg15%
Vitamin K31.2 µg26%
Thiamin (B1)0.022 mg2%
Riboflavin (B2)0.041 mg3%
Niacin (B3)1.33 mg8%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.358 mg7%
Vitamin B60.158 mg9%
Folate6 µg2%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline11 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium1002 mg77%
Iron8.32 mg46%
Magnesium60 mg14%
Phosphorus64 mg5%
Potassium431 mg9%
Sodium10 mg0%
Zinc1.83 mg17%
Copper0.339 mg38%
Manganese17.5 mg759%
Selenium3.1 µg6%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene112 µg—
Alpha-carotene1 µg—
Lycopene15 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin222 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash3.6 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Spices, cinnamon, ground (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171320).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • brewedReduces coumarin intake

    Coumarin is only sparingly water-soluble, so an infusion made from cassia bark carries considerably less of it than eating the equivalent weight of ground powder. Sticks steeped and discarded are a lower-coumarin route than powder stirred into food.

  • groundReduces volatile aroma compounds

    Cinnamaldehyde is volatile and pre-ground cinnamon loses aroma over months of storage. Grinding sticks as needed retains more of it.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Coumarin in cassia cinnamon and liver toxicity at chronic high intake

    Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, which is hepatotoxic at high chronic doses. European regulators set a tolerable daily intake of 0.1 mg of coumarin per kilogram of body weight per day, and a heaped teaspoon of cassia can approach or exceed that for a small adult or a child taken daily over long periods. Ceylon cinnamon contains only traces of coumarin and is the sensible choice for anyone using cinnamon by the spoonful rather than the pinch. Reversible liver enzyme elevations have been reported in people taking cassia-based cinnamon supplements.

  • Interaction

    Additive with glucose-lowering medication

    Cinnamon supplements have produced small reductions in fasting glucose in some trials. People taking insulin or sulfonylureas should regard gram-scale daily cinnamon as a variable worth monitoring rather than assuming it is inert.

  • Worth knowing

    Mouth irritation from cinnamaldehyde

    Cinnamaldehyde causes contact stomatitis in susceptible people — burning, peeling and white patches inside the mouth — most often from cinnamon-flavoured chewing gum, sweets and toothpaste rather than cooking.

  • Too much

    Dry powder is an inhalation hazard

    Swallowing a spoonful of dry cinnamon powder, popularised as a social media dare, causes choking, coughing and aspiration; inhaled cellulose fibres are not cleared from the lungs and hospital admissions have resulted.