Guide
Cinnamon and turmeric
Cinnamon and turmeric are unrelated spices commonly sold together, but no trial has tested the combination. Each has its own separate research, at doses well above a spice-jar amount, in different populations.
Cinnamon and turmeric are unrelated spices — one is tree bark, the other a root — commonly sold together in blood-sugar- and joint-focused blends. No trial has tested the two-ingredient combination directly; what exists is separate research on each, at doses well above a spice-jar amount, in different populations.
Two different plants, two different research questions
Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of a Cinnamomum tree. Turmeric is the dried, ground rhizome (underground stem) of Curcuma longa, a relative of ginger. They aren't botanically related, and the compounds studied in each are different — coumarin and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon, curcumin in turmeric. "Is turmeric like cinnamon" comes up in search mostly because the two sit in the same supplement aisle, not because the plants or their research overlap. What is cinnamon and what is turmeric cover what each actually is.
What each one's own research covers
Cinnamon's clearest human research looks at blood sugar and insulin markers in people with type 2 diabetes or PCOS, at doses of 1 to 6 grams of ground bark a day, and even there the major reviews of that trial literature don't fully agree. See cinnamon benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for the specifics.
Turmeric's clearest human research uses a standardized curcumin extract — not turmeric powder — at 1,000–1,500 mg a day, mostly in people already diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, with a separate body of research on blood sugar markers in diagnosed type 2 diabetes. See turmeric benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for what those trials found.
No trial has combined the two, so neither body of research tells you what cinnamon and turmeric do together, or at what combined dose.
Why they're sold together
Cinnamon and turmeric turn up in the same "metabolic support" or spice-blend supplements mostly because each has its own separate research touching on blood sugar or inflammation markers — not because the pairing itself has been studied. Being formulated into one capsule is a manufacturing choice, not evidence of a combined effect.
A reason to mention both to a doctor together
Cassia cinnamon's coumarin content has been linked to liver injury in at least one case report, particularly alongside another medication (see cinnamon side effects). Turmeric and curcumin supplements have their own, separately documented liver-injury case reports — including a 2024 case report of a 35-year-old woman with no prior liver disease who developed jaundice and severely elevated liver enzymes after two months of an over-the-counter turmeric-and-black-pepper supplement, later linked to a genetic marker for supplement-induced liver injury (see who should not take turmeric). Taking both together, especially alongside a medication the liver processes, is a reason to mention the full combination to a doctor rather than checking each ingredient separately.
Questions people ask
Is turmeric like cinnamon?
No. They're unrelated plants — cinnamon is tree bark, turmeric is a root — studied for different compounds (coumarin and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon, curcumin in turmeric). They're often sold in the same supplement category because both have separate research touching on blood sugar or inflammation, not because they're biologically similar.
Can you take cinnamon and turmeric together?
We haven't found a documented interaction between the two, but we also haven't found a trial testing the combination directly. If you take a prescription medication, especially one processed by the liver or one that affects blood sugar, mention both supplements to a doctor.
What is a berberine, cinnamon and turmeric supplement used for?
It's a common combination in blood-sugar-focused blends. No trial has tested the three together; each ingredient's separate research is covered on its own page above.
Related reading: cinnamon dosage, how much turmeric should you take a day?, and how to choose a good cinnamon.
Sources
- The effect of cinnamon supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes or with polycystic ovary syndrome: an umbrella meta-analysis on interventional meta-analyses
- Efficacy and safety of curcumin therapy for knee osteoarthritis: A Bayesian network meta-analysis A 2024 network meta-analysis of 23 trials in 2,175 people with knee osteoarthritis found curcumin extract reduced pain and WOMAC scores versus placebo, with fewer adverse reactions than NSAIDs — all in people already diagnosed with joint disease, using concentrated extract, not the spice.
- Do cinnamon supplements cause acute hepatitis? A case report described a woman who developed hepatitis after combining a cinnamon supplement with a statin medication; symptoms resolved when both were stopped, and the statin alone was later tolerated.
- Turmeric associated liver injury (DILI) with susceptible HLA A 2024 case report describes a 35-year-old woman who developed severe liver injury after taking a turmeric-and-black-pepper supplement (60 mg curcumin plus 10 mg black pepper, twice daily) for 2 months; she carried a genetic marker (HLA B*35:01) linked to this kind of injury, and her liver enzymes normalized after she stopped the supplement.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.