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Ceylon VS Saigon Cinnamon, what exactly separates the two?
Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between these two? What makes one type of Cinnamon, better than the other?
Saigon Cinnamon is a part of Cassia Cinnamon’s family and contains an extremely high level of Coumarin. A toxic compound that can harm your liver.
Cinnamon is no doubt one of the best spices to exist. It can be used in your dishes to spice it up, and also be used on your baked goods as a sweetener. But there’s more to Cinnamon than just being a spice on your spice rack.
Cinnamon in General
Cinnamon is a product from the bark of the Cinnamomum tree. The cinnamon bark is then sun-dried, which is why it forms into a roll. From these rolls, it is then processed into a powder and even essence.
2 Types of Cinnamon
There are two general types of Cinnamon, these are the:
- Ceylon Cinnamon
- Cassia Cinnamon
Both Cinnamon possess similar health benefits. Some of these are:
- Regulating blood circulation
- Lowering down your blood sugar level
- Thinning our blood
- Prevents our skin from early aging
What the difference between Saigon Cinnamon VS Ceylon Cinnamon?
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Taste
Ceylon has a sweet and mild taste with a sophisticated aroma while Cassia has a strong spicy flavor and an equally strong aroma.
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Color
Ceylon has this tan-brown light color. Cassia, on the other hand, has this dark reddish-brown color.
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Coumarin Level
This is what sets the Ceylon apart from the Cassia Cinnamon. While both provide similar benefits, Cassia, however, has one downfall. This is its Coumarin levels. Coumarin is a substance that is highly toxic to our livers.
If this is taken at a high level, it could severely harm our livers. Although Ceylon has this Coumarin too, it’s down to 0.004%, which can’t harm us in any way.
Yes, even when taken daily.
Now, if you think that the classifications stop there, you’re wrong. Every type of Cinnamon has its own team of subtypes.
Ceylon has at least ten varieties, while Cassia has only three.
Varieties of Cinnamon
Before completely jumping into knowing more about the Saigon Cinnamon, let us first know which variety of Cinnamon belongs to which type.
Ceylon Cinnamon
- Nai
- Rasa
- Sevel
- Capuru
- Kahata
- Nica
- Davul
- Tom Pat
- Kathuru
- Mal Kurundu
Every Ceylon Cinnamon variety is mostly grown in Sri Lanka and possesses what most common Ceylon Cinnamon has. All of these Ceylon Cinnamon Stick is thin and fragile. Aside from that, it also has a mild sweet taste with a calming aroma.
Most of all, all of these Cinnamon contain the same Coumarin level, which is around 0.004%.
Cassia Cinnamon
- Indonesian Cinnamon
- Chinese Cinnamon
- Saigon Cinnamon
These three posses the same characteristics. It has thick reddish-brown bark, intense flavor, and intense aroma. However, these three have utterly different Coumarin levels. All, however, are alarmingly high.
Indonesian Cinnamon, also known as the Padang Cassia and the Korintje Cinnamon, has around 4% Coumarin level. That is a thousand times higher than the Ceylon Cinnamon’s coumarin level.
Chinese Cinnamon is what we commonly know today as Cassia Cinnamon. This Cinnamon contains at least a 2% level of coumarin. Not as high as the Indonesian one, but is still alarmingly high.
The third of its kind is the Saigon Cinnamon.
What is Saigon Cinnamon?
From the family of Cassia Cinnamon, Saigon Cinnamon, originates from Vietnam. This Cinnamon is also known as the Vietnamese Cinnamon. It has both a sweet and spicy taste with a very strong aroma.
Because this particular Cinnamon is part of the Cassia Cinnamon family, it means that this Cinnamon also has a high level of Coumarin. Saigon Cinnamon, in particular, has the highest level of Coumarin among its kind.
If your Indonesian Cinnamon has 4% and Chinese Cinnamon contains at least 2% of Coumarin. Saigon Cinnamon has at least 8% of Coumarin Level.
Even if Saigon Cinnamon has an awfully high level of Coumarin, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a lot of health benefits.
What are the Benefits of Saigon Cinnamon?
Surprisingly, Saigon Cinnamon’s benefits are also similar to that of Ceylon Cinnamon.
1. Lowers Blood Sugar Level
Just like any other Cinnamon, Saigon has a Cinnamaldehyde which can mimic insulin and its effect on our body. Insulin is a type of hormone that can help you manage your glucose levels.
Saigon Cinnamon is rich with this.
2. Antimicrobial and Antibacterial
Another good thing about this Cinnamon is that it contains antibacterial and antimicrobial property, especially with the Cinnamon Essential Oils. A few drops of this essential oil can be used to kill bacteria such as Borrelia sp., a particular bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
3. Rich in Antioxidant
If you’re someone who takes care of your skin, you may have heard of antioxidants. If you haven’t, then this is a substance that can prevent your skin from aging early. These substances can be found on the Cinnamaldehyde, which can be found in your Saigon Cinnamon.
It protects your skin from free radicals, which speed up your skin aging.
Ceylon VS Saigon Cinnamon
Since Saigon Cinnamon basically provides what Ceylon Cinnamon can also give you. Why not just use the Saigon Cinnamon?
It’s a lot more economical than your Ceylon Cinnamon, right?
Indeed, Saigon Cinnamon is more affordable than Ceylon Cinnamon. It’s also true that it gives similar benefits. What you can’t get from Ceylon, that you can have with Saigon, is the toxic liver.
Remember, Saigon’s Coumarin level reaches up to 8%. That’s 4x higher as your Cassia Cinnamon’s coumarin level.
So, if you intend to add Saigon Cinnamon on your daily food intake, I suggest that you don’t.
Saigon can be good if it is taken on an occasional basis. Ceylon Cinnamon is much more preferable if you want to take it daily. Doctors even highly suggested that you take it daily.
Takeaways
When it comes to comparing Saigon Cinnamon VS Ceylon Cinnamon, the obvious winner would be Ceylon. You wouldn’t want to grab all of the goodness and benefit if Cinnamon if it can damage your liver.