Spice - Cinnamon True or Not True - Intel by The MUSEUM

Qassia Global > Qassia United States > The MUSEUM's Intel > Spice - Cinnamon True or Not True

Intel Contributor

This intel was added by The MUSEUM

The MUSEUM

Intel Classification

This intel has been classified as Unpublished Original Content, which means it first appeared on Qassia.

Intel Calendar

January, 2009

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January

Sign Up!

Not a member yet? You're missing out on one of the most powerful website promotion resources on the web. Sign up and join the party.

About Qassia

Find out more about Qassia by reading our About Us page, if you haven't done so already. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.

	PRINT THIS INTEL EMAIL THIS INTEL

Spice - Cinnamon True or Not True Spice - Cinnamon True or Not True When discussing cinnamon, it is important to know which cinnamon is being discussed as it relates to the use as a spice, and cinnamon as a medical treatment. There are the three cinnamon names associated with the word "cinnamon". There's the true cinnamon, cinnamon cassia, and Indonesian cinnamon. The "true cinnamon" is Cinnamomum zeylanicum or Ceylon cinnamon. It is considered the best and gets the highest prices. The Ceylon cinnamon is generally lower in volatile oils and richer in flavor than the other cinnamons. It comes from the thin inner bark of the species of flowering plants of the Laurales tree which is part of the Magnoliids that includes plants like avocado, bay leaf (bay laurel), black pepper, magnolias, and nutmeg. The tree that is the true cinnamon tree grows in semi-tropical regions of the world reaching heights of 20 to 30 feet. The true cinnamon plant is native to Ceylon, India (possibly its birth area), Malaysia, China, Japan and Taiwan. The tree is a very common plant in these areas. The best quality of bark is taken from a least a two year old tree from the branches of the tree. Cinnamon contains a component called "Coumarin" (as do all cinnamons) that is known to damage the liver and kidneys if used in large amounts or dosages. The true cinnamon has the least amount of Coumarin; and although it can be toxic, it is not toxic as toxic as the other cinnamons. The cinnamon cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum) also known as "Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia (L.) Presl) or Saigon (Cinnamomum loureiroi Nees.)" has a darker harsher fragrance and a more bitter astringent taste because of its higher volatile oils than true cinnamon. These volatile oils are why cinnamon cassia is considered the lower quality cinnamon. This cinnamon is one the oldest herbal medicines known to have been used as a medicine for over 4,000 years a in China. The cinnamon cassia is what most consumers in the United States purchase when they purchase cinnamon either in powder or stick form. This cinnamon is a medium to light reddish brown with a hard woody texture in both the powder and stick. The woody texture is due to the entire bark of the tree branch is used rather than the inner part as in the true cinnamon. The use of the entire bark of the branch is possibly the cause for the higher toxicity of Coumarin in the cinnamon cassia. Pregnant women, those allergic to Balsam, and men with prostrate problems, diabetics and people taking blood thinners should use causation and should consult their health care professional about usage of cinnamon, especially cinnamon cassia. Care should also be used when taking antibiotics and cinnamon. Antibotics may react differently when used with cinnamon. "Indonesian cinnamon" (Cinnamomum burmannii) comes closest in flavor to the Ceylon cinnamon but its quality and reputation can not compete with the Ceylon cinnamon. There seem to be some confusion about Indonesian cinnamon and cinnamon cassia as to which is best, which is mostly sold where, and the best value. From what I can understand, they are both cassia types with the Indonesian also know as "Korintje" a cassia type cinnamon that is grown at higher elevations and is harvested earlier than other cinnamon cassia types. As to quality, the Indonesian cinnamon seems to have it over the other cinnamon types. It tends to be more expensive than common cassia with a little more flavor. It is a fair substitute for Ceylon cinnamon when cost is important. As a medicinal spice, we know that cinnamon has been used in ancient times in Asia and Western cultures for ages. Only recently with the movement of natural medicines have spices and herbs come to the forefront in western cultures; where as in Asia spices and herbs have always been considered a primary method of healing. Cinnamon spice and oils of cinnamon have been used as stimulants and are often used in combination with other spices and herbs to speed up the healing processes. Cinnamon by itself and in combination with other spices and herbs has been used to treat arthritis, colds, digestive problems, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, heavy menstruation and yeast infections just to name a few. Until recently there was little scientific research to confirm any of cinnamon's medicinal healing claims. Presently all over the world, scientist are looking to add spices and herbs as natural cures, with cinnamon being one of the major players in this search. Science is looking at cinnamon for managing diabetes, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels . Most of these studies use cassia cinnamon for their case studies. Cinnamon as an aid to reducing blood sugar levels in a trial comparing cinnamon to a placebo the Diabetes Care 2003;26:3215-8 states: "RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—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. RESULTS—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. CONCLUSIONS—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 andcardiovasculardiseases." (1) http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/ abstract/26/12/3215." And from Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 104, Issues 1-2, 8 March 2006, Pages 119-123 "The anti-diabetic effect of Cinnamomi cassiae extract (previous Cinnamonnext bark: Lauraceae) in a type II diabetic animal model (C57BIKsj db/db) was studied. previous Cinnamon extract was administered at different dosages (50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg) for 6 weeks. It was found that blood glucose concentration is significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.001) with the most in the 200 mg/kg group compared with the control. In addition, serum previous insulin levels and HDL–cholesterol levels were significantly higher (P < 0.01) and the concentration of triglyceride, total cholesterol and intestinal α-glycosidase activity were significantly lower after 6 weeks of the administration. These results suggest that previous cinnamon extract has a regulatory role in blood glucose level and lipids and it may also exert a blood glucose-suppressing effect by improving previous insulin sensitivity or slowing absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine." (2)http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-4H877J8-5&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F08%2F2006&_alid=773903010&_rdoc=5&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5084&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=9&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=787fa3caa5eee387aaabe9ce5003e2a8 These studies and more are on the way, seem to demonstrate that cinnamon as an augment can effect ones level of insulin in the body in conjunction with as little as one-half teaspoon of cinnamon each day. The reduced blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides levels are only seen in patients who are not taking insulin. Side effects and interactions of cinnamon with other medicines are still under study. It is known that some patients develop dermatitis and inflammation when exposed to cinnamon gum or cinnamon flavored toothpaste. Precaution here is warranted and professional health care advise should be sought should any side effects develop during the use of cinnamon. At no time should, cinnamon oils be ingested with out doctor's approval. Research From: (Intended for Educational Purposes Only) (1)http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/12/3215 (2)http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-4H877J8-5&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F08%2F2006&_alid=773903010&_rdoc=5&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5084&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=9&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=787fa3caa5eee387aaabe9ce5003e2a8 http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/indices/index_cd.html#C http://www.viable-herbal.com/singles/herbs/s834.htm http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/cinna.htm http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/198800172.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamomum_zeylanicum#Cinnamon_and_cassia http://www.healthcastle.com/cinnamon-diabetes.shtml http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Crops/Cinnamon.html http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/Crops/Cassia.html http://altmedicine.about.com/od/qalibrary/f/cinnamon.htm http://altmedicine.about.com/od/cinnamon/a/cinnamon.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16188263?dopt=Abstract http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Cinnamomum.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16104824?dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16051081?dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15053523?dopt=Abstract http://www.progenebio.in/dmp/Cinnamomum.htm http://www.rxreview.info/columns/1.html http://www.foodproductdesign.com/articles/0500sr.html http://www.astaspice.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3364 http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Cinn_bur.html http://www.frontiercoop.com/dspCmnPrd.php?ct=spfavcin zzzzz Science