cinnamon side effects

Cinnamon warning

Many people nowadays are interested in folk remedies, and for a very good reason: they work. What is then with this cinnamon warning?

We heard of cinnamon honey benefits, but we also heard of something a little bit scary: a cinnamon warning. So, it’s natural to ask if they are, in fact, good or bad. The cinnamon honey combination comes from ancient Chinese medicine. And also from Ayurveda, the Indian ancient medicine. Meaning trustworthy sources, tested for hundreds of years.

Both ingredients are powerful foods, so combining them would mean doubling their therapeutic properties.
As I already said on this site, there is toxic honey, fake honey, and organic honey. It is almost the same with cinnamon. Hence the warning.

Take your medicine with honey. It will enhance its power!

Cinnamon is a spice found in every supermarket, bio or not bio, at a cheap price. And yes, that cinnamon has all the good properties we know, but it also has one that is bad: COUMARIN.  It’s a naturally occurring chemical that can cause liver and kidney damage when it is taken in high doses.

Of course, we can use regular cinnamon in our coffee, in cakes, in tea, in milkshakes, or whatever, as long as we don’t take it in high doses and for a long period of time. Remember that if you want to use the cinnamon honey combination for therapy, you have to buy real cinnamon, also called Ceylon Cinnamon, and, of course, use organic honey.

How many types of cinnamon are there?

There are two types of cinnamon:

CASSIAN CINNAMON, also known as Chinese or Saigon cinnamon, some people call it fake cinnamon, though it is not fake, only a different type. It is produced in Vietnam, China and Indonesia. It has the same properties as the real cinnamon, it is anti-microbial, anti-fungal, blood regulation, but it also has a high amount of coumarin, 1200 times higher than that found in the real cinnamon. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Germany says coumarin can damage the liver and kidneys if taken for longer periods.

CEYLON CINNAMON, also known as real cinnamon, sweet or good cinnamon, is produced in Sri Lanka from the plant called Cinnamomum zeylanicum. There are some differences between the two types, but they can’t be detected in the powder form, only in sticks. So it’s better to buy sticks and then turn them to powder, using the coffee grinder.

cinnamom comparisondifferences in cinnamon

Where can we find Ceylon cinnamon?

Amazon.com: here are some good products:

·  Organic Ceylon Cinnamon Powder – Family Owned Since 1935 – 1 Lb. in a Handy Re-sealable Pouch;

·  Blue Lily Organics Ceylon Cinnamon Powder – 1 Lb – Certified Organic;

·  Frontier Ceylon Cinnamon Organic Ground Powder , 1 Pound;

Also, if you have experience with other trustworthy online shops, Ceylon cinnamon can be found easily, and it’s definitely worth the money.

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Laura Bujor

Laura Bujor is the author and founder of HealthyWithHoney.com. She built this website as a personal journey to discover the power of honey and share it with the world. She learned directly from beekeepers and took a course in apitherapy. From a hobby, honey and apitherapy turned into a professional career. You can find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and X.

View all posts by Laura Bujor →

25 thoughts on “Cinnamon warning

  1. I bought Ceylon cinnamon at my grocery store, but am concerned that this type of cinnamon is not treated for bacteria of many kinds and I’m hesitant of possibly getting very sick.

    1. Also not all honey is created equal either. The best honey is raw, Manuka Honey
      from New Zealand with the official UMF symbol on the label of 15+ or even 20+ you get what you pay for. I found that Steens Honey and Blacks Label Manuka honey to be some of the top quality brands. Raw and unpasturized is the way to go as nature intended where you reap all the natural benefits.

  2. Thank you for this useful info. Wanted to know what is a safe daily dose of the ground Cassian Cinnamon to add to cereal, tea, smoothie, coffee, yogurt,…

    1. Hi Amar,

      Sorry for the late reply. Here is my personal intake on this: our body knows exactly what’s the limit. I don’t think you can put on your cereals in the morning more than a safe dose. You’ll get sick after too much, probably just like with eating honey.
      When taking cinnamon therapeutically the doses are much higher. Here you’ll see how much cinnamon are eaten therapeutically.

