TABLE 3.
Description of recent clinical studies related to pharmacological activity of natural compounds from Cinnamomum species.
| Pharmacological activity | Clinical trial/study design (type, patients included) | Period, country | Intervention (doses of Cinnamon and its derivatives) | Standard comparison | The most representative clinical outcomes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 2 diabetes | Two groups included: Cinnamon- group 1,2, 3 | Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsule of Cinnamomum cassia placebo group: Wheat flour, 500 mg, 1 g or 2 capsules per day for 20 days; group 1 and 4: 3 g or 6 capsules per day for 20 days; group 2 and 5: 6 g or 12 capsules per day for 20 days; group 3 and 6; 6 g or 12 capsules per day for 40 days | Placebo | ↓serum glucose (18–29%), ↓TG (23–30%), ↓LDL-C (7–27%) ↓total cholesterol (12–26%) | Khan et al. (2003) |
| Placebo- group 4, 5, 6 | ||||||
| Cinnamon group: 60 patients | ||||||
| Age 52.2 ± 6.32 years | ||||||
| Not on insulin therapy | ||||||
| Not taking other medicine | ||||||
| Fasting blood glucose | ||||||
| Levels 7.8–22.2 mmol/L | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group: 33 patients, age 62·8 ± 8·37 | Hannover, Germany | Cinnamon group: Extract 112 mg aqueous cinnamon extract placebo: Microcrystalline cellulose 3 g powder per day, three times a day for 4 months | Placebo | ↓glucose levels up to 10.3% | Mang et al. (2006) |
| Body weight 88·5 ± 19·1 kg | ||||||
| HbA1c 6.7–6.9% | ||||||
| Placebo group: 32 patients age 63·7 ± 7·17 years | ||||||
| Body weight 89·9 ± 14·1 kg | ||||||
| HbA1c 6.7–6.9% | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group | Netherlands | Cinnamon group: 500 mg of Cinnamomum cassia placebo group: 500 mg, wheat flour, verstegen 1.5 g per day, 1 capsule at breakfast, lunch and dinner for 6 weeks | Placebo | ↓plasma glucose, ↓plasma insulin, ↓total cholesterol, ↓LDL, ↓TG ↓HDL ↓HbA1c | Vanschoonbeek et al. (2006) |
| 12 postmenopausal women age 62 ± 2 years | ||||||
| Body weight 85.4 ± 3.6 kg | ||||||
| Placebo group: 13 patients | ||||||
| Age 64 ± 2 years | ||||||
| Body weight 82.2 ± 4.0 kg | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group: 30 patients | US | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsule of Cinnamomum cassia placebo group: Wheat flour, 500 mg capsule: 1 g per day, for breakfast and dinner for 3 months | Placebo | No significant change in FBG, lipid for cinnamon group | Blevins et al. (2007) |
| Age 63.6 years | ||||||
| Placebo: 22 patients | ||||||
| Age 58.0 years | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group: 55 patients | United States military base, May 2007 to August 2007 | Cinnamon group: Capsules 500 mg capsule of Cinnamomum cassia control group: 1 g/day with food for 90 days | Control | Cinnamon group ↓ HbA1c | Crawford. (2009) |
| Age 60.5 ± 10.7 | ||||||
| HbA1c ≥ 7.0% control group: 54 patients | ||||||
| Age 59.9 ± 9.2 years | ||||||
| HbA1c ≥ 7.0% | ||||||
| Multi-ethnic type 2 diabetic | Cinnamon group: 58 patients, age 54.9 ± 9.8 years | October 2007 to January 2009, United Kingdom | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsule of Cinnamomum cassia placebo: Starch, 500 mg capsule 2 g per day, for breakfast (1 capsule), lunch (2 capsules), dinner (1 capsule) for 12 weeks | Placebo | ↓HbA1c ↓FPG ↓BMI | Akilen et al. (2010) |
| Body weight 74.94 ± 13.34; FPG≥ 7 mmol/L | ||||||
| HbA1c ≥ 7.0% placebo group: 22 patients | ||||||
| Age 55.67 ± 7.98 years | ||||||
| Body weight 73.02 ± 10.38 years FPG≥7 mmol⁄l | ||||||
| HbA1c ≥ 7.0% | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group: 22 patients | Tehran, Iran | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsule of Cinnamomum zeylanicum placebo group: 500 mg capsule, wheat flour 3 g per day, 2 capsules at breakfast, lunch and dinner for 8 weeks | Placebo | No significant difference in cinnamon and placebo group on HbA1c, ↓TG, ↓Insulin ↑ LDL-C | Vafa et al. (2012) |
| Age 54.11 ± 10.37 years | ||||||
| Body weight 74.94 ± 13.34 | ||||||
| Placebo group: 22 patients | ||||||
| Age 55.67 ± 7.98 years | ||||||
| Body weight 73.02 ± 10.38 kg | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group: 137 patients | Beijing and dalian, China | Cinnamon group: Water extract of cinnamon and CinSulin®, 250 mg/capsule placebo: 500 mg capsule, wheat flour daily, twice a day for 2 months | Placebo | ↓LDL-C ↓HDL ↓HOMA-IR | Anderson et al. (2015) |
