A hot cup of cinnamon tea can be just what you need to warm up on a blistery cold day! Cinnamon has a flavor that is spicy, hot, and sweet. Try this easy cinnamon tea recipe to get you heated up. Plus, this tea may have some healthful benefits as well. Cinnamon has shown in research to have beneficial antimicrobial activities. Further, it may help with blood sugar and cholesterol levels. In addition, cinnamon tea tastes great!
Some research is listed below. Note that more human studies are needed.
Cinnamon is an antimicrobial that may help fight germs.
There have been hundreds of research studies demonstrating the strong antimicrobial activities of cinnamon. Here are just a few examples.
- In a study of over fifty essential oils, tested against multiple bacteria and yeast, cinnamon showed the strongest action (Hili, Evans, & Veness, 1997).
- Over 60 bacteria were tested against 13 essential oils. Cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, oregano, thyme, ajowan, and clove showed strong antibacterial activity (Mayaud, et al, 2008).
Cinnamon may improve blood sugar levels.
Many in vitro and in vivo studies have shown improved blood sugar levels related to cinnamon. Listed below are two double blind clinical human studies as well.
- A 4 month clinical trial with 210 subjects with diabetes showed that cinnamon improved blood sugar levels and warrants further research (Ranasinghe et al, 2017).
- In a study of 66 women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, cinnamon significantly reduced fasting insulin and insulin resistance levels (Hajimonfarednejad et al, 2017).
Cinnamon could be helpful with cholesterol levels.
Cinnamon has shown to reduce triglycerides, cholesterol, and may help improve weight. More human studies are needed.
- A total of 13 randomized trials with 750 patients showed cinnamon significantly reduced blood triglycerides and total cholesterol concentrations. Plus, it had a significant effect on LDL and HDL cholesterol levels (Maierean et al, 2017).
- A double blind randomized controlled study with 84 overweight women showed serum lipid levels reduce with the use of a cinnamon supplement (Borzoei e tal, 2018).
Easy Cinnamon Tea Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cups of boiling water
- Honey to taste
Cinnamon Tea Instructions
- Pour boiling water over the cinnamon stick. Then, steep for 10 minutes. Finally, add honey to taste. Stir with the cinnamon stick.
- Healthy adults: do not exceed 2 cups a day.
Ingesting more than normal spice quantity amounts can interfere with certain medications and health conditions. Avoid large quantities of cinnamon during pregnancy as it is a possible uterine stimulant. In addition, avoid with young children under 3 years of age.
Research
- Borzoei, A., Rafraf, M., Niromanesh, S., Farzadi, L., Narimani, F., & Doostan, F. (2018). Effects of cinnamon supplementation on antioxidant status and serum lipids in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine, 8(1), 128-133.
- Hajimonfarednejad, M., Nimrouzi, M., Heydari, M., Zarshenas, M. M., Raee, M. J., & Jahromi, B. N. (2017). Insulin resistance improvement by cinnamon powder in polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double‐blind placebo controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research.
- Hili, P., Evans, C. S., & Veness, R. G. (1997). Antimicrobial action of essential oils: the effect of dimethylsulphoxide on the activity of cinnamon oil. Letters in applied microbiology, 24(4), 269-275
- Maierean, S. M., Serban, M. C., Sahebkar, A., Ursoniu, S., Serban, A., Penson, P., & Banach, M. (2017). The effects of cinnamon supplementation on blood lipid concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of clinical lipidology, 11(6), 1393-1406.
- Mayaud, L., Carricajo, A., Zhiri, A., & Aubert, G. (2008). Comparison of bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity of 13 essential oils against strains with varying sensitivity to antibiotics. Letters in applied microbiology, 47(3), 167-173.
- Ranasinghe, P., Galappaththy, P., Constantine, G. R., Jayawardena, R., Weeratunga, H. D., Premakumara, S., & Katulanda, P. (2017). Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) as a potential pharmaceutical agent for type-2 diabetes mellitus: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 18(1), 446.
Click here to learn more about cinnamon: Cinnamon Monograph.
Click here for more easy herbal tea recipes: How to Brew Delicious Herbal Teas
Post By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, Registered Aromatherapist, Professional NAHA and AIA Member, LMT
Post Updated: 11/12/18