      Laura

    1. Hi Ron,
      I have added some links in the article, maybe they can help you.
      Stay healthy and may you have a wonderful, fulfilling 2016!
      Laura

  3. Hi…..I did quite a bit of research a few years ago and the best of the best cinnamon to use is the “Ceylon” cinnamon from Sri Lanka. The Cassia cinnamon has way more carcinogens and over time can cause serious health issues in heavy users.

    1. Thank you, Denise.
      People should know about this, and if wanting to eat cinnamon in a therapeutic purpose everyone should consider buying the Ceylon one.
      Laura

  4. We absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for.
    Would you offer guest writers to write content for yourself?
    I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating on some of
    the subjects you write in relation to here. Again, awesome web site!

  5. This is great information, thank you! I had no idea there was 2 types of cinnamon so now I will have to get Ceylon cinnamon and try the honey and cinnamon ‘diet’. Regards, Kristina

  6. Albert Einstein: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

    There is frightening evidence that pesticides are wiping out bee populations. I hope that Einstein’s warning does not come to pass. These wonderful creatures are essential to our existence.

    1. That’s a good word: “frightening” evidence. Maybe the decision guys would realize they can get poor if this happens, 🙂 and maybe this will convince them to be less greedy. Meanwhile, they have already invented a robot bee, called Robobee, and say it would be used for pollination if the need asked it.
      They can find an answer. But not a natural, normal, planet-friendly one.
      laura

    2. This could happen as long as everyone uses Monsanto’s Round Up poison to drench the earth.

  7. Wow, what phenomenal information. I’m a complete groupie when it comes to natural foods and the healing properties of foods, spices, etc. There is great information here and I thank you for it, although I don’t relish the idea of having to grind my own cinnamon (one more thing, you know). And because of cinnamon’s blood sugar controlling properties, I’m kind of willing to forgive some of the other. However, henceforward I will be looking for real cinnamon instead of the fake stuff promulgated by the food merchants.
    Thanks for the info.

    1. Hi Ansley,

      I’m glad my post here helped. Marketing is fooling us all the time, we must discover the truth and follow it together.
      thank you for dropping by.
      laura

    2. Agreed! God gave us an abundance of natural healthy foods many with natural healing qualities. All we have to do is seek them out. Man gave us “Big Pharma” who promotes snake oil remedies that mostly do little or nothing, costs an arm and a leg, and often brings unpleasant, unwanted side affects. But not to worry because “Big Pharma” has a pills, patches and injections to address those nasty side effects, sometimes known in non-layman’s parlance, as iatrogenic disease. We don’t have to seek out “Big Pharma’s” remedies – they seek us out with advertising that rivals military grade carpet bombing. I am 75 and take no prescription medication. I do eat many natural foods and take unprocessed supplements.

      1. Hi Justin,
        If only we were all like you! It is so important to be aware of how much we are being manipulated. Stay conscious and strong! And congratulation for this, it’s not an easy thing. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Much appreciate it.
        All the best!
        Laura

  8. Hello and thank you for this informative article about cinnamon. I eat a lot of Cinnamon Life cereal. And other cinnamon flavored cereals. You think I have anything to worry about there?

    1. Hi Brad, these are small quantities I would say. I don’t think you get to eat a teaspoon of cinnamon per day. Those cereals are flavored as you say, so it’s about introducing small amounts of cinnamon in your body. They do good, the coumarin found in there is in even smaller quantities, so I say it’s ok.
      But if you eat more cinnamon, if you add it in your coffee, tea, smoothie, cocoa shakes, and so on, you have to add the real cinnamon. Especially because you like it that much and eat it on a regular basis.

  9. What a wealth of information you have provided for me. I have enjoyed reading every page. I had the pleasure of visiting a honey production center when I visited Canada, and it was truly amazing. I do not remember you mentioning how sticky honey is, my rottweiler taught me that lesson. After my purchases, I left him in the car with an exquisite jar of fresh honey. He manged to get the lid off the container and spread a bit around the back of my van. He loved it, I had a bit of a harder time with it! Sure glad I love dogs!

    1. 🙂 And sure thing your dog loves honey.
      Sticky, yes, that’s why I like it more in winter, when it’s already crystallized.
      laura

      1. Hi. Just wanted to say you have a wonderful site with so much great information. Keep up the great work!

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