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A neurological scientist at Rush University Medical Center has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate whether cinnamon, a common food spice and flavoring material, may stop the destructive process of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The two-year, $750,000 NIH grant will fund research that will analyze the effects of cinnamon on the disease process in mice.

"Since medieval times, physicians have used cinnamon to treat a variety of disorders including arthritis, coughing and sore throats," said Kalipada Pahan, PhD., who is the Floyd A. Davis professor of neurology at Rush and principal investigator of the study. "Our initial findings in mice indicate that cinnamon may also help those suffering from MS." ... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... pageid/684

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Here are the published articles I was able to find from Kalipada Pahan...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term ... 20cinnamon

I'm not sure what to think of the sodium benzoate link that he proposes just yet. I will have to read the papers.


NHE

Thanks for posting. He recommends Ceylon cinnamon (cinnamonum verum) rather than cassia cinnamon.

I'm going to start supplementing with Ceylon cinnamon, 3 grams per day. It might not help, but I don't think it can hurt.

Yes, if you're going to consume these quantities, then Ceylon cinnamon is the way to go. Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin which can be hard on the liver, the recommended daily dosage is around 0.5-1.0 teaspoons (2.5-5.0 mL) per day. Ceylon cinnamon does not contain coumarin.

I also read through one of Kalipada Pahan's papers last night and skimmed through the other one. Neither are really about cinnamon. They explore the usage of sodium benzoate in treating EAE and also in in vitro cellular assays. The link to cinnamon is by inference only as the papers state that sodium benzoate is a metabolite of cinnamon.

NHE

Doesn't cinnamon help moderate blood glucose levels? It might help with nutrient intake to injured or nutrient deprived brain cells.

As I recall, cinnamon improves the cells' sensitivity to insulin; thereby allowing insulin to open the cells more effectively to glucose.