Plant atlas Short
Cinnamon: Cassia Can Exceed the Coumarin Limit
Cinnamon (Ceylon) · อบเชย · Cinnamomum verum
Cinnamon (Ceylon) — อบเชย (ob-choey) — Cinnamomum verum.
The cinnamon in most supermarket jars carries a liver-stressing compound the Ceylon kind barely has. You eat the inner bark. Pooled trials found mixed fasting-glucose results. It's rich in manganese, calcium, fiber, and iron. Calcium is needed to maintain strong bones and teeth, supports normal muscle and nerve function, and contributes to blood clotting. Fiber adds bulk to meals, can help with fullness, and can slow carbohydrate absorption as part of a mixed diet. Massaman Neua is a rich coconut stew simmered with cinnamon and warm spices, best eaten over steamed jasmine rice alongside a refreshing cucumber relish. Khai Palo simmers eggs and pork belly with aromatic cinnamon, traditionally enjoyed with jasmine rice and sour chili vinegar. It's the dried inner bark, and Ceylon cinnamon is milder than the common cassia kind. You coppice the young stems at about two years and peel that inner bark, and the stump resprouts for repeat harvests. For everyday use, reach for Ceylon rather than cassia, since cassia is high in a natural compound that can build up to unsafe levels.
Beef Massaman Curry — แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ (gaeng-mas-sa-man-nuea)
Kai Palo — ไข่พะโล้ (kai-pa-lo)
Food and nutrients
Rich in: manganese, calcium, fiber, iron
Research context
Cinnamon modestly lowered fasting blood sugar in pooled trials, but results are mixed — J Med Food, 2011 (meta-analysis)
Sources
Source: Davis PA, Yokoyama W (2011). Cinnamon intake lowers fasting blood glucose: meta-analysis. J Med Food 14(9):1063-1072. DOI:10.1089/jmf.2010.0180 (PMID 21480806)
Narration transcript
Opening
Every cinnamon stick is a strip of a tree's inner bark, peeled off and left to curl as it dries — and the cheap kind in most jars carries a compound that can stress your liver in quantity. Cinnamon — อบเชย, ob-choey. You use that dried bark whole or ground, simmered into massaman curry or the five-spice broth of khai palo.
Beef Massaman Curry (แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ)
Beef massaman curry is a rich coconut stew simmered with cinnamon and warm spices, best eaten over steamed jasmine rice alongside a refreshing cucumber relish.
Kai Palo (ไข่พะโล้)
Kai palo is a comforting Thai-Chinese stew that simmers eggs and pork belly with aromatic cinnamon, traditionally enjoyed with jasmine rice and sour chili vinegar.
Nutrition summary
Spoon for spoon, ground cinnamon is dense in manganese and fiber, but a sprinkle on toast adds only a small amount.
Manganese
Manganese helps the body use food for energy and maintain normal connective tissue.
Calcium
Calcium is needed to maintain normal bones and teeth, supports normal muscle and nerve function, and contributes to normal blood clotting.
Fiber
Fiber adds bulk to meals and can help with fullness.
Iron
Iron is part of hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your blood, and it supports normal energy metabolism.
Closing
For everyday use, reach for Ceylon cinnamon over the common cassia kind — cassia is high in coumarin, a natural compound that can build up and strain your liver if you take a lot each day. If you grow the tree, coppice the young stems at about two years, peel the inner bark, and the stump resprouts for the next harvest. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
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