Cinnamon bark is probably best known as a sweet addition to a variety of foods and drinks, but it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a treatment for conditions such as lack of appetite, indigestion, diarrhea and arthritis. Present-day interest mainly stems from its potential to lower blood sugar, though not all studies have found positive results. Some dosage guidelines exist for certain conditions based on clinical research, but not all uses have specific doses. If you think taking cinnamon bark supplements will help with a particular health problem, talk to your doctor about whether you should take it, a suggested dose and how long you should use the supplement.
Diabetes
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center reports on one study in which participants with Type 2 diabetes given either 1 g, 3 g or 6 g of cinnamon extract experienced a drop in blood sugar. The fact that the response was similar among all three groups cast some doubt on the results, but it is possible that patients would only require a small dose of cinnamon, and that larger doses would not offer any additional benefit. The university points to other studies, however, that found using 1.5 g did not produce any positive results, while using 3 g did. The University of Michigan Health System notes these conflicting results might have resulted from differences in body weight, initial glucose levels and types of medications used among the different studies' subjects. If you want to use cinnamon to treat your diabetes, your doctor can help determine an optimal dose based on your individual profile.
Other Dosage Guidelines
The study using three different doses of cinnamon also found it lowered triglyceride and cholesterol levels in addition to blood sugar. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center also notes studies in which doses of 500 mg and 2 g lowered blood pressure. Drugs.com points to one study that used 80 mg daily to destroy H. pylori bacteria, which is responsible for formation of most stomach ulcers. Generally, a suggested daily dose of cinnamon is between 1 g and 4 g.
Medication Interactions
If cinnamon actually does lower glucose levels, you would likely require dosage adjustments in insulin or other blood-sugar-lowering medications to compensate for the effects and avoid excessively low blood sugar. Only your doctor can safely determine these changes; do not make them on your own. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center notes cinnamon bark naturally contains coumarin, a substance that serves as a precursor to the production of chemicals with anti-coagulant activity. Theoretically, this could increase the risk of bleeding if you take warfarin or other blood-thinning medications. Drugs.com notes lab experiments that found cinnamon interfered with dissolution of the antibiotic tetracycline. Whether it would affect your body's absorption of this drug has not been established.
Other Considerations for Use
Cinnamon bark has demonstrated estrogenic activity, which could prove problematic if you have hormone-sensitive diseases such as breast cancer. When consumed as a flavoring in food and beverages, cinnamon is unlikely to pose risks if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Do not supplement, however, without talking to your doctor first. If you have liver or kidney disease, always clear the use of any supplements with your doctor; these organs have a particular sensitivity to what you put in your body, especially when operating at less than their optimal capacity.
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