Overview
Ceylon cinnamon is used for indigestion (dyspepsia), diarrhea, diabetes, obesity, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
In foods, cinnamon is used as a spice and flavoring agent.
In manufacturing, cinnamon oil is used in small amounts in toothpaste, mouthwashes, gargles, lotions, liniments, soaps, detergents, pharmaceutical products, and cosmetics.
How does it work ?
Uses & Effectiveness ?
Possibly Ineffective for
- Diabetes. Early research shows that taking Ceylon cinnamon daily does not lower blood sugar in people with well-controlled diabetes. There is weak evidence that it might help people with poorly controlled diabetes. But higher quality research is needed to confirm.
- Obesity. Taking Ceylon cinnamon every day for 2-3 months does not seem to decrease body weight.
Insufficient Evidence for
- Hay fever. Using a nasal spray containing Ceylon cinnamon might improve symptoms of hay fever.
- Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea). Early research shows that taking Ceylon cinnamon for the first 3 days of menstruation may improve pain in women with menstrual cramps.
- Swelling (inflammation) and sores inside the mouth (oral mucositis). Early research shows that rinsing the mouth with 10 mL of mouthwash containing Ceylon cinnamon leaf oil helps prevent mouth sores in some people with dentures.
- A hormonal disorder that causes enlarged ovaries with cysts (polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS). Some early research shows that taking Ceylon cinnamon reduces insulin resistance in women with PCOS. But it doesn't appear to improve fastingblood sugar levels, blood fat levels, weight, or body mass index. It's unclear if Ceylon cinnamon can improve pregnancy rates or birth rates.
- A long-term disorder of the large intestines that causes stomach pain (irritable bowel syndrome or IBS).
- Common cold.
- Diarrhea.
- Early orgasm in men (premature ejaculation).
- Flu (influenza).
- Indigestion (dyspepsia).
- Infection of the intestines by parasites.
- Migraine.
- Prediabetes.
- Other conditions.
Side Effects
Special Precautions and Warnings
Breast-feeding: Ceylon cinnamon is LIKELY SAFE when taken in food amounts during breast-feeding. Not enough is known about the safety of taking larger amounts. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.
Surgery: Ceylon cinnamon can affect blood pressure and blood sugar levels and might interfere with blood pressure and blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop taking cinnamon at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Interactions ?
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with CEYLON CINNAMON
Cinnamon bark might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking cinnamon bark along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
Dosing
Sambaiah, K. and Srinivasan, K. Effect of cumin, cinnamon, ginger, mustard and tamarind in induced hypercholesterolemic rats. Nahrung 1991;35(1):47-51. View abstract.
Admani S, Hill H, Jacob SE. Cinnamon Sugar Scrub Dermatitis: "Natural" Is Not Always Best. Pediatr Dermatol. 2017;34(1):e42-e43. View abstract.
Agricultural Research Service. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Available at: www.ars-grin.gov/duke/.
Ainehchi N, Khaki A, Farshbaf-Khalili A, Hammadeh M, Ouladsahebmadarek E. The Effectiveness of Herbal Mixture Supplements with and without Clomiphene Citrate in Comparison to Clomiphene Citrate on Serum Antioxidants and Glycemic Biomarkers in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Willing to be Pregnant: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Biomolecules. 2019;9(6):215. View abstract.
Alqasoumi S. Anti-secretagogue and antiulcer effects of 'cinnamon' Cinnamomum zeylanicum in rats. J Pharmacog Phytother 2012;4:53-61.
Anderson RA, Broadhurst CL, Polansky MM, et al. Isolation and Characterization of Polyphenol Type-A Polymers from Cinnamon with Insulin-like Biological Activity. J Agric Food Chem 2004;52:65-70. View abstract.
Arentz S, Smith CA, Abbott J, Fahey P, Cheema BS, Bensoussan A. Combined Lifestyle and Herbal Medicine in Overweight Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Randomized Controlled Trial. Phytother Res. 2017 Sep;31(9):1330-1340. View abstract.
Azimi P, Ghiasvand R Feizi A, Hariri M, Abbasi B. Effects of cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, and ginger consumption on markers of glycemic control, lipid profile, oxidative stress, and inflammation in type 2 diabetes. Rev Diabet Stud. 2014 Fall-Winter;11(3-4):258-66. View abstract.
Azimi P, Ghiasvand R, Feizi A, et al. Effect of cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and ginger consumption on blood pressure and a marker of endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Blood Press. 2016;25(3):133-40. View abstract.
Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, eds. Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications, 2000.
Brancheau D, Patel B, Zughaib M. Do cinnamon supplements cause acute hepatitis? Am J Case Rep 2015;16:250-4. View abstract.
Choi HK, Jung GW, Moon KH, et al. Clinical study of SS-Cream in patients with lifelong premature ejaculation. Urology 2000;55:257-61. View abstract.
Chularisi MU, Picha P, Rienkijkan M, Preechanukool K. The cytotoxic effect of petroleum ether and chloroform extracts from Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum nees) barks on tumor cells in vitro. Int J Crude Drug Res 1984;22:177-80.
