What Is Coumarin in Cinnamon? Ceylon vs Cassia: What Testing Shows

What is coumarin in cinnamon? Coumarin is a naturally occurring flavouring compound found in cinnamon bark, at very different levels depending on the species. It is present in relatively high concentrations in Cassia cinnamon, and at much lower levels in true Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum). ³Regulators track it because large amounts can stress the liver.

If you have ever read that "too much cinnamon is bad for your liver," the concern behind that is real, and it is almost certainly not about the cinnamon you are picturing. It is about coumarin, and which of two different plants your "cinnamon" came from. You can read our Ceylon Cinnamon Powder page for what we sell; the rest of this article is about what published testing and regulators say.

Two spices, one name

Cassia and Ceylon are both sold as "cinnamon" in the US, but they are different species: Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia and related species) and Ceylon (Cinnamomum verum). Cassia is what is in almost every grocery-store cinnamon jar. Ceylon, supplied by Sri Lanka, is milder and lighter-colored and far less common in US kitchens.⁵

The difference that matters most here is not flavor. It is coumarin, a naturally occurring compound both species contain, but at very different concentrations. For a plain-language guide to the species themselves, see What Is True Cinnamon?

What independent testing has measured

A peer-reviewed assessment of ground cinnamon on the Czech retail market tested 60 samples comprising twelve brands, using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography, a standard lab method for this measurement). Brand-average coumarin content ranged from 2,650 to 7,017 mg/kg, and the authors concluded these samples came from Cassia cinnamon. None of the retail samples was labeled with its botanical source. A single sample imported directly from a plantation in Sri Lanka, from Cinnamomum verum, was coumarin-free by the same method.¹

An international study of cinnamon labels found a similar pattern. Ceylon cinnamon sticks from Sri Lanka measured between 0.003 and 0.023 mg of coumarin per gram, and a Vietnamese cinnamon powder measured about 2.2 mg per gram. A commercial powder sold as Ceylon measured about 0.97 mg per gram, well below the Vietnamese powder but far above the sticks. The authors tested in a lab in Japan, so this is also non-US data.⁵ It is a useful reminder that powder is harder to verify than whole quills, and that a "Ceylon" label alone is not the same as a test.

Why regulators care about the number

EFSA has set a tolerable daily intake for coumarin of 0.1 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.² BfR applies the same tolerable daily intake, and calculated that an adult weighing 60 kg reaches it at about 2 g of Cassia cinnamon with average coumarin content per day. For a 15 kg infant, it put the figure at 0.5 g.⁴ BfR also recommends that people who frequently use large amounts of cinnamon as a spice choose low-coumarin Ceylon.³

To be clear about what this is not: BfR says a health risk would only be possible for people who eat large quantities of high-coumarin Cassia over a relatively long period, and that it continues to recommend moderate consumption of Cassia. ⁴This article is not a claim that Cassia is dangerous in occasional use, and it is not medical advice about what coumarin does in any particular person. It is a summary of what regulators and published testing say, so you can decide how much cinnamon, and which kind, to use every day.

Where this leaves the "just use cinnamon" advice

Most content presents "cinnamon" as one ingredient. The coumarin data says that is the wrong frame if you use it daily rather than occasionally. Species, not brand or price, is the variable that changes the chemistry.

FAQ

What is coumarin?

Coumarin is a naturally occurring flavouring compound. BfR describes it as present in relatively high concentrations in the cinnamon varieties collectively known as Cassia cinnamon.³

Is all "cinnamon" the same species?

No. Most cinnamon sold in the US is Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia and related species). True Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is a different species, supplied by Sri Lanka, and is much less common in US retail.⁵

How much coumarin does Cassia cinnamon actually contain?

In the Czech retail study, brand-average levels ranged from 2,650 to 7,017 mg/kg across 60 samples of twelve brands, while a Ceylon sample from Sri Lanka was coumarin-free.¹ That is Czech market data, not a US survey.

What is the safety threshold for coumarin?

EFSA set a tolerable daily intake of 0.1 mg per kg of body weight per day.² BfR calculated that a 60 kg adult reaches it at about 2 g of average-coumarin Cassia cinnamon per day.⁴

Does this mean I should never use Cassia cinnamon?

BfR recommends moderate consumption of Cassia and says a health risk would only be possible for people who eat large quantities of high-coumarin Cassia over a relatively long period. It recommends Ceylon for people who frequently use large amounts.⁴

Is RamanRasa's cinnamon tested for coumarin?

We have not published a coumarin result for our product. Independent per-batch third-party testing is planned for every batch, with results published once each batch is in our Houston facility.

See our single-origin Ceylon Cinnamon Powder. It is in stock and ships from Houston, TX within 2 to 3 days.

This content is for informational purposes only and not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for health-related concerns.