Talk:Cinnamon

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Which parts of the plant are edible? The bark only? Leaves? Wood? ....

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Is the "cinnamon" flavor in "red hot" candies derived from the traditional spice? [[User:CatherineMunro|Catherine\^talk]] 07:51, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Yes. The issue is that most Americans have actually never used true "cinnamon" in the whole or powdered spice form which indeed smells and tastes like red hot candies. Instead they are used to cassia which is much milder and more popularly sold in grocery stores under the cinnamon name. Joshuaschroeder 06:29, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Not only the US - rogue traders everywhere do this (cassia is a lot cheaper). But the pic of cinnamon sticks is the real thing (compare Image:Cassia bark.jpg). - MPF 09:36, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

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There are too many "it"s for my liking in the third paragraph. Does "Its flavour is due to an aromatic oil" refer to Sri Lanka cinnamon, or to all cinnamon? Isidore 18:16, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC)

There really is only one cinnamon. The other "cinnamons" are more properly refered to as cassia. Joshuaschroeder 06:29, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Contents 1 scurvy and Culpeper 2 the origin of cinnamon 3 Bias 4 Molida - Type of Cinnamon or Spanish Translation? 5 Healing with Cinnamon 6 health claim removed 7 Smoking

[edit] scurvy and Culpeper

The text of the Culpeper reference is "Of these, Captain Winter's Cinnamon, being taken as ordinary spice, or half a dram taken in the morning in any convenient liquor, is an excellent remedy for the scurvy; the powder of it being snuffed up in the nose, cleanses the head of rheum gallantly."

He was referring to Drimys winteri or Winter's Bark. The mistaken reference to cinnamon is now all over the net, thanks to sites that copy Wikipedia content. -- WormRunner | Talk 00:01, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification! - MPF 09:36, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] the origin of cinnamon

"It was imported to Egypt from China as early as 2000 BC" does it mean that cinnamon is from china?

Possibly either poor knowledge of where the merchants were actually getting their sales products from, and/or confusion with other species of Cinnamomum such as Cassia - MPF 10:51, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Bias

"The best cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka" should be removed.^{The prior comment was added by 12.149.102.66 on Aug 09, 2006 at 12:51}

Thanks. You prefer cinnamon from Sumatra?

It appears to be the consensus of cooks, bakers, and gourmands that the best cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka. That would indicate that it's not bias, but unsupported opinion. Neither of the two are allowed, but bias needs to be removed, while an unsupported consensus is useful information that needs to supported and kept.

Noting that "The best cinnamon, commanding a premium price¹, comes from Sri Lanka", with the footnote linking to a price comparison, would work. ClairSamoht 20:11, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Molida - Type of Cinnamon or Spanish Translation?

I have an 18oz Instituional Pack of McCormick Cinnamon - label says "Ground Cinnamon / Canela Molida" - what is Canela Molida? Is it just a Spanish translation for Gound Cinnamon, or is it a distinct type of Cinnamon? - Of interest, since if its really cassia, its the stuff used in the diabetes study - (see http://www.spiceplace.com/mccormick_ground_cinnamon_spice.php and http://www.mccormick.com/productdetail.cfm?ID=6422 which sort of implies that the large size is cassia, but doesn't say explicitly). Might be worth mentioning somewhere in the text. 24.218.200.121 15:42, 12 September 2006 (UTC) Frank

Canela Molida literally translates as "worn-out cinnamon", according to http://babelfish.altavista.com. I suspect it means "ground" as that's the label on McCormick ground cinnamon. In any case, it's cassia. I can't imagine consuming enough ground cinnamon as cinnamon rolls and cinnamon toast to make a difference, but a couple of companies offer 800mg and 1000 mg capsules of cinnamon/cassia. I think I'm currently taking Rexall. ClairSamoht - Help make Wikipedia the most authoritative source of information in the world 18:04, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Healing with Cinnamon

The section Healing with Cinnamon is not written in a NPOV and should be either re-written or deleted. All medical claims should be backed up by references.

