Cinnamon – Ingredient Spotlight

Scientific Name: Cinnamomum verum
Alternative Names: Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamon bark

Cinnamon is the aromatic spice that always reminds me of Christmas!🎄 It’s an extremely flavourful ingredient with its sweet, yet spicy-hot fragrance.⁣ Cinnamon extracts from the bark have actually been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. It used to be rare and valuable, and even used as gifts for kings.

There are two types of Cinnamon: Ceylon cinnamon (aka ‘true cinnamon’), and Cassia cinnamon, which is the cheaper alternative. Ceylon comes from Sri Lanka, while Cassia originates from from southern China. 
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One of the most important active ingredients in cinnamon is 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐞 – it’s this that is responsible for cinnamon’s health benefits.⁣
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We use this ingredient in three of our products – the 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, & 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.⁣
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There are many reasons for this:
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Firstly, cinnamon has 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬. These have 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 effects which help lower your risk of disease.

Plus, cinnamon can help improve some key risk factors for heart disease including 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐥𝐲𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞⁣ 🌡

Other Amazing Benefits of Cinnamon:

• It has a potent 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 and quickly reduces fasting blood sugar levels. It has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters the bloodstream. For this you only need 𝟶.𝟻-𝟸 𝘵𝘴𝘱 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺!⁣
• Some studies indicate that cinnamon may have 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫⁣
• Plus, it may help reduce infections and 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 (due to its fungal and antibacterial properties)⁣ 🦷

Vitamins & Minerals

Just one teaspoon (around 2 grams) of cinnamon contains:

• Calcium: 26.1 mg
• Iron: 0.21 mg
• Magnesium: 1.56 mg
• Phosphorus: 1.66 mg
• Potassium: 11.2 mg
• Vitamin A: 0.39 mcg

Cinnamon Side Effects

Too much cinnamon can do more harm than good. This is because cinnamon contains ‘coumarin’, which plays a role in creating warfarin, the common blood-thinning drug. Consuming too much coumarin can lead to liver damage. If you have a liver condition, are diabetic, or take other drugs, speak to your doctor first to be safe.