Introduction
Cinnamon is a common spice that comes from the bark of the cinnamon tree. It has been used to lower blood glucose and blood pressure. It can be taken as a pill, powder, extract, or oil. It can also be made into a tea or used as an ointment.
Dosages
1 to 6 grams once daily
What Research Shows
Likely Effective
- Diabetes —likely to lower blood glucose, BMI, and blood pressure when used with standard treatmentA1-A10
- High triglycerides —likely to lower triglyceride levels D1-D6
May Be Effective
- Episiotomy—may reduce pain and soreness when applied as an ointmentC1
- Metabolic syndrome —may lower blood glucose and BMIE1
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome —may stabilize menstrual cycle and reduce insulin resistanceG1, G2
Not Enough Data to Assess
Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.
Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.
Safety Notes
It is likely safe to take small doses of cinnamon. It may not be safe to take large doses of cinnamon for a long period of time.
Interactions
Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some can interfere with treatment or make conditions worse, such as:
- People that take tetracyclines should talk to their doctors before taking cinnamon. It may interact with their medicines.
References
REFA Diabetes
REFA1 Crawford P. Effectiveness of cinnamon for lowering hemoglobin A1C in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled trial. J Am Board Fam Med. 2009;22(5):507-512.
REFA2 Akilen R, Tsiami A, et al. Glycated haemoglobin and blood pressure-lowering effect of cinnamon in multi-ethnic Type 2 diabetic patients in the UD: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Diabet Med. 2010;27(10):1159-1167.
REFA3 Davis PA, Yokoyama M. Cinnamon intake lowers fasting blood glucose: meta-analysis. J Med Food. 2011;14(9):884-889.
REFA4 Akilen R, Tsiami A, et al. Cinnamon in glycaemic control: Systematic review and meta analysis. Clin Nutr. 2012;31(5):609-615.
REFA5 Lu T, Sheng H, et al. Cinnamon extract improves fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin level in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutr Res. 2012;32(6):408-412.
REFA6 Akilen R, Pimlott Z, et al. Effects of short-term administration of cinnamon on blood pressure in patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Nutrition. 2013;29(10):1192-1196.
REFA7 Allen RW, Schwartzman E, et al. Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Farm Med. 2013;11(5):452-459.
REFA8 Liu Y, Cotillard A, et al. A Dietary Supplement Containing Cinnamon, Chromium and Carnosine Decreases Fasting Plasma Glucose and Increases Lean Mass in Overweight or Obese Pre-Diabetic Subjects: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 25;10(9):e0138646.
REFA9 Mirfeizi M, Mehdizadeh Tourzani Z, 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):647-656.
REFA10 Talaei B, Amouzegar A, et al. 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.
REFB Dysmenorrhea
REFB1 Jahangirifar M, Taebi M, et al. The effect of Cinnamon on primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018 Nov;33:56-60.
REFC Episiotomy
REFC1 Mohammadi A, Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S, et al. Effects of cinnamon on perineal pain and healing of episiotomy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2014;12(4):359-366.
REFD High Triglycerides
REFD1 Khan A, Safdar M, et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003;26(12):3215-3218.
REFD2 Lu T, Sheng H, et al. Cinnamon extract improves fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin level in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutr Res. 2012;32(6):408-412.
REFD3 Vafa M, Mohammadi F, et al. Effects of cinnamon consumption on glycemic status, lipid profile and body composition in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Prev Med. 2012;3(8):531-536.
REFD4 Allen RW, Schwartzman E, et al. Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(5):452-459.
REFD5 Askari F, Rashidkhani B, et al. Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Nutr Res. 2014 Feb;34(2):143-148.
REFD6 Maierean SM, Serban MC, et al. The effects of cinnamon supplementation on blood lipid concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Lipidol. 2017 Nov - Dec;11(6):1393-1406.
REFE Metabolic Syndrome
REFE1 Gupta Jain S, Puri S, et al. Effect of oral cinnamon intervention on metabolic profile and body composition of Asian Indians with metabolic syndrome a randomized double-blind control trial. Lipids Health Dis. 2017;16(1):113.
REFF Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
REFF1 Askari F, Rashidkhani B, et al. Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Nutr Res. 2014 Feb;34(2):143-148.
REFG Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
REFG1 Kort DH, Lobo RA. Preliminary evidence that cinnamon improves menstrual cyclicity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2014 Nov;211(5):487.e1-6.
REFG2 Hajimonfarednejad M, Nimrouzi M, et al. Insulin resistance improvement by cinnamon powder in polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2018 Feb;32(2):276-283.