Cinnamon tea is a fabulous (and caffeine-free!) beverage with a whole lot of health benefits ranging from cardiovascular support to antibacterial action. Delicious both on its own and when combined with other ingredients like honey, cardamom, or black tea, cinnamon tea is an excellent drink for anyone looking for a natural and gentle health booster.

Is Cinnamon Tea Good for You?

In terms of health benefits, cinnamon tea has a lot to offer for anyone out there. However, its bold and pungent taste is not for everyone, so don’t make a lot of this drink for your first time, just in case.

In general, people who enjoy different spices, exotic dishes, hot food, and unusual flavors are more likely to enjoy cinnamon tea than people who prefer gentle and mild tastes. In any case, you should try it out to find if it’s for you!

Possible Benefits of Cinnamon Tea

Cinnamon contains a wide range of natural compounds, including methylhydroxychalcone polymers (MHCPs), polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, and glycosides. Many of these phytochemicals are powerful antioxidants, while others have unique benefits for people with diabetes. If you’re looking for a specific benefit or action, use the navigation links below to learn the details:

1. Antioxidant
2. Anti-Inflammatory
3. Cardiovascular Support
4. Blood Sugar and Diabetes
5. Insulin Sensitivity
6. Brain Health
7. Abnormal Cell Growth
8. Antibacterial & Antifungal
9. Weight Loss

Cinnamon Nutrition Facts

According to data from the USDA, a single teaspoon of ground cinnamon (2.6 g) contains:^[1]

Calories: 6.42 kcal

Protein: 0.104 g

Total fat: 0.032 g

Carbohydrate: 2.1 g

Total dietary fiber: 1.38 g

Calcium: 26.1 mg

Iron: 0.216 mg

Magnesium: 1.56 mg

Phosphorus: 1.66 m

Potassium: 11.2 mg

Sodium: 0.26 mg

Zinc: 0.048 mg

Copper: 0.009 mg

Manganese: 0.454 mg

Selenium: 0.081 µg

Vitamin A: 0.39 µg

Vitamin C: 0.099 mg

Lutein + zeaxanthin: 5.77 µg

Just to be clear, keep in mind that this information is accurate for ground cinnamon if you eat it—for example, as an ingredient in your cookies or pies.

On the other hand, cinnamon tea prepared with cinnamon sticks won’t have any significant nutritional value whatsoever, as long as you don’t eat the sticks themselves. Because it’s an infusion, cinnamon tea will contain many of the cinnamon’s active compounds, each with unique health benefits, but little to no nutritional value in terms of macro- or micronutrients.

Cinnamon Tea Possible Benefits

So, why should you consider adding cinnamon tea as a regular drink to your menu? Let’s take an in-depth look at its most essential health benefits.

1. Antioxidants

Cinnamon tea is full of natural antioxidants from different classes—like polyphenols, flavonoids, and terpenoids. Some studies even reported that cinnamon is the most potent spice in terms of antioxidative potential, compared to 26 other spices!^[2]

Antioxidants scavenge the free radicals in the body due to external factors (like ultraviolet radiation in sunlight) and internal processes (like the action of certain enzymes in the body). By neutralizing free radicals, antioxidants reduce oxidative stress, slow down aging, prevent damage to the cells, and may even reduce the risk of developing cancer.^[3]

2. Anti-Inflammatory

Free radicals are formed in any kind of inflammation, and they are one of the primary sources of damage to the local tissue. Thanks to its antioxidative compounds, cinnamon can soothe inflammation. It can also activate the body’s antioxidants, like superoxide dismutase (SOD)!^_[4]

3. Cardiovascular Support

Atherosclerosis, also called arterial plaque, is considered to be the leading cause of heart conditions worldwide.^[5] Essentially, this condition is associated with the accumulation of fatty deposits on the lining of the arteries, which then become narrow and stiff.

Two significant factors that contribute to the development of arterial plaque and heart disease are unhealthy cholesterol levels and inflammation in the blood vessels.^[6] Luckily, cinnamon helps with both issues!

Studies reported that cinnamon reduces total and” harmful” cholesterol levels (low-density lipoprotein, LDL), increases” good” cholesterol levels (high-density lipoprotein, HDL), and even improves blood pressure!^[7]

4. Blood Sugar Imbalances

Both cinnamon as a spice and cinnamon tea as a delicious beverage is incredibly beneficial for people with blood sugar issues.

