Image credit: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... Can cinnamon spice down autoimmune diseases?
This post includes both evidence from the medical literature and personal observation. It was originally posted in 2020 and had been deleted recently due to an unfortunate incident.
Using The Correct Cinnamon
There are two varieties of cinnamon. One is Ceylon cinnamon, also known as cinnamomum verum or cinnamomum zeylanicum, which has an acceptable safety profile. The other is cassia cinnamon, which contains coumarin, a blood thinner. It is also called cinnamomum aromaticum, and is grown in Southeast Asia. It should not be consumed in quantity. Ceylon cinnamon is readily available at Amazon and elsewhere. It is milder than cassia cinnamon, which makes it easier to take in quantity. In what follows, "cinnamon" refers to Ceylon cinnamon.
Introduction
There is strong evidence that Parkinson's is caused by excess alpha synuclein that neurons are unable to dispose of. See here for graphic images: healthunlocked.com/cure-par.... Human mutations that cause an excess of normal alpha synuclein and mutations that impair the disposal of alpha synuclein both cause Parkinson's.
Animal models of Parkinson's that involve applying a toxicant require some time to result in the formation of excess alpha synuclein. In the case of the mouse MPTP model, 14 days, if done properly. Reference: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Researching animal studies for substances to treat Parkinson's is an exercise in frustration. The vast majority of such studies treat the animal with the therapeutic substance either prior to or at the same time as applying the toxicant. Such studies are invalid because the animal never develops Parkinson's to begin with. At this stage even a simple antioxidant can prevent the toxicant from causing damage. Researchers subject to publish or perish who just want to get something published commonly use such invalid models.
One model that guarantees the animal being treated actually has Parkinson's is the A53T mouse. A53T refers to a human mutation in the structure of alpha synuclein that results in Parkinson's. Regarding these mice: alzforum.org/research-model... “around 10 months of age they begin to develop severe motor impairments (Lee et al., 2002). Early signs of impairment include wobbling and posturing." Investigators serious about treating Parkinson's make sure the test animal has Parkinson's before applying treatment, such as with these 10-month-old A53T mice.
Cinnamon study
Researcher Kalipada Pahan has spent many years studying the effect of cinnamon on Parkinson's and published numerous studies, most recently here: link.springer.com/article/1... This study used 10-month-old A53T mice.
"The present investigation underlines the importance of a naturally used spice and flavoring agent viz. cinnamon in reducing α-syn deposits in transgenic mice expressing mutant A53T human α-syn. Upon oral administration, cinnamon markedly reduced the level of insoluble α-syn in nigra, hippocampus and brain stem of A53T mice... Glial activation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders including PD... and we found suppression of microglial and astroglial activation in the nigra of A53T mice upon cinnamon treatment. Moreover, neuroprotective proteins like DJ-1 and Parkin are known to reduce the formation of Lewy bodies in the CNS. Accordingly, we observed upregulation and/or normalization of DJ-1 and Parkin in the nigra of A53T mice by treatment with cinnamon...
"Quantification of α-syn immunostaining indicated a significant reduction of α-syn in cinnamon-treated mice relative to the vehicle-treated group...cinnamon treatment decreased the level of insoluble, but not soluble, α-syn in the nigra ofA53T mice... Mice were treated with cinnamon (100 mg/kg body wt/d) ... via gavage for 60d."
The mice also showed improvement in their motor and cognitive function.
Adjusting for metabolic rate as set forth here: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... the mouse dosage is equivalent to 8 mg/kg body wt/d for a human, about .5 g for a 60 kg (132 pound) human. There is no guarantee that this will be an effective human dosage.
Be on the lookout for edema
There is a case report of cinnamon causing edema: jabfm.org/content/31/5/809....
We also have had 2 reports from people on this site who had experienced edema from cinnamon. If you experience edema after starting cinnamon then you should stop and cinnamon is not for you.
Personal report (as of the end of 2020)
UPDRS
Date started cinnamon treatment: November 6, 2020. UPDRS score at start of treatment: 35
My score had been 25 prior to a misadventure with another treatment. Cinnamon treatment improved my status as compared to before that event: UPDRS score as of completion of treatment on December 29, 2020: 20. (For those unfamiliar with UPDRS, lower is better)
My main symptom is motor impairment which has been much improved. I do have some tremor which is unchanged.
Medication Reduced
I am very sensitive to levodopa - too much interferes with my walking, causing my leg on the affected side to be too tight and unable to move easily. Levodopa dosage prior to starting cinnamon treatment: 100 milligrams 3x daily, as Carbidopa / levodopa ER. Exercise with medication in "ON" state. Levodopa dosage at December 29, 2020: 100 milligrams 2x daily. I now exercise in the "OFF"/unmedicated state because any additional levodopa is too much.
Update December 2021: after one year without three grams daily cinnamon, my levodopa need has crept back up to 250-300 milligrams levodopa daily. I recently resumed taking one gram of cinnamon daily. If that does not help I will try an increase of my dosage.
Motor improvements
Dexterity has been restored to my affected arm - I am now able to manipulate buttons equally well with my affected hand. I walk more easily – A person who had not seen me for several weeks remarked I was no longer dragging my leg. These abilities are an improvement over my status prior to the misadventure I mentioned above, as is the need to exercise in the off state.