Concalves JL, Lopes RC, Oliveira DB, et al. In vitro anti-rotavirus activity of some medicinal plants used in Brazil against diarrhea. J Ethnopharmacol 2005;99(3):403-7. View abstract.
Corren, J., Lemay, M., Lin, Y., Rozga, L., and Randolph, R. K. Clinical and biochemical effects of a combination botanical product (ClearGuard) for allergy: a pilot randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Nutr.J 2008;7:20. View abstract.
Eidi A, Mortazavi P, Bazargam M, Zaringhalam J. Hepatoprotective activity of cinnamon ethanolic extract against CCL 4-induced liver injury in rats. EXCLI J 2012;11:495-507. View abstract.
El Az NMTA, Khalil FAM, Shaapan RM. Therapeutic effect of onion (allium cepa) and cinnamon (cinnamomum zeylanicum) oils on cryptosporidiosis in experimentally infected mice. Global Vet 2011;7:179-83.
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182
Farahpour MR, Habibi M. Evaluation of the wound healing activity of an ethanolic extract of Ceylon cinnamon in mice. Vet Med 2012;57:53-7.
Felter SP, Vassallo JD, Carlton BD, Daston GP. A safety assessment of coumarin taking into account species-specificity of toxicokinetics. Food Chem Toxicol 2006;44:462-75. View abstract.
Hajimonfarednejad M, Nimrouzi M, Heydari M, Zarshenas MM, Raee MJ, Jahromi BN. Insulin resistance improvement by cinnamon powder in polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res 2018;32(2):276-83. View abstract.
Hassan SA, Barthwal R, Nair MS, Haque SS. Aqueous bark extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum: a potential therapeutic agent for steptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) rats. Top J Pharm Res 2012;11:429-35.
Hawrelak, J. A. and Myers, S. P. Effects of two natural medicine formulations on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16(10):1065-1071. View abstract.
Heshmati J, Sepidarkish M, Morvaridzadeh M, et al. The effect of cinnamon supplementation on glycemic control in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Food Biochem 2020 Oct 27:e13543. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13543. View abstract.
Isaac-Renton M, Li MK, Parsons LM. Cinnamon spice and everything not nice: many features of intraoral allergy to cinnamic aldehyde. Dermatitis. 2015;26(3):116-21. View abstract.
Jahangirifar M, Taebi M, Dolatian M. The effect of cinnamon on primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2018;33:56-60. View abstract.
Jain S, Sangma T, Shukla SK, Mediratta PK. Effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract on scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in rats. Nutr Neurosci 2015;18(5):210-6. View abstract.
Jarvill-Taylor KJ, Anderson RA, Graves DJ. A hydroxychalcone derived from cinnamon functions as a mimetic for insulin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. J Am Coll Nutr 2001;20:327-36. View abstract.
Javed I, Faisal I, Rahman Z, et al. Lipid lowering effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum in hyperlipidaemic albino rabbits. Pak J Pharm Sci 2012;25(1):141-7. View abstract.
Kamath JV, Rana AC, Chowdhury AR. Pro-healing effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark. Phytother Res 2003;17(8):970-2. View abstract.
Kanerva L, Estlander T, Jolanki R. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from spices. Contact Dermatitis 1996;35:157-62. View abstract.
Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan M, et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2003;26:3215-8. View abstract.
Meades G Jr, Henken RL, Waldrop GL, et al. Constituents of cinnamon inhibit bacterial acetyl CoA carboxylase. Planta Med 2010;76(14):1570-5. View abstract.
Mirfeizi M, Mehdizadeh Tourzani Z, Mirfeizi SZ, et al. Controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus with herbal medicines: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety. J Diabetes. 2016 Sep;8(5):647-56. View abstract.
Mirmiranpour H, Huseini HF, Derakhshanian H, Khodaii Z, Tavakoli-Far B. Effects of probiotic, cinnamon, and synbiotic supplementation on glycemic control and antioxidant status in people with type 2 diabetes; a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Diabetes Metab Disord 2019;19(1):53-60. View abstract.
Nyadjeu P, Dongmo A, Nguelefack TB, Kamanyi A. Antihypertensive and vasorelaxant effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum stem bark aqueous extracts. J Complement Integr Med 2011;8. View abstract.
Oliveira JdA, da Silva IC, Trindade LA, et al. Safety and tolerability of essential oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum blume leaves with action on oral candidosis and its effect on the physical properties of the acylic resin. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2014;2014:325670. View abstract.
Onderoglu S, Sozer S, Erbil KM, et al. The evaluation of long-term effcts of cinnamon bark and olive leaf on toxicity induced by streptozotocin administration to rats. J Pharm Pharmacol 1999;51:1305-12. View abstract.
Peterson DW, George RC, Scaramozzino F, et al. Cinnamon extract inhibits tau aggregation associated with Alzheimer's disease in vitro. J Alzheimers Dis 2009;17(3):585-97. View abstract.
