There's a bit of confusion generated by this article, to wit:

"the cinnamon extract developed by Ovadia has special properties that won't be found at coffee shops or in the kitchen cupboard. First of all, it comes from a special variety of cinnamon; coumarin and cinnamon aldehyde, which are by-products of cinnamon 'juice'. These are actually damaging to the liver in high quantities, and must be removed."

That sentence fragment after the semi-colon leaves the reader wondering what gozinta what. They also fail to clarify that there are two kinds of cinnamon, Cassia cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon: the former is cheaper, is higher in coumarin, and is the one commonly available in supermarkets. And yes, coumarin is damaging to the liver. So, Gamma Girl, your point is well taken, but in the case of cinnamon, the coumarin must be removed if it is to be consumed in multigram doses, i.e. at as therapeutic level.

According to Life Enhancement, consuming multigram amounts of whole cinnamon daily could pose a health risk for some people, especially those who are already taking prescription coumarin. Consuming an aqueous extract of cinnamon poses no such risk, however, because coumarin is lipid-soluble, not water-soluble, and thus remains behind when the water-soluble components are extracted from the bark.

Hope that helps clear up the confusion!

This guy might have ran up on something here.

The earth holds many causes and many cures. Too bad (some) types of man kind want only to produce the causes and hide the cures.

We have seen the future of medicine, and the future is food.

Cinnamon is toxic in large amounts.  How much is a large amount?  What keeps small amounts from being toxic.  The same biochemicals are in cinnamon, irregardless of the amount.  It is when you try to separate things you get into trouble.

Mary

We (Humans) are constantly looking for the magic bullit, and must be the most pig-headed entity on this panet. We keep isolating this compound and mixing it one garbage or with something else and hoping to land the big one -  the magic cure for all ailments......

Well nature ain't all that dumb, when she created things she most certainly tried her best to include everything we would need to complete the circle of life. All we got to do is to look around us and we'll find most anything we need, but needs and wants are two different things. Most humans are never satisifed with mere needs, no siry Bob we are not and never will be, we always want more and more, no wonder the planet is in such a mess........

For me my magic bullit consists of:
1) Taking care of my emotional health
2) Proper nutrition
3) Proper exercise
4) Good social life (good circle of family & friends)

Excellent work by Michael Ovadia, however i hate to say it and hope i don't come across negative, but i believe If this type of cinnamon or extract is not readily available to us lay folks, then Frutarom will be the one to reap the greatest benefit from all of this....So from the projected 350 million they expect to generate by the end of 2007, watch it by the end of next year (2008) if all goes their way they could well be into the billion dollar range....Does this sound familiar ?????

In any event i most certainly welcome the natural cure(s) for these illnesses any day over Big Pharma and their synthetic concoctions.

i use a topical oil called "thieves" by Young Living that contains cinnamon, as well as clove, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary. before i board a plane, i put a little on my wrists and my neck, and so far, i haven't gotten sick. i also use it ALL the time during flu season. this is very interesting. anyone else ever use thieves?

I am diabetic. Is it safe to use the honey and cinnamon cures suggested? Is it regular jarred honey that one buys in the super market?

To D. Jones: I know of a delicious Lebanese lentil recipe which includes cinnamon. Also, I think Moroccan cooking uses it. There is a delightful Lebanese cookbook by Ralph Nader's mom called "It Happened in the Kitchen" by Rose Nader and Nathra Nader. The lentil dish is called 'Mdardara. Bon apetit!

Though cinnamon circulating in hospital or airplane air may please some, it might irritate others. Would exposure for hous or days  render it unnoticed, like living with noise on a busy street?  I enjoy the smell of cinnamon, but I also enjoy the smell of cleanliness and antiseptics in a hospital  because of its connotation.  If you are old enough, you may remember the smell of cities where horses were still ubiquitous pulling ice, milk and dray wagons. Today most of us would find the strong smell offfensive.  How long would it take to acclimate to horses en mass or to  ubiquitous cinnamon?   Perhaps the amount used to purify air would be extremely faint. Then it could be very acceptable as a replacement for antiseptics.   Does anyone know the required concentratiion?  This is important when realizing herbs are not a quick fix.  I can forsee Southwest Air advertising its daily flights between New York

and Chicago as the Cinnmom Bun run.  Equiknox@comcast.net