TonusOH, beware of eating dry directly from a spoon - see below.
I take cinnamon daily (I started doing that about a year ago). Sometimes I do so as one teaspoon full mixed in my food, other times as a supplement in a capsule (readily available in the vitamin section of grocery stores). I have a bottle of the capsules of the Cassia kind and a bottle of capsules of the Ceylon kind. I also buy the regular kind of cinnamon (as dry powder) in the bulk foods section of the WiinCo Foods grocery store.
From what I read, a teaspoon full of the regular kind cinnamon a day might be too much for many people (see below). An easy way to take it is when mixed in food or when taken in a capsule, but if you eat more than that It probably should not be the typical kind (namely Cassia) found in the food sections of supermarket grocery stores. Ceylon cinnamon is said to be much safer than the regular kind (but some articles say the Ceylon kind might have less health benefits).
https://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-cinnamon says the following. "Toxicity. Eating lots of cassia cinnamon could be toxic, especially if you have liver problems. Coumarin, an ingredient in some cinnamon products, can cause liver
problems, but the amount you’d get is so small that it probably won’t
be a problem. Given the lack of evidence about its safety, children,
pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding should avoid cinnamon as a treatment. ... Interactions. If you take any medication regularly, talk to your doctor before you start using cinnamon supplements. They could affect the way antibiotics, diabetes drugs, blood thinners, heart medicines, and others work."
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/side-effects-of-cinnamon says the following.
"Cassia (or regular) cinnamon is a rich source of coumarin.
The
coumarin content of ground Cassia cinnamon may range from 7 to 18
milligrams per teaspoon (2.6 grams), while Ceylon cinnamon only contains
trace amounts of coumarin (6).
The
tolerable daily intake of coumarin is approximately 0.05 mg/pound (0.1
mg/kg) of body weight, or 5 mg per day for a 130-pound (59-kg) person.
This means that just 1 teaspoon of Cassia cinnamon could put you over
the daily limit (3).
Unfortunately, several studies have found that eating too much coumarin may cause liver toxicity and damage (4, 5)."
I tried eating one teaspoon full of powdered cinnamon straight from a teaspoon. That was a very bad idea because it was literally hard to swallow (got stuck in my throat) and greatly hindered breathing - until I gulped water in order to get it down. Mixing in a glass of water and drinking the mixture worked better. But mixing it in some moist food (or adding it batter to make pancakes), including mixing some food oil (such as olive oil or melted butter) with it worked much better.
The article about the side effects also says the following.
"Risks of Eating Dry Cinnamon
Since the “cinnamon challenge” has become wildly popular, many have attempted to eat large amounts of dry cinnamon.
This challenge involves eating a tablespoon of dry, ground cinnamon in under a minute without drinking water (22).
While it may sound harmless, the challenge can be very dangerous.
Eating
dry cinnamon can irritate your throat and lungs, as well as make you
gag or choke. It can also permanently damage your lungs.
This is
because the lungs cannot break down the fibers in the spice. It may
accumulate in the lungs and cause lung inflammation known as aspiration
pneumonia (23, 24).
If aspiration pneumonia is left untreated, the lungs may become permanently scarred and possibly collapse (24)."
