Cinnamon

Cinnarmomum zeylanicum or Cinnamomum verum, Ceylon, comes principally from Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean. It is commonly known as Ceylon Cinnamon and is the true cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is a high quality premium spice and is healthier than ordinary supermarket cinnamon.

Cinnamomum cassia is the bastard cinnamon indigenous to and cultivated primarily in China. As its name of Bastard Cinnamon implies, the product of this tree is usually regarded as a cheap substitute for the mass consumer. Cassia cinnamon is known by many names including Bastard Cinnamon, Chinese Cinnamon, Saigon cinnamon, Cassia lignea, Cassia Bark, Cassia aromaticum, Canton Cassia.

Ceylon and Cassia Compared

Both Ceylon and Cassia belong to the same family of plants (Lauraceae, the laurel family) and to the same genus (Cinnamomum). They share many characteristics. They are related, but they are not from the same plant. Strictly speaking only Ceylon cinnamon is true cinnamon. Cassia is basically a cheap substitute from China.

In the United States the FDA wrongfully allows Cassia to be sold under the label of "cinnamon" with distinction of type. The problem is that few consumers know that Cassia Cinnamon is harmful to the human body. True cinnamon is usually labeled "Ceylon cinnamon," and costs more, roughly double the price of Cassia.

Upon tasting, Ceylon cinnamon has a lighter and more refined taste than cassia. It is most suitable to flavoring desserts rather than more robust, savory dishes which can handle the heavier cassia. Ceylon cinnamon also has a much more pleasant smell.

In powder form it is nearly impossible to visually discern cheap Cassia cinnamon from true Ceylon cinnamon. However, Cassia cinnamon sticks consist of a thick layer of rolled bark, while Ceylon cinnamon sticks have thin layers. It is easier to distinguish the two in stick form. Furthermore, in any form, Ceylon has a much softer, more pleasant smell as compared to Cassia.

Cassia Health Risks

Cassia cinnamon can contain large amounts of a chemical called coumarin. In people who are sensitive, coumarin might cause or worsen liver disease. Therefore there is risk when Cassia is taken in large amounts, long-term. You should note that coumarin is used to make rat poison!

According to the German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment, coumarin is a dangerous poison that even in small doses can damage the liver and kidneys in humans. The daily tolerable intake of coumarin is 0.1 mg per kg of body weight and it is estimated that one kilogram of cassia powder contains 2.1 to 4.4 g of coumarin.

When applied to the skin, cassia cinnamon can sometimes cause skin irritation and allergic skin reactions.

Sensitive people who consume Cassia cinnamon-flavored foods, drinks, and food supplements may have a higher risk of liver damage, researchers from the University of Mississippi, USA, and King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Patients on blood thinners such as warfarin (trade name Coumadin) are often advised to limit their intake of cinnamon, but this generally applies to cassia more so than to real cinnamon because of the higher levels of coumarin.

Several countries have now imposed restrictions on the import of Cassia. So far, most European countries have banned the use of cassia in food items, while the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom still allow the import of Cassia.

Like many things imported from China, Cassia is both harmful and cheap.

Ceylon and your Health

Ceylon also contains coumarin, however, in much lower amounts; in fact, only in trace amounts. A 2010 German study found that on average, Cassia cinnamon powder had up to 63 times more coumarin compared to Ceylon. Cassia cinnamon sticks contained 18 times more than Ceylon cinnamon sticks.

Consuming Ceylon provides all of the health benefits advertised about cinnamon without the risks of the cheap Chinese Cassia cinnamon. Health benefits include:

• Lowering blood sugar
• Killing bacteria
• Reducing inflammation
• Improving digestion
• Speeding up blood flow and circulation
• Staving off Alzheimer’s Disease
• Lowering cholesterol

Ceylon cinnamon has demonstrated that it contains compounds that lower blood sugar after meals and increase insulin sensitivity.

Israeli researchers at Tel Aviv University have isolated a section of the cinnamon plant capable of delaying the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Cinnamon also fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices, according to research by Daniel Fung, Professor of Food Science at Kansas State University.

Cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese which is an important activator of enzymes essential to building healthy bones as well as other physiological processes, including carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

In all cases Ceylon provides all of the health benefits of Cassia, sometimes more potently, with a much reduced level of toxic coumarin.

Educate Yourself

Don't look for the FDA to take action anytime in the near future. With quacks like Dr. Oz claiming Cassia is better, and doctors with an agenda commenting that Cassia is both safe and real, there is plenty of fog and misinformation to muddy the water. Too many people in influential political positions are actively promoting Chinese imports while getting rich at our expense. You have to look to qualified sources from professionals without an agenda, and there you will find the truth about the health risks of Cassia.