What is cinnamon?
Cinnamon tea is rich in plant compounds that might help control blood sugar and inflammation. It's likely okay to drink a cup every day, but switch to Ceylon cinnamon if you have liver disease or a risk of bleeding.
Cinnamon tea is rich in plant compounds that might help control blood sugar and inflammation. You can probably drink it every day, but you’ll want to stick to Ceylon cinnamon if you have certain health conditions.
Cinnamon is a common baking spice that comes from the cinnamon tree. There are over 250 different species of cinnamon, but the most common types are:
- Cinnamomum zeylanicum, known as Ceylon cinnamon, Mexican cinnamon, or true cinnamon
- C. cassia, known as Cassia cinnamon
- C. burmanni, or Indonesian cinnamon
- C.loureiroi, or Vietnamese cinnamon
Almost every part of the tree is useful, including the fruit, leaf, bark, and root, but most cinnamon spice comes from the bark. You can also find cinnamon bark, leaf, and root essential oils. Most people use Ceylon or Cassia cinnamon, though Ceylon is usually more expensive.
Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon have some chemical and flavor differences. Where Ceylon is light brown and has a warm, sweet flavor and aroma, Cassia is a darker brown and tastes rich, spicy, and slightly bitter.
It’s tough to tell the ground spices apart, but the differences are more obvious in stick form. Cassia cinnamon is one thick layer of rolled-up cinnamon bark, while Ceylon cinnamon is several layers of bark rolled together.
People sprinkle ground cinnamon spice into coffee or other hot drinks as a flavoring, but you can also add part of a cinnamon stick to hot water for a delicious tea. In traditional cultures, cinnamon is used as a remedy for digestive issues, coughs, colds, and respiratory problems.
Benefits of cinnamon
Cinnamon is rich in plant compounds and essential oils that might have some health benefits.
Antibacterial
Cinnamon contains an essential oil rich in cinnamaldehyde and eugenol compounds. Studies show that adding cinnamon to food can extend the shelf life and stop the growth of bacteria that cause food poisoning. Cinnamon also blocks the growth of other organisms like fungi, yeast, and staph bacteria.
Cinnamon essential oil is often used in toothpaste and mouthwash to help control bacteria and other germs. Steeping cinnamon bark in hot water naturally extracts some of the essential oil, so your tea could promote a healthy bacteria balance in your mouth, in theory. The tea would likely have a much weaker effect, though.
Might lower blood sugar
There are lots of studies about cinnamon for blood sugar control, and many show that cinnamon powder supplements and extracts can help lower blood sugar levels. There’s less research on cinnamon tea, but one study found that it also helped lower blood sugar.
Researchers tested 30 healthy patients with oral glucose tests and cinnamon tea. They gave all patients a sugary solution to drink and then also gave some patients cinnamon tea. Then they tested their blood glucose levels and found the cinnamon tea group had slightly lower levels than those without it. The study is small, though, so more research is necessary.
Studies show somewhat mixed results on cinnamon, though. A review of 18 studies found that cinnamon supplements can lower glucose levels but don’t affect your glucose markers over a long time. Researchers also didn’t always discuss the type of cinnamon used, and the studies were of low quality, so the results are unclear.
Might lower inflammation
Cinnamon might also help lower inflammation. In mice, cinnamon water extract administered by mouth lowered chemicals that cause inflammation called tumor necrosis factor and interleukin 6. Researchers believe these actions come from natural plant chemicals called polyphenols found in cinnamon.
Might improve insulin sensitivity
Insulin is a hormone that helps get glucose into your cells. Insulin resistance happens when your cells don’t respond to insulin and can’t take glucose out of your blood. Your body responds by making more insulin, but eventually, it can’t keep up. Your glucose levels stay too high, and you end up with type 2 diabetes.
Cinnamon might help make you more sensitive to insulin. In studies on animals with diabetes, cinnamon increased insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake from the blood in fat and muscle cells. Researchers believe the active compound is cinnamaldehyde. Animal studies are early studies, though, so more research is necessary.
Risks of cinnamon tea
Cinnamon spice is safe to eat as a spice or flavoring agent when you take it in normal doses. It’s safe to drink as tea, though high doses and certain types can worsen some conditions.
Digestive upset
Taking large doses of cinnamon for long periods, or drinking a lot of cinnamon tea for a long time, can cause digestive upset. These can include common complaints like nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Cinnamon can also delay stomach emptying, which helps control blood sugar. If you have gastroparesis and your stomach or intestines don’t empty normally, cinnamon could make your symptoms worse.
Allergic reaction
The cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon can cause hypersensitivity, so allergic reactionsare possible. The essential oil can cause skin irritation, rashes, and a burning sensation, though you can avoid this with proper use. But drinking a lot of tea could lead to mouth sores or rash.
Liver damage
One of the biggest differences between Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon is the coumarin content. Coumarin is a chemical compound that can cause liver damage in high doses. Cassia cinnamon has a lot of coumarins, while Ceylon cinnamon has none.
One teaspoon of cassia cinnamon has more than the safe amount of coumarins. An occasional tea likely won’t have problems, but drinking a lot of Cassia cinnamon tea regularly could lead to liver problems, especially if you already have liver disease.
Bleeding
Coumarins also have a blood thinning effect. Drinking a lot of Cassia cinnamon tea could lead to a higher risk of bleeding if you take blood thinners or if you have a bleeding disorder.
Bottom line: drink ceylon cinnamon
People have been drinking cinnamon tea for a long time. Modern research shows it might have some health benefits, though more studies are necessary. It’s likely okay to drink a cup every day, but switch to Ceylon cinnamon if you have liver disease or a risk of bleeding. If you’re considering taking cinnamon supplements, talk to your doctor first.
Medically Reviewed on 11/18/2022
References
SOURCES:
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies: "Anti-inflammatory activity of cinnamon water extract in vivo and in vitro LPS-induced models," "Medicinal properties of 'true' cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review."
Canadian Society of Intestinal Research: "Cinnamon: The Good, the Bad, and the Tasty."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Insulin Resistance and Diabetes."
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: "Cinnamon: A Multifaceted Medicinal Plant."
Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School: "Spice up your holidays with brain-healthy seasonings."
Journal of Diabetes Research: "Effect of Cinnamon Tea on Postprandial Glucose Concentration."
Molecules: "Effects of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) in Dentistry: A Review."
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: "Cinnamon."
Pharmacognosy Research: "Cinnamon: Mystic powers of a minute ingredient."
Pharmacological Research: "Cinnamaldehyde in diabetes: A review of pharmacology, pharmaco*kinetics and safety."
Trials: "Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) as a potential pharmaceutical agent for type-2 diabetes mellitus: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial."
Tufts Medical Center: "Cinnamon."