| Age 61.3 ± 0.8 years | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cross-over study cinnamon group:10 sedentary obese females | Texas, United States | Cinnamon group: 1–6 g/day powder of C. cassia/aromaticum and C. zeylanicum/verum placebo: Cellulose powder 5 g | Placebo | No differences observed in blood glucose, serum insulin, insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance | Gutierrez et al. (2016) |
| Age 22.7 ± 4 years | ||||||
| Body weight 104.42 ± 16.75 kg | ||||||
| Take oral/intrauterine contraceptives | ||||||
| Prescription medications | ||||||
| Over-the-counter weight loss pills | ||||||
| Type 2 diabetes | Cinnamon group: 40 patients | September 2012 to December 2012, Iran | Cinnamon group: Cinnamomum verum 3 g for 8 weeks control group: 3 glasses of tea, for 8 weeks | Control | ↓sICAM-1 | Azimi et al. (2016) |
| Age 54.15 ± 1.0 years | ||||||
| Weight 75.62 ± 1.2 kg | ||||||
| Control group:40 patients | ||||||
| Age 53.64 ± 1.3 years | ||||||
| Weight 78.74 ± 1.2 kg | ||||||
| Polycystic ovary syndrome | Herbal medicine plus lifestyle intervention study | August 2012 to January 2014, Australia | Glycyrrhiza glabra, Paeonia lactiflora, Cinnamomum verum, Hypericum perforatum: three tablet per day for 3 months | Lifestyle intervention | ↓ oligomenorrhoea ↓ BMI ↓ weight | Arentz et al. (2017) |
| Cinnamon group: 60 overweight women | ||||||
| Age 29.2 ± 5.6 years | ||||||
| Weight 93.2 ± 18.9 kg | ||||||
| Lifestyle intervention group: 62 patients age 28.9 ± 5.6 | ||||||
| Weight 97.3 ± 21.3 kg | ||||||
| Polycystic ovary syndrome | Cinnamon group: 29 patients | Iran | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsules (450 mg capsule of starch and 50 mg cinnamon powder): 1.5 g per day three times, after a meal with 10 mg medroxyprogesterone tablet from 15th day of menstruation cycle for 10 days for 12 weeks | Placebo | ↓fasting insulin, ↓HOMA-IR, ↓LDL, ↓TG, ↓testosterone, ↓ insulin, ↓ weight ↓HbA1c | Hajimonfarednejad et al. (2018a) |
| Age 18–45 years | ||||||
| Weight 68.24 ± 9.68 kg | ||||||
| Placebo group: 30 patients | ||||||
| Age 18–45 years | ||||||
| 63.26 ± 11.62 kg | ||||||
| Polycystic ovary syndrome | Cinnamon group: 42 patients with rotterdam criteria | september 2015 to januray 2016, tehran, Iran | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsule/day placebo: Wheat flour: 1.5 g per day for 8 weeks | Placebo | ↑antioxidant capacity ↓malondialdehyde↓ BMI | Borzoei et al. (2018a) |
| Age 29.26 years | ||||||
| Placebo group: 42 patients with rotterdam criteria | ||||||
| Age 30 years | ||||||
| Polycystic ovary syndrome | Cinnamon group: 42 patients with rotterdam criteria | Mohheb Yas Hospital, Tehran, Iran, October 2015 to February 2016 | Cinnamon group: 500 mg capsule/day placebo: Wheat flour: 1.5 g per day for 8 weeks | Placebo | ↓TG, ↓BMI, ↓TC ↓HOMA-IR ↓insulin, ↓ LDL-C HDL-C unchanged | Borzoei et al. (2018b) |
| Age 29.3 years | ||||||
| Weight 76.6 kg | ||||||
| Placebo group: 42 patients with rotterdam criteria | ||||||
| Age 30.2 years | ||||||
| Weight 77.7 kg | ||||||
| Polycystic ovarian syndrome | Cinnamon group | March 2011 to April 2014 to United States | Cinnamon (125 mg capsule) or placebo: 1.5 gm per day for 6 months | Placebo | ↑ homa-ir | Kort and Lobo. (2014a) |
| 11 patients, age 18–38 years with oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea | ||||||
| Placebo group: 6 patients | ||||||
| Age 18–38 years | ||||||
| Polycystic ovarian syndrome | DLBS3233: 18 patients | March 2013 and June 2015 at yasmin clinic, RSCM kencana, jakarta and hasan sadikin hospital, bandung | DLBS3233 (Cinnamomum burmanii and Lagerstroemia speciosa): 200 mg per day for 6 months metformin group: 1.5 g per day for 6 months | Control | ↓AMH level | Wiweko and Susanto. (2017) |
| Metformin group: 22 patients | ||||||
| Polycystic ovarian syndrome | Patients age 23.29 ± 5.10 with rotterdam, overweight or obese | Saudi Arabia | Cinnamon extract (336 mg/day) | Placebo | ↓BMI | Talaat and Ammar, (2018) |
| Polycystic ovary syndrome | 40 patients age 18–30 years | 2017, ahvaz, Iran | 6 weeks | Intervention group | ↓weight glucose homeostasis no effects | Parseh et al. (2019) |
| Polycystic ovary syndrome | Cinnamon group: 20 patients, age 18–42 years with rotterdam criteria | December 2014 to March 2016, national institute of unani medicine (NIUM) hospital, Bengaluru | Cinnamon group: 750 mg capsule,1.5 g/day control group: 500 mg metformin twice a day for 60 days | Control | Menstrual cycle inprovment increased 51.9%, insulin resistance unchanged | Khan and Begum. (2019) |