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. The fruit and coarser pieces of bark when boiled yield a fragrant oil. A related cinnamon species is Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum). The powdered cinnamon sold in stores in the United States is believed to be Cassia.
   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. Research studies with the use of cinnamon in blood sugar control have yielded conflicting results and it is not clear at this time whether taking a cinnamon supplement would reduce blood sugar levels with long term use.
   Sometimes researchers who study the role of cinnamon in blood sugar control do not clearly indicate whether they are using Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Cinnamomum aromaticum, or another specis. I am not sure how the chemical composition differs between these various cinnamon species.

Cinnamon Extract 200 mg
Planetary Formulas

One of the oldest remedies used in traditional Chinese herbalism for digestive support, recent studies have shown cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum or or Cinnamomum cassia) 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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Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, including cinnamon supplement, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Cinnamon Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 2 Tablets
Calcium 50 mg 6%
Cinnamomum aromaticum 300 mg *
Bark Extract 10:1, yielding 8% Flavonoids
Cinnamomum aromaticum Bark 100 mg*

Suggested Use: Take 1- 3 cinnamon supplement tablets daily, or as recommended by your healthcare professional.
* Cinnamon supplement daily value not established.

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Eyesight Rx with Cinnamon
Supports Healthy Vision
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Supplement Facts:
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
Citrus bioflavonoids (eriocitrin, hesperidin, flavonols, flavones, flavonoids, naringenin, and quercetin)
Mixed carotenoids including astaxanthin, beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Lycopene, and Zeaxanthin.
Bilberry extract (Vaccinium myrtillus)
Eyebright extract (Euphrasia officianales)
Jujube extract (Zizyphus jujube)
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba)
Suma extract (Pfaffia paniculata)
Mucuna pruriens extract (Cowhage)
Cinnamon extract (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) - also known as Goji Berry
Lycium berry extract (Lycium Barbarum)
Sarsaparila (Sarsaparilla Smilax)
Alpha Lipoic Acid is an antioxidant

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Cinnamon 6 - 750 mg
Herbal Promise

Cinnamon is one of the oldest remedies used in traditional Chinese herbalism. Recent studies show cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum) may support healthy blood sugar levels when used as part of your diet, by activating insulin and glucose transport and improving glucose metabolism.

Additional herbs involved in sugar management include gymnema, prickly pear, fenugreek, and bitter melon.

Cinnamon 6 Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: 9 Tablets
Chromium picolinate - 450 mcg
     (375% daily value)

Proprietary blend 6750 mg:
Cinnamon , Gymnema Sylvestre leaves (Gumar), Nopal (prickly pear), American ginseng, fenugreek, bitter melon. *

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Benefit of Cinnamon Supplement -- Cinnamon and Diabetes
Some studies show cinnamon supports healthy blood sugar levels which may be important for those who have diabetes, however it is difficult to know how much cinnamon needs to be taken by those with diabetes in order to have an appreciable effect on blood sugar levels.

Effect of cinnamon on postprandial blood glucose, gastric emptying, and satiety in healthy subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 6, 1552-1556, June 2007. Joanna Hlebowicz, Gassan Darwiche, Ola Björgell and Lars-Olof Almér. From the Departments of Medicine and Radiology, Malmö University Hospital, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
The effect of cinnamon was tested on the rate of gastric emptying, the postprandial blood glucose response, and satiety in healthy subjects. Fourteen healthy subjects ingested 300 grams of rice pudding or 300 g rice pudding and 6 g cinnamon. The addition of cinnamon to the rice pudding significantly delayed gastric emptying and lowered the postprandial glucose response. The intake of 6 g cinnamon with rice pudding reduces postprandial blood glucose and delays gastric emptying without affecting satiety. Inclusion of cinnamon in the diet lowers the postprandial glucose response.

Effects of short-term cinnamon ingestion on in vivo glucose tolerance.
Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 November. Solomon TP, Blannin AK. School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Seven lean young healthy male volunteers underwent three oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) supplemented with either a 5 g placebo (OGTT (control)), 5 g of cinnamon (OGTT (cin)), or 5 g of cinnamon taken 12 h before (OGTT (cin12hpre)) in a randomized-crossover design. Cinnamon ingestion reduced total plasma glucose responses as well as improving insulin sensitivity. These data illustrate that cinnamon spice supplementation may be important to in vivo glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in humans, and not only are its effects immediate, they also appear to be sustained for 12 h.

The effect of cinnamon extract on insulin resistance parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome: a pilot study.
Fertil Steril. 2007 July. Wang JG, Anderson RA, Graham GM 3rd, Chu MC, Sauer MV, Guarnaccia MM, Lobo RA. Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10023, USA.
Cinnamon extract has been shown to reduce insulin resistance in in vitro and in vivo studies by increasing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity in the insulin signaling pathway and thus potentiating insulin action. Fifteen women with polycystic ovary syndrome were randomized to daily oral cinnamon and placebo for 8 weeks. Comparisons of post-treatment to baseline insulin sensitivity indices using fasting and 2-hour oral glucose tolerance tests showed significant reductions in insulin resistance in the cinnamon group but not in the placebo group.

Cinnamon benefit summary
Cinnamon, at about 3 to 6 grams a day, seems to have a moderate effect in reducing fasting plasma glucose concentrations in type 2 diabetic patients with poor blood sugar control.  Cinnamon supplement may not be very effective in lowering blood sugar in those with type 1 diabetes.

Cinnamon Supplement Research Update
Malaysian researchers have found new proof that cinnamon can relieve diabetes by lowering sugar levels. A three-year study carried out by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia showed that the spice has positive effects on Type II diabetes. Herbalists all over the world use cinnamon. In the last decade, laboratory studies have revealed that cinnamon extract mimics insulin action in the cells. Insulin regulates the body's ability to use sugars in the blood, but in people with diabetes the cells lose their ability to respond to the hormone. Rapidly developing Asian nations are now being hit with rising rates of diabetes, which is linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity and unhealthy diets.

Cinnamon extract prevents the insulin resistance induced by a high-fructose diet.
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). These 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 nitric oxide 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, Beltsville, Maryland
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 were identified as 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.
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.
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 22.1 and 23.9 versus 24.4 and 25.9, respectively. The cinnamon extract was well tolerated, and side effects were minimal. We conclude 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.

In vitro activity of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon) against azole resistant and sensitive Candida species and a pilot study of cinnamon for oral candidiasis.
Quale JM. epartment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Brooklyn, New York USA.
Am J Chin Med. 1996;24(2):103-9.
Fluconazole-resistant Candida species are an emerging problem. In this report, the in vitro activity of Cinnamon against fluconazole-resistant and-susceptible Candida isolates is described. The MICs of the bark of Cinnamon ranged from < 0.05-30 mg/ml, and were slightly better than commercially available cinnamon powder. Trans-cinnamaldehyde and O-methoxycinnamaldehyde had MICs of 0.03-0.5 mg/ml. The MICs of selected cinnamon candies and gums generally ranged from 25-100 mg/ml. Five patients with HIV infection and oral candidiasis received a commercially available cinnamon preparation for one week. There of the five patients had improvement of their oral candidiasis. Clinical trials will be necessary to determine the usefulness of cinnamon for the treatment of mucosal candidiasis.

Additional links
saw palmetto information
serrapeptase enzyme research
ahcc for cancer
For more information on spices.

Cinnamon and Diabetes emails
Q. Can banaba be taken with cinnamon?
   A. Probably, I don't see why cinnamon and banaba can't be combined.

Q. Would taking a cinnamon supplement along with hoodia cause any problems?
   A. Probably not if the dosages are low. See hoodia diet pill weight loss information.