Pilapil VR. Toxic manifestations of cinnamon oil ingestion in a child. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1989;28:276.. View abstract.
Quale, J. M., Landman, D., Zaman, M. M., Burney, S., and Sathe, S. S. In vitro activity of Cinnamomum zeylanicum against azole resistant and sensitive Candida species and a pilot study of cinnamon for oral candidiasis. Am J Chin Med 1996;24(2):103-109. View abstract.
Rana IS, Singh A, Gwal R. In vitro study of antibacterial activity of aromatic and medicinal plants essential oils with special reference to cinnamon oil. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci 2011;3:376-80.
Ranasinghe P, Galappaththy P. Health benefits of Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a summary of the current evidence. Ceylon Med J 2016;61(1):1-5. View abstract.
Ranasinghe P, Jayawardana R, Galappaththy P, et al. Efficacy and safety of 'true' cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) as a pharmaceutical agent in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabet Med 2012;29(12):1480-92. View abstract.
Ranasinghe P, Jayawardena R, Galappaththy P, et al. Response to Akilen et al. Efficacy and safety of 'true' cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) as a pharmaceutical agent in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabet Med 2013 Apr;30(4):506-7. View abstract.
Ranasinghe P, Jayawardena R, Pigera S, et al. Evaluation of pharmacodynamic properties and safety of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) in healthy adults: a phase I clinical trial. BMC Complement Altern Med 2017;17(1):550. View abstract.
Ranasinghe P, Pigera S, Premakumara GA, et al. Medicinal properties of 'true' cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med 2013;13:275. View abstract.
Rao HJ, Lakshmi. Anti-diarrhoeal activity of the aqueous extract of the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum linn in mice. J Clin Diagn Res 2012;6:117-24.
Rosti L, Gastaldi G, Frigiola A. Cinnamon and bacterial enteric infections. Indian J Pediatr 2008;75(5). View abstract.
Rosti L, Gastaldi G. Chronic salmonellosis and cinnamon. Pediatrics 2005;116:1057. View abstract.
Samarasekera R, Kalhari KS, Weerasinghe IS. Mosquitocidal acitivy of leaf and bark essential oils of Ceylon cinnamomum zeylanicum. J Essent Oil Res 2005;17:301-3.
Singh R, Koppikar SJ, Paul P, et al. Comparative analysis of cytotoxic effect of aqueous cinnamon extract from Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark with commercial cinnamaldehyde on various cell lines. Pharm Biol 2009;47:1174-9.
Steels E, Steels E, Deshpande P, Thakurdesai P, Dighe S, Collet T. A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study of intranasal standardized cinnamon bark extract for seasonal allergic rhinitis. Complement Ther Med. 2019;47:102198. View abstract.
Takasao N, Tsuji-Naito K, Ishikura S, et al. Cinnamon extract promotes type I collagen biosynthesis via activation of IGF-I signaling in human dermal fibroblasts. J Agric Food Chem 2012;60(5):1193-200. View abstract.
Talaei B, Amouzegar A, Sahranavard S, Hedayati M, Mirmiran P, Azizi F. Effects of cinnamon consumption on glycemic indicators, advanced glycation end products, and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic patients. Nutrients. 2017 Sep 8;9(9). Pii:E991. View abstract.
Tsuji-Naito K. Aldehydic components of cinnamon bark extract suppresses RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis through NFATc1 downregulation. Bioorg Med Chem 2008;16(20):9176-83. View abstract.
Vafa M, Mohammadi F, Shidfar F, Sormaghi MS, Heidari I, Golestan B, Armiri F. Effects of cinnamon consumption on glycemic status, lipid profile and body composition in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Prev Med. 2012 Aug;3(8):531-6. View abstract.
Vallianou N, Tsang C, Taghizadeh M, Davoodvandi A, Jafarnejad S. Effect of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) supplementation on serum C-reactive protein concentrations: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Complement Ther Med 2019;42:271-8. View abstract.
Vandersall A, Katta R. Eyelid dermatitis as a manifestation of systemic contact dermatitis to cinnamon. Dermatitis. 2015 Jul-Aug;26(4):189. View abstract.
Verspohl EJ, Bauer K, Neddermann E. Antidiabetic effect of Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum in vivo and in vitro. Phytother Res 2005;19:203-6. View abstract.
Wansi SL, Nyadjeu P, Ngamga D, et al. Blood pressure lowering effect of the ethanol extract from the stembark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (lauraceae) in rats. Pharmacol online 2007;3:166-76.
Yang YC, Lee HS, Lee SE, et al. Ovicidal and adulticidal activities of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark essential oil compounds and related compounds against Pediculus humanus capitis (Anopluar: Pediculicidae). Int J Parasitol 2005;35(14):1595-600. View abstract.
Zareie A, Sahebkar A, Khorvash F, Bagherniya M, Hasanzadeh A, Askari G. Effect of cinnamon on migraine attacks and inflammatory markers: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Phytother Res 2020;34(11):2945-52. View abstract.
Select a condition to view a list of vitamins
You Might Also Like
CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.
This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
© Therapeutic Research Faculty 2020.