For example, some studies reported that methylhydroxychalcone (MHCP), one active compound found in cinnamon, mimics the action of insulin—the hormone that drives blood glucose into the cells.^[8] By acting this way, cinnamon effectively decreases blood glucose levels, improving symptoms, or even preventing issues from developing in the first place!

5. Insulin Sensitivity

In a nutshell, insulin sensitivity means how well the body responds to the action of insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that controls blood glucose levels.

For example, in a state known as insulin resistance, the body ignores the signals of insulin and doesn’t bring blood glucose inside the cells. As a result, permanently high blood glucose levels develop and lead to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, excess weight, along with other complications.^[9]

Some studies reported that cinnamon might increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, leading to improved blood glucose levels and decreased diabetes risk.^[10]

6. Brain Health

The active compounds in cinnamon may help to protect the brain from a wide range of conditions and support its function throughout the years.

For instance, studies suggest that the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory action of cinnamon may help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and somewhat alleviate symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.^{[11] [12]}

Also, cinnamon seems to improve memory and fights off the negative effects of insulin resistance on the brain!^{[13] [14]}

7. Abnormal Cell Growths

While it wouldn’t be a wise idea to treat abnormal cell growths with cinnamon alone, it’s great to know that some of its active compounds have been confirmed to have beneficial properties.

Studies have reported that the active compounds of cinnamon could have great potential against skin growths, lung growths, breast growths, colon growths, and bone-related conditions.^{[15] [16] [17]}

8. Antibacterial & Antifungal

Cinnamon is a fabulous natural way of fighting a wide range of bacteria and fungi.

Some studies reported that the active compounds in cinnamon could be used to fight super-resistant bacteria like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which is extremely hard to kill even using the world’s most powerful antibiotics!^[18] It seems that cinnamon boosts the power of antibiotics too, and can be used alongside them for added effectiveness.^[19]

Additionally, cinnamon is fabulous against many different fungi, including different Candida species, even when conventional antifungal medications like fluconazole fail.^{[20] [21]}

9. Weight Loss

Thanks to its ability to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce blood glucose levels, and improve cholesterol levels, cinnamon can be extremely beneficial for weight loss.

For example, one extensive study reported that cinnamon supplementation significantly reduces body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and fat mass in adults.^[22]

Of course, eating cookies with cinnamon for weight loss isn’t a good idea, but unsweetened cinnamon tea could be a significant weapon against excess pounds!

How to Make Cinnamon Tea

Now that you know about some of the most impressive health benefits of cinnamon, it’s time to learn how to make cinnamon tea to bring these benefits to your life! Luckily, the whole process is super easy to follow and doesn’t take more than 20 minutes.

Cinnamon Tea Ingredients

• Stick cinnamon
• Boiling water

Preparation Instructions

• Boil. The first step is to bring a pan of tap water to a boil, then throw in the cinnamon sticks. You’ll need about 8 ounces of water for each cinnamon stick. Don’t worry if the flavor is too strong—you can always dilute your drink a bit! Boil your cinnamon tea for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Strain. Remove the cinnamon sticks using a filter, or just use a fork.
• Garnish. Add sugar, honey, or apple syrup to taste.
• Enjoy!

Cinnamon Tea Recipes

Looking for some new ways to get creative with your cinnamon tea? Here are a few of our favorite cinnamon tea recipes!

• Sweet Simple. Although cinnamon has some sweet flavor notes of its own, try adding some brown sugar to your drink and feel it spark with extra joy.
• Ginger. For added zest, immunity support, and natural anti-stress action, try adding some ginger to your cinnamon tea. Throw a slice of fresh ginger along with every cinnamon stick when boiling your tea.
• Ginger Turmeric. Combining cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric could be a fabulous idea for those people who love their drinks and dishes extra-spicy. You can add turmeric to your boiling water, or just use it to garnish the drink when it’s ready.
• Sweet Milk. Add some milk to your cinnamon tea to turn it into a super cozy drink that’s perfect for cold winter nights or anytime you need a little something to cheer yourself up.
• Sudanese. In Sudan, black tea steeped with cinnamon sticks is an all-time favorite. For a more robust flavor, boil the black tea and the cinnamon sticks together. For a milder drink, throw the cinnamon sticks in a cup or teapot with already prepared black tea while it’s still hot. By the way, some people like to drink Sudanese cinnamon tea through a sugar cube between their teeth, so don’t forget to try that out too!