[edit] health claim removed

I cut the following

"About a half a teaspoon a day of cinnamon protects against the onset of cardiovasular disease and lowers blood sugar.[1]"

because the citation doesn't say that, and the article already has links to the cassia/diabetes study--Mongreilf 12:49, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

I added that. You may be partially correct. But the point is this. A new study has just come out, just a day or so ago, about the effects of cinnamon -- not the old study about cassia. Please find this recent study, its source is in the article I linked, and post it up in words that are better. The point of Wikipedia is to help people. A brand new study on cinnamon will help people. The half teaspoon claim is from a doctor who does regular stories on FoxNews TV who discussed this new study on the air. --LegitimateAndEvenCompelling 22:10, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

sure. put it all back with the citation the study itself, rather than the news article--Mongreilf 14:34, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Cinnamon is also known by the names Sweet Wood, Cassia and Gui Zhi. The parts of this plant used medicinally are the dried inner bark of the shoots, and the oil distilled from the bark and leaves. Cinnamon is an ancient herbal medicine mentioned in Chinese texts as long ago as 4,000 years. Cinnamon was used in ancient Egypt for embalming.  In ancient times, it was added to food to prevent spoiling.  During the Bubonic Plague, sponges were soaked in cinnamon & cloves, and placed in sick rooms.  Cinnamon was the most sought after spice during explorations of the 15th and 16th centuries.  It has also been burned as an incense.  The smell of Cinnamon is pleasant, stimulates the senses, yet calms the nerves.  Its smell is reputed to attract customers to a place of business. Most Americans consider Cinnamon a simple flavoring, but in traditional Chinese medicine, it's one of the oldest remedies, prescribed for everything from diarrhea and chills to influenza and parasitic worms. Cinnamon comes from the bark of a small Southeast Asian evergreen tree, and is available as an oil, extract, or dried powder. It's closely related to   Cassia (Cassia tora), and contains many of the same components, but the bark and oils from Cinnamon have a better flavor. Cinnamon has a broad range of historical uses in different cultures, including the treatment of diarrhea, rheumatism, and certain menstrual disorders. Traditionally, the bark was believed best for the torso, the twigs for the fingers and toes. Research has highlighted hypoglycemic properties, useful in diabetes. Cinnamon brandy is made by soaking crushed Cinnamon bark a "fortnight" in brandy. Chinese herbalists tell of older people, in their 70s and 80s, developing a cough accompanied by frequent spitting of whitish phlegm. A helpful remedy, they suggest, is chewing and swallowing a very small pinch of powdered cinnamon. This remedy can also help people with cold feet and hands, especially at night. Germany's Commission E approves Cinnamon for appetite loss and indigestion. The primary chemical constituents of this herb include cinnamaldehyde, gum, tannin, mannitol, coumarins, and essential oils (aldehydes, eugenol, pinene). Cinnamon is predominantly used as a carminative addition to herbal prescriptions. It is used in flatulent dyspepsia, dyspepsia with nausea, intestinal colic and digestive atony associated with cold & debilitated conditions. It relieves nausea and vomiting, and, because of its mild astringency, it is particularly useful in infantile diarrhea. The cinnamaldehyde component is hypotensive and spasmolytic, and increases peripheral blood flow. The essential oil of this herb is a potent antibacterial, anti-fungal, and uterine stimulant. The various terpenoids found in the volatile oil are believed to account for Cinnamon’s medicinal effects. Test tube studies also show that Cinnamon can augment the action of insulin. However, use of Cinnamon to improve the action of insulin in people with diabetes has yet to be proven in clinical trials. Topical applications of Cinnamon include use as a hair rinse for dark hair, and as a toothpaste flavoring to freshen breath.  As a wash, it prevents and cures fungal infections such as athletes foot. It is also used in massage oils. You can also place Cinnamon in sachets to repel moths. Its prolonged use is known to beautify the skin and promote a rosy complexion.  The common name Cinnamon encompasses many varieties, including  Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum saigonicum, which are used interchangeably with Cinnamomum zeylanicum.

Recent News: Cinnamon Spice Produces Healthier Blood November 24th 2003 - Cinnamon significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics, a new study has found. The discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. "We were looking at the effects of common foods on blood sugar," he told New Scientist. One was the American favorite, apple pie, which is usually spiced with cinnamon. "We expected it to be bad. But it helped," he says.

