Cinnamon
Cinnamon capsules, tablets and powder, in Ceylon and cassia forms. We explain how the two species differ, why coumarin matters if you take cinnamon daily, and what a sensible daily amount looks like on the label.Read more →
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Ceylon and cassia cinnamon: what the difference means for daily use
Cinnamon in a supplement is the dried inner bark of a Cinnamomum tree, ground to powder or concentrated into an extract. Two species fill almost every shelf. Cinnamomum verum, sold as Ceylon or true cinnamon, comes mainly from Sri Lanka. Cinnamomum cassia is the darker, cheaper bark behind most supermarket cinnamon. Inside a capsule the two look identical, so the Latin name on the label is your only reliable clue. You will find both here, next to the rest of our herbs and plant extracts.
Bark powder and extract are not the same product
A capsule of plain bark powder usually holds a few hundred milligrams of ground cinnamon. An extract works differently. Its label shows a ratio such as 10:1 or 30:1, which means 100 mg of a 30:1 extract stands for 3 g of bark. That is why a tablet advertised as 2000 mg often contains well under 100 mg of actual extract. Neither approach is wrong, but the big number on the front of two packs is rarely comparing the same thing. Read the bark equivalent, not the headline figure. Extracts also tend to carry less coumarin than raw cassia powder, because much of it stays behind during extraction.
Coumarin is the reason the species matters
Coumarin is a natural compound in cinnamon bark. Cassia contains far more of it than Ceylon does. The European food safety authority (EFSA) has set a tolerable daily intake of 0.1 mg of coumarin per kilogram of body weight, a level meant to be safe every day for life. Sprinkling cassia on your porridge stays well below that. Taking two or three grams of cassia powder in capsules every day for months is a different situation. If you plan to use cinnamon daily, Ceylon or a low-coumarin extract is the calmer choice.
How we choose the cinnamon we stock
We judge cinnamon on three things: the species, the form and the dose you actually receive. We prefer labels that name Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum cassia, because the words "cinnamon bark" alone tell you nothing about coumarin. With extracts we want the ratio and the bark equivalent printed, not just a large number on the front. Combinations only earn a place when the second ingredient is dosed at a level that means something. Every product passes our compliance team, we test products ourselves, and independent labs spot-check batches. See how we select brands and products.
Who it suits and what to expect
Cinnamon is a food supplement, not a medicine. EFSA has approved no health claim for cinnamon itself, so we do not attach one to it. Where a product also contains added chromium at a meaningful dose, that mineral does carry an approved claim: chromium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels. Cinnamon on its own does not, and we would rather say so plainly. If you take anticoagulants such as warfarin, or medication for blood sugar, speak to your GP or pharmacist before you start.
People weighing up cinnamon often compare it with berberine capsules, a stronger and pricier plant extract with cautions of its own. Cinnamon is the gentler, lower-cost place to start, and it sits easily in a daily routine taken with meals.
Frequently asked questions
It is the dried inner bark of a Cinnamomum tree, ground into powder or concentrated into an extract, then packed into capsules or pressed into tablets. The bark is the same material used as a kitchen spice, but a supplement gives you a measured amount each day instead of a rough sprinkle. Most products use one of two species: Ceylon (Cinnamomum verum) or cassia (Cinnamomum cassia). Some also combine cinnamon with a mineral such as chromium.
They are two different trees with a similar taste and a very different coumarin content. Ceylon is the paler, milder bark from Sri Lanka and contains only traces of coumarin. Cassia is darker, cheaper and much richer in it. For occasional cooking the difference hardly matters. For a capsule you swallow every day for months, it is the single most useful thing on the label.
| Feature | Ceylon | Cassia |
|---|---|---|
| Latin name | Cinnamomum verum | Cinnamomum cassia |
| Coumarin | Traces | Much higher |
| Taste | Mild, sweet | Strong, spicy |
| Suits | Daily long-term use | Shorter courses |
It depends on how precise you want to be and how you like to take things. Powder capsules give you whole bark, close to what you would use in cooking. Extract tablets concentrate the bark, so you swallow fewer or smaller doses. Loose powder is flexible and cheap but hard to dose accurately.
| Form | What it is | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Ceylon powder capsules | Whole ground bark | Daily, long-term use |
| Extract tablets | Concentrated, ratio on label | Fewer tablets per day |
| Loose powder | Spice-grade or extract | Drinks and cooking |
| Cinnamon with chromium | Bark plus a mineral | One capsule, two ingredients |
Most bark powder products suggest between one and three grams a day, split over one or two servings. Extracts work out much lower in milligrams because they are concentrated, so follow the pack rather than converting yourself. Taking cinnamon with a meal is the common advice and it tends to be easier on the stomach. Do not exceed the intake stated on the label, and keep the daily amount steady rather than dosing heavily on some days.
Yes, and chromium is the pairing you will see most often, because chromium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels and to normal macronutrient metabolism. Cinnamon carries no approved claim of its own, so a combination product is doing the compliant work through the mineral. You will also find cinnamon alongside berberine or apple cider vinegar in our blood sugar collection. Keep the number of overlapping products modest so you can tell what is doing what.
Be realistic. Cinnamon is a mild botanical, not a fast-acting product, and studies use it for weeks rather than days. If you decide to try it, give it a consistent two to three months at the amount on the label, taken with meals, and judge it against something you can actually measure rather than a feeling. Some people notice nothing at all. That is an honest possibility and worth knowing before you buy a six-month supply.
Cinnamon supplements are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, although cinnamon used in cooking is a different matter. If you take anticoagulants such as warfarin, or medication for blood sugar, speak to your GP or pharmacist first, since concentrated cinnamon is not the same as a pinch in a recipe. People with liver problems are generally advised to avoid supplements that contribute coumarin. Cinnamon supplements are for adults only.
EFSA set a tolerable daily intake of 0.1 mg of coumarin per kilogram of body weight per day, and UK dietary exposure surveys show the average diet sits far below it. Concentrated cassia capsules are the realistic way to approach the limit. Choosing Ceylon, or an extract that states low coumarin, keeps the question academic.
| Body weight | Daily coumarin limit |
|---|---|
| 50 kg | 5 mg |
| 60 kg | 6 mg |
| 70 kg | 7 mg |
| 80 kg | 8 mg |
| 90 kg | 9 mg |
