Cassia Cinnamon VS Ceylon Cinnamon

Jul 31, 2023Aeran Schmid

Did you ever wonder what the difference is in cassia cinnamon vs ceylon cinnamon?

cin-na-mon

(n.) ground tree bark with health benefits

 

Have you had your Manganese for the day?

Cinnamon is a rich source of manganese and 1 TBSP contains 70% of daily value of manganese.

Cinnamon is s very mineral rich spice.  10 grams of cinnamon contains almost 100% of the daily value of Manganese.  The other key nutrients in cinnamon are calcium, iron, vitamin K, magnesium and copper.

Cinnamon is also a significant source of dietary fiber.

Nutritional Facts

Below is a summary of key nutrients in cinnamon.

One tablespoon (7.8 grams) of cinnamon contains:

  • 19 calories
  • 4 grams of fiber
  • Negligible amount (< 0.3 grams) of fat, protein and sugars
  • 5 mg of manganese (about 70% of daily value)
  • 78 mg of calcium (about 8% of daily value)
  • 34 mg of potassium, K (about 1% of daily value)
  • 0.65 mg of iron (about 8% of daily value)

Reference: Book, Essential Spices & Herbs: Cinnamon, Joseph Veebe, 2017

It’s in your spring-time rhubarb muffins, your spicy chai tea, and even your fall fav pumpkin spiced latte. It is one of the most consumed spices in the world. It is Cinnamon. It is a spice that is made of the inner bark from the Cinnamon tree. This bark is either rolled into cinnamon sticks or ground into cinnamon powder.

 

But do you know what type of cinnamon is sitting in your pantry?

There are 2 main types of cinnamon:

  • Ceylon (also known as Verum or true cinnamon)
  • Cassia (also known as Saigon)

The main difference of these two types of cinnamon is that they come from different trees. There are slight differences in taste between these two cinnamons but the main difference is that. Cassia Cinnamon contains large amounts of coumarin, a blood thinner, that may have negative effects if consumed in large quantities. This is the same compound found in sweet clover and why horse owners will never feed their horses baled sweet clover as it can thin their blood.

Cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant and has several health claims to fame. Most notable it has been found to help balance blood glucose for people with type 2 diabetes, and may help treat neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease. But probably the most compelling reason to consume cinnamon is that it is delicious!

Cassia Cinnamon as a Source of Coumarin in Cinnamon-Flavored Food and Food Supplements in the United States Yan-Hong Wang, Bharathi Avula, N. P. Dhammika Nanayakkara, Jianping Zhao, and Ikhlas A. Khan Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2013 61 (18), 4470-4476 DOI: 10.1021/jf4005862

Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes Alam Khan, Mahpara Safdar, Mohammad Muzaffar Ali Khan, Khan Nawaz Khattak, Richard A. Anderson, Diabetes Care 2003 Dec; 26(12): 3215-3218.http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/12/3215.short

Cinnamon, a promising prospect towards Alzheimer’s disease, Pharmacological Research Volume 130, April 2018, Pages 241-258, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043661817311659

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