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Can I eat cinnamon while pregnant?

No known issues Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Cinnamon used as a spice in food isn't on the pregnancy food lists of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks. The body that speaks to it is the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), and it draws the line at amount: it says some studies support cinnamon in amounts commonly found in foods during pregnancy, and that "Ceylon cinnamon in larger amounts during pregnancy is considered unsafe." Cinnamon tea gets a Check in all six countries; in the US, Doola Scan cites this NCCIH advice.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Ground cinnamon in baking, porridge, curries and desserts

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Whole cinnamon sticks (dalchini) cooked in rice, curries and chai

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Cassia and Ceylon cinnamon

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Cinnamon while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on cinnamon, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • No known issues

    None of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names cinnamon.

  • United States

    No known issues
    Cinnamon tea and cinnamon water
    • NCCIH (NIH)Cinnamon in food amounts likely safe in pregnancy; larger amounts of Ceylon cinnamon unsafe.Source
What to check

Before you eat cinnamon.

  1. Keep cinnamon to cooking amounts

    NCCIH separates food amounts from larger ones. It says some studies support Ceylon and cassia cinnamon in pregnancy "in amounts commonly found in foods", and that larger amounts of Ceylon cinnamon in pregnancy are considered unsafe. NCCIH

  2. Ask before cinnamon capsules or supplements

    NCCIH notes that dietary supplements are not approved by the FDA before they are sold, and that cinnamon products may not say which species they contain. It asks anyone who takes medicine to talk with their health care provider before using cinnamon or other herbal products. NCCIH

  3. Count cinnamon tea as more than a pinch

    Doola Scan shows Check for cinnamon tea in all six countries, and in the US it cites NCCIH's advice on larger amounts. If you drink it often or strong, ask your midwife or doctor how much is right for you. NCCIH

Questions

About cinnamon
in pregnancy.

Dalchini used as a spice in food isn't on the pregnancy food lists of these six countries, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for it. NCCIH, a US government body, says larger amounts of Ceylon cinnamon in pregnancy are considered unsafe, so keep it to cooking amounts.

Doola Scan doesn't read cinnamon water as a name of its own yet. Steeped in hot water, it's closest to cinnamon tea, which gets a Check in all six countries. Ask your midwife or doctor before drinking it daily.

Doola Scan shows Check for cinnamon tea in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. In the US it cites NCCIH, which says larger amounts of Ceylon cinnamon in pregnancy are considered unsafe.

NCCIH says cassia contains coumarin, that some cassia products contain high levels of it, and that long use could be an issue for sensitive people such as those with liver disease. It says Ceylon cinnamon may contain a trace amount. Doola Scan shows No known issues for both as spices.

None of the six countries' pregnancy food lists covers cinnamon supplements. NCCIH says larger amounts of Ceylon cinnamon in pregnancy are considered unsafe and asks you to talk with your health care provider before using cinnamon products if you take any medicine.

None of these bodies names cinnamon as good for pregnancy. NCCIH's page is about how much is used, not about benefits in pregnancy.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Cinnamon in food isn't named at any stage, and NCCIH's advice on larger amounts applies all through pregnancy.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the menu or the label, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance, spices included. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.

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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.