Personal observations indicating underlying disease condition is improved
In past attempts at herbal remedies, motor improvement came at a cost - dystonia, which was unacceptable, and indicated some adverse change was occurring as well as favorable change. That has not been the case with cinnamon. Improvement was gradual since the start of this treatment, and improvement has been maintained in the month since end of treatment. This is unlike a symptom reducing medication that merely increases the overall amount of dopamine present.
Reducing inflammation can have an adverse effect
During most of the seven week treatment period I took 3 g of cinnamon daily, mixed with food over the course of the day, without adverse effect. During the final week I increased my dosage to 6 g daily which apparently triggered a flare of a chronic infection that had been in remission. Inflammation can serve a useful purpose. Reducing it too much can be too much of a good thing.
September 2024 update: I had been neglecting my cinnamon and have experienced progression. I've resumed taking cinnamon. 3 grams daily seems to be too much but 2 grams daily seems to be OK.
Additional Evidence From The Medical Literature
Effect on inflammation
According to this study, link.springer.com/article/1... cinnamon essential oil had an anti-inflammatory effect on the microglia, which are immune system cells inside the brain: "Our results showed that TCA [cinnamon essential oil] significantly ... decreased iNOS and COX-2 protein expression level ...It also reduced LPS-induced mRNA expression of iNOS, COX-2, and TNFα."
According to this study:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Can cinnamon spice down autoimmune diseases?
" Recent studies indicate that cinnamon either in powder or extract form and NaB are capable of modulating different autoimmune pathways as well as protecting animals from different autoimmune disorders...Accordingly, in a recent randomized double-blind clinical trial ...oral cinnamon (2000 mg/patient/day) treatment significantly reduced the disease activity [of rheumatoid arthritis] score, visual analog scale, and tender and swollen joints counts [18]... rodent results suggest cinnamon as a possible complementary and alternative medicine for MS [multiple sclerosis]...Decrease in pro-inflammatory molecules by cinnamon... Decrease in inflammatory infiltration by cinnamon:.." Further details of the auto immune down regulation from this study shown in the title image.
Additional safety considerations
In a study of diabetics here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/146... 10 patients each took 3 or 6 g of cinnamon daily for 40 days without any adverse effects reported:
"Results: After 40 days, all three levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18-29%), triglyceride (23-30%), LDL cholesterol (7-27%), and total cholesterol (12-26%) levels; no significant changes were noted in the placebo groups. "
This is great, but it can be adverse for those suffering from hypoglycemia.
In another study, here: link.springer.com/article/1... 30 subjects participated in a three-month escalating dose study. At the final month they took a daily capsule of cinnamon extract equivalent to 6 g of cinnamon - which is to say concentrated cinnamon. Four suffered digestive upset, and two dropped out of the study for that reason. No other adverse effects were reported. We are not taking cinnamon extract, and mixing cinnamon with food or drink minimizes the likelihood of digestive upset.
Animal studies found excellent safety, which was reviewed here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/226...
Disclaimer
I am not an M.D., just a fellow member of the Parkinson's club. I cannot offer any guarantees, nor assume liability. If you try the cinnamon treatment and some adverse effect arises you should stop.
Suggested Cinnamon Dosage Range
.5 – 3 g of cinnamon daily, added to food or drink. One gram of cinnamon is approximately one half level teaspoon. I strongly recommend getting a sensitive scale for accurate dosing. If you decide to go with the higher-end dosage, I suggest it be divided into two or three portions over the course of the day.
Avoid High Temperatures
I find that the best way to consume cinnamon is to add it to something I am eating or drinking. It is best to do so just before consuming. High temperatures can cause chemical changes in cinnamaldehyde, the active ingredient:
pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.102...
"trans-Cinnamaldehyde, the principal component of cinnamon flavor, is a potent antimicrobial compound present in essential oils such as cinnamon.... starting at ∼60 °C, pure cinnamaldehyde undergoes a temperature-dependent transformation to benzaldehyde under the influence of heat"
Cinnamaldehyde, the active ingredient in this treatment, is a volatile compound - the reason for the lovely aroma of cinnamon. Heating tends to evaporate it, which smells great, but will reduce the amount that gets into your body.
Keeping track
You can self administer the UPDRS (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale) to track your progress. This will not be as objective as having an observer administer the test, but for tracking any changes it will suffice. If you choose to do this, I suggest omitting the back pull test, even if you do have a partner available for this, because there is the danger of falling and injury. The UPDRS can be accessed here:
parkinsons.va.gov/resources...
What brand of cinnamon to use? I have no particular insight as to any brand being better than another. Here is I have use that seems to be satisfactory:
amazon.com/gp/product/B0041...
I hope this helps!
Just beware that Consumer Reports published an article earlier this month about many brands of cinnamon having elevated levels of lead. You can Google it or copy and paste the link below if you want to see lead levels by brand that they tested.
He was on very strong IV antibiotics for 10 days, with no visible improvement of the wound. Discharged, I took matters in my hands, and searched for a treatment. I found after reading PubMeds on the subject that pseudomonas are very resistant to antibiotics. Best for healing such wounds is WHITE VINEGAR AND DISTILLED WATER soaks. Started this protocol October 2023 on a daily basis under a dermatologist's supervision. This simple, inexpensive treatment has almost healed a huge wound which worsened his motor symptoms. I am still treating the wound every single day, an 1 1/2 hour protocol! Yes, the wound started on the rear of his left leg, but it expanded to the whole lower left leg--under "doctors'" supervision!!! He was in extreme pain, making his movements very difficult and slow.
PD subgroups and subtypes : preliminary comments, initial bibliography
