Remedy · herb
Cinnamon
Also: Cinnamomum cassia, Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum, cassia
A common spice studied for blood sugar — with a modest, inconsistent effect at best.
Active compounds Cinnamaldehyde
Evidence by condition
Each grade reflects the research for Cinnamon and that condition specifically.
- CType 2 diabetes
May modestly lower fasting glucose, but trials are inconsistent and show no reliable HbA1c benefit; Cochrane judged the overall evidence insufficient.
2 citation s
- Cinnamon for diabetes mellitus Systematic review 2012 · n=577 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · PMID 22972104 · DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD007170.pub2
- Efficacy and safety of cinnamon in type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes patients: A meta-analysis and meta-regression Meta-analysis 2019 · Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice · PMID 31425768
- Cinnamon for diabetes mellitus
Culinary amounts of cinnamon are fine. For blood sugar, the effect is small and unreliable, and the cheap “cassia” type contains coumarin, which can stress the liver at high supplemental doses — Ceylon cinnamon is lower in coumarin. It is not a substitute for diabetes treatment.