Cinnamon

About Cinnamon

True cinnamon (Ceylon) comes from Sri Lanka and is made from the inner bark of C. verum. Cassia cinnamon (the common grocery store variety) contains coumarin, which can cause liver damage in high doses. It was once more valuable than gold - the Roman Emperor Nero burned a years supply on his wifes funeral pyre as atonement. It has the highest antioxidant strength of any food tested. It may help regulate blood sugar - clinical studies show it can lower fasting glucose by 10-29%. The Portuguese, Dutch, and British fought wars over Ceylons cinnamon trade. It is harvested by scraping bark from trees, which regrows.