Sixty samples of ground cinnamon (12 brands) bought in the Czech Republic were analyzed for their courmarin content. Coumarin is a naturally occurring substance found in a wide variety of plants, but the main source of coumarin in the human diet is cinnamon. As a control and for comparison researchers analyzed a sample imported directly from Sri Lanka. In samples from the Czech Republic, mean level of coumarin was found to range from 2,650 to 7,017 mg per kg, indicating the samples were from cassia cinnamon. The coumarin content of a sample from Sri Lanka was below the limit of detection confirming its origin from Cinnamomum verum or the Ceylon variety. Ceylon cinnamon is native to Sri Lankan which exports 85% of the world’s Ceylon cinnamon (according to Druera, http://www.srilankacinnamon.com/ ). (51)