Summary

Cinnamon tea is a wonderful caffeine-free beverage with a wide range of health benefits. Besides being just a delicious drink to enjoy, it’s packed with healthy antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that support heart health, promote brain function, improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and may even help in losing excess weight.

Enjoy it as is—or add some turmeric, ginger, honey, or apple syrup to discover new flavor combinations!

 

References

1. “FoodData Central Search Results: Spices, cinnamon, ground,” U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171320/nutrients
2. Shan, Bin et al. “Antioxidant capacity of 26 spice extracts and characterization of their phenolic constituents.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry vol. 53,20 (2005): 7749-59.
3. Singh, A K et al. “Free radicals hasten head and neck cancer risk: A study of total oxidant, total antioxidant, DNA damage, and histological grade.” Journal of postgraduate medicine vol. 62,2 (2016): 96-101.
4. Liao, Jung-Chun et al. “Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Cinnamomum cassia Constituents In Vitro and In Vivo.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM vol. 2012 (2012): 429320.
5. Frostegård, Johan. “Immunity, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.” BMC medicine, vol. 11, (2013): 117.
6. Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud et al. “Atherosclerosis: process, indicators, risk factors, and new hopes.” International journal of preventive medicine vol. 5,8 (2014): 927-46.
7. Gupta Jain, Sonal, et al. “Effect of oral cinnamon intervention on metabolic profile and body composition of Asian Indians with metabolic syndrome: a randomized double-blind control trial.” Lipids in health and disease vol. 16,1 (2017): 113.
8. Jarvill-Taylor, K J et al. “A hydroxychalcone derived from cinnamon functions as a mimetic for insulin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition vol. 20,4 (2001): 327-36.
9. Hardy, Olga T et al. “What causes the insulin resistance underlying obesity.” Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity vol. 19,2 (2012): 81-7.
10. Qin, Bolin et al. “Cinnamon: potential role in the prevention of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.” Journal of diabetes science and technology vol. 4,3 (2010): 685-93.
11. Momtaz, Saeideh et al. “Cinnamon, a promising prospect towards Alzheimer’s disease.” Pharmacological research, vol. 130, (2018): 241-58.
12. Patel, Dhruv et al. “Cinnamon and its Metabolite Protect the Nigrostriatum in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease Via Astrocytic GDNF.” Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology: the official journal of the Society on Neuroimmune Pharmacology vol. 14,3 (2019): 503-18.
13. Modi, Khushbu K et al. “Cinnamon Converts Poor Learning Mice to Good Learners: Implications for Memory Improvement.” Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology: the official journal of the Society on Neuroimmune Pharmacology vol. 11,4 (2016): 693-707.
14. Anderson, Richard A et al. “Cinnamon counteracts the negative effects of a high fat/high fructose diet on behavior, brain insulin signaling and Alzheimer-associated changes.” PloS one vol. 8,12 (2013): e83243.
15. Kwon, Ho-Keun et al. “Cinnamon extract induces tumor cell death through inhibition of NFkappaB and AP1.” BMC cancer, vol. 10, (2010): 392.
16. Hamidpour, Rafie et al. “Cinnamon from the selection of traditional applications to its novel effects on the inhibition of angiogenesis in cancer cells and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, and a series of functions such as antioxidant, anticholesterol, antidiabetes, antibacterial, antifungal, nematicidal, acaricidal, and repellent activities.” Journal of traditional and complementary medicine vol. 5,2 (2015): 66-70.
17. Rao, Pasupuleti Visweswara, and Siew Hua Gan. “Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM vol. 2014 (2014): 642942.
18. Nabavi, Seyed Fazel et al. “Antibacterial Effects of Cinnamon: From Farm to Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries.” Nutrients vol. 7,9 (2015): 7729-48.
19. El Atki, Yassine et al. “Antibacterial activity of cinnamon essential oils and their synergistic potential with antibiotics.” Journal of advanced pharmaceutical technology & research vol. 10,2 (2019): 63-7.
20. Wang, Gang-Sheng et al. “Mechanisms, clinically curative effects, and antifungal activities of cinnamon oil and pogostemon oil complex against three species of Candida.” Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan vol. 32,1 (2012): 19-24.
21. Goel, Nidhi et al. “Antifungal Activity of Cinnamon Oil and Olive Oil against Candida Spp. Isolated from Blood Stream Infections.” Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR vol. 10,8 (2016): DC09-11.
22. Mousavi, Seyed Mohammad et al. “Cinnamon supplementation positively affects obesity: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) vol. 39,1 (2020): 123-33.