Sugars and starches in food are broken down into glucose, which then circulates in the blood. The hormone insulin makes cells take in the glucose, to be used for energy or made into fat. But people with Type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin. Those with Type 2 diabetes produce it, but have lost sensitivity to it. Even apparently healthy people, especially if they are overweight, sedentary or over 25, lose sensitivity to insulin. Having too much glucose in the blood can cause serious long-term damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves and other organs.

Molecular Mimic - The active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP. In test tube experiments, MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptor, and works synergistically with insulin in cells. To see if it would work in people, Alam Khan, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Anderson's lab, organized a study in Pakistan. Volunteers with Type 2 diabetes were given one, three or six grams of cinnamon powder a day, in capsules after meals. All responded within weeks, with blood sugar levels that were on average 20 per cent lower than a control group. Some even achieved normal blood sugar levels. Tellingly, blood sugar started creeping up again after the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon. The cinnamon has additional benefits. In the volunteers, it lowered blood levels of fats and "bad" cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin. And in test tube experiments it neutralized free radicals, damaging chemicals which are elevated in diabetics.

Cinnamon Helps Type 2 Diabetes - Also Helps Cholesterol December 5th, 2003 - A spicy tip: Cinnamon can improve glucose and cholesterol levels in the blood. For people with type 2 diabetes, and those fighting high cholesterol, it's important information. Researchers have long speculated that foods, especially spices, could help treat diabetes. In lab studies, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and turmeric have all shown promise in enhancing insulin's action, writes researcher Alam Khan, PhD, with the NWFP Agricultural University in Peshawar, Pakistan. His study appears in the December issue of Diabetes Care.

Botanicals such as cinnamon can improve glucose metabolism and the overall condition of individuals with diabetes - improving cholesterol metabolism, removing artery-damaging free radicals from the blood, and improving function of small blood vessels, he explains. Onions, garlic, Korean ginseng, and flaxseed have the same effect. In fact, studies with rabbits and rats show that fenugreek, curry, mustard seeds, and coriander have cholesterol-improving effects. But this is the first study to actually pin down the effects of cinnamon, writes Kahn. Studies have shown that cinnamon extracts can increase glucose metabolism, triggering insulin release - which also affects cholesterol metabolism. Researchers speculated that cinnamon might improve both cholesterol and glucose. And it did!

The 60 men and women in Khan's study had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for an average of 6 1-2 years but were not yet taking insulin. The participants in his study had been on anti-diabetic drugs that cause an increase in the release of insulin. Each took either wheat-flour placebo capsules or 500 milligram cinnamon capsules.

   * Group 1 took 1 gram (two capsules equaling about one-quarter of a teaspoon) for 20 days.
   * Group 2 took 3 grams (six capsules, equaling a little less than one teaspoon) for 20 days.
   * Group 3 took 6 grams (twelve capsules, equaling about one and three-quarters teaspoons) for 20 days

Blood samples were taken at each level of the study.

Cinnamon made a difference! Twenty days after the cinnamon was stopped, there were significant reductions in blood glucose levels in all three groups that took cinnamon, ranging from 18 to 29%. But these was one peculiar finding that researchers don't understand at this point. Only the group that consumed the lowest level of cinnamon continued with significantly improved glucose levels - group 1. The placebo groups didn't get any significant differences.

Taking more cinnamon seems to improve the blood levels of fats called triglycerides. All the patients had better triglyceride levels in their 40-day tests - between 23% to 30% reductions. Those taking the most cinnamon had the best levels. In groups taking cinnamon pills, blood cholesterol levels also went down, ranging from 13% to 26%; LDL cholesterol also known as "bad" cholesterol went down by 10% to 24% in only the 3- and 6-gram groups after 40 days. Effects on HDL ("good cholesterol") were minor.

[edit] Smoking

Why does my comment about smoking gets deleted?

Some youngs do smoke Cinnamon, Contrary to popular belief Cinnamon is dangerous for your lungs just as much as Cigarettes. --88.212.103.120 17:08, 9 March 2007 (UTC)