Berberine and cinnamon: taking them together

Berberine and cinnamon are commonly sold together in blood-sugar-focused blends, but Electric Tiger Berberine is single-ingredient and doesn't contain cinnamon. Cinnamon's own research is mixed — one umbrella review found a benefit in specific populations, while a separate dose-response analysis found no overall effect.

What the cinnamon research shows

Cinnamon's human research is inconsistent depending on how it's analyzed, and the two most-cited 2023 analyses of the same general literature don't agree with each other. Both are about people with type 2 diabetes or PCOS taking 1-6 grams of cinnamon a day, not a general population. See cinnamon and diabetes: what the research does and doesn't show for what each one found.

Ceylon vs cassia, and why it matters here

Most cinnamon sold as a spice or in supplements in the US is cassia, which contains far more coumarin — a compound with a regulatory exposure limit set by EFSA, the EU food safety authority — than Ceylon cinnamon does. That's a food-safety consideration for anyone taking cinnamon supplements regularly at gram-level doses, separate from whatever the blood-sugar research does or doesn't show. Electric Tiger Berberine contains no cinnamon of either type.

Whole cinnamon vs a standardized extract

Cinnamon in the research above is usually dosed as whole powdered cinnamon, in the multi-gram range. Some supplements instead use a standardized, water-soluble cinnamon extract at a much smaller milligram dose, which isn't the same measurement as whole cinnamon powder and shouldn't be compared gram-for-gram against it. Checking whether a label lists whole cinnamon or a standardized extract — and at what amount — matters more than the word "cinnamon" alone.

Why some products combine them

Berberine and cinnamon are commonly paired commercially because both have their own separate research in blood-sugar-related contexts, each at its own dose — not because the combination itself has been tested. We haven't found a trial studying berberine and cinnamon together.

Taking them together

We haven't found a documented interaction between berberine and cinnamon specifically. If you're taking medication that affects blood sugar, or have a diagnosed condition, talk to a doctor before combining supplements.

Questions people ask

Can you take cinnamon and berberine together?

We haven't found a documented interaction, but we also haven't found a trial testing the combination directly. Electric Tiger Berberine doesn't contain cinnamon.

What is berberine with ceylon cinnamon used for?

It's a common combination in blood-sugar-focused blends sold by other brands. We don't sell a combined product; see the cinnamon research above for what's been studied about cinnamon on its own.

Why pair berberine with cinnamon?

Mostly because both ingredients have their own separate research in blood-sugar-related contexts, not because the pairing itself has been studied.

Related reading: berberine and chromium: taking them together and how to choose a good berberine.