Cinnamon, in Aajonus Vonderplanitz's framework, occupies a narrow and carefully qualified role. It is not presented as a core healing food or a therapeutic staple of the Primal Diet. Rather, it appears exclusively as a culinary spice, a flavoring agent used in specific ethnic-influenced raw food preparations. It is treated within the broader context of Aajonus's teaching on spices generally: that spices were once medicine and are still potent substances that carry real physiological consequences, capable of both benefit and harm depending on dose, frequency, individual constitution, and, critically, whether they have been commercially treated.

Aajonus did not champion cinnamon as he did raw fats, raw meats, raw eggs, or raw dairy. Its presence in his recorded teachings is modest, appearing primarily in recipe contexts within the specific spice blends of African-influenced and other ethnic-style raw food preparations. The most significant standalone statement Aajonus made about cinnamon as a substance, rather than as a recipe ingredient, was a warning: he did not recommend cinnamon much because it is very difficult to obtain cinnamon that has not been commercially treated.

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Aajonus did not provide an extensive breakdown of cinnamon's biochemical effects on the body in the way he did for raw fats, eggs, or honey. However, his treatment of cinnamon falls within the general framework he applied to all spices, which he articulated at length.

Within that framework, Aajonus stated that spices are potent, therapeutic, and enjoyable in moderate doses, but discomforting when over-consumed or counter-indicated for any given individual's particular requirements. He noted that spices have real physiological effects, they are not neutral flavorings, and that centuries ago, spices were classified as medicine, not condiments. This classification applies to cinnamon as much as to any other spice he referenced.

Within this framework, the properties of cinnamon as a spice are understood to include stimulating and potentially irritating effects when consumed in excess or when the preparation has been chemically adulterated. Aajonus warned that eating too much or too often of any spice can cause excessive energy, fatigue, indigestion, gas, and constipation. This applies to cinnamon.

He further noted that individuals' bodies are always changing and adapting, and that even when someone can tolerate a particular spice well for an extended period, they may reach a saturation point and need to stop consuming that spice for a period ranging from one day to several weeks. This principle of saturation applies to cinnamon as to all spices he discussed.

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This is the section where Aajonus's most specific and direct statement about cinnamon lives, and it is essentially a caution about the state in which commercial cinnamon is found.

Aajonus stated directly and emphatically: "I don't recommend cinnamon very much because it's hard to get non-treated cinnamon."

He then described what natural, untreated cinnamon bark looks like: it is black in its natural state. He stated that the commercially available cinnamon seen in stores has been bleached to produce its recognizable red-orange or orange-brown color. The natural cinnamon bark is dark, he described it as black, and the commercial processing involves bleaching to achieve what he described as a "red-orange" past [color], noting the interior is "more orange and brown-orange underneath."

This is Aajonus's central teaching on cinnamon as a distinct substance: the form in which it is almost universally available is a treated, chemically altered form, and therefore not something he readily recommended. The difficulty of sourcing genuinely untreated cinnamon is his stated primary reason for rarely recommending it.

In contrast to this general caution about the commodity spice product, cinnamon does appear in his published recipes, specifically as a cinnamon stick rather than as ground powder in several preparations. The use of a cinnamon stick (as opposed to pre-ground commercial cinnamon powder) is notable, as the whole stick represents a less-processed form of the spice. In recipes where it appears, it is used as a whole spice and then ground along with other whole spices, not as a pre-processed commercial powder.

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Aajonus's instruction regarding sourcing is clear from his caution: the difficulty of obtaining non-treated cinnamon is the primary barrier to its use. He noted that the natural state of cinnamon bark is black, and that the orange-red color associated with commercial cinnamon is the result of bleaching.

Consistent with his general guidance on spices, Aajonus stated that most spices have been irradiated, and he instructed people to purchase those that are labeled non-irradiated. This instruction was given in the context of spices generally, and would apply equally to cinnamon.

In his recipes where cinnamon appears, it is used as a whole cinnamon stick, a quarter-inch piece or a half-stick, which is then blenderized together with other whole spices (cardamon, coriander, fenugreek, clove, allspice, peppercorns) until they are reduced to a flour-like powder. This grinding process is done in the blender, using a 4-ounce jar, at high speed. The rationale for using whole spices and grinding them fresh rather than using pre-ground commercial powders is consistent with Aajonus's overall framework of freshness and minimal processing.

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Aajonus did not specify a mandatory fat buffer pairing for cinnamon specifically in the way he did for, say, garlic or hot peppers. However, cinnamon appears in recipes that are always embedded within fat-rich preparations, raw butter, stone-pressed olive oil, flax oil, coconut cream, which is consistent with his general framework that spices and potentially irritating substances are always consumed within a matrix of raw fats that protect and buffer the tissues.

In the recipes where cinnamon appears, it is never consumed in isolation but always as part of a complex paste or sauce that includes substantial raw fat components (tablespoons of raw butter, flax oil, or olive oil). This is consistent with Aajonus's teaching that raw fats are the essential protective medium for all potentially stimulating or irritating substances.

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Aajonus did not provide a specific dosage or frequency limit for cinnamon on its own. His recipe usages indicate extremely small quantities:

• 1/4-inch cinnamon stick, used in both versions of the Spicy African Paste recipe (one using flax oil and butter for fish, one using stone-pressed olive oil and butter as a general paste), where it is blenderized with multiple other whole spices to produce a flour-like powder that is then incorporated into a sauce serving 4 people.
• 1/2 cinnamon stick, used in the Spice Paste recipe, serving 8 people, blenderized with cardamon, allspice, and other whole spices.

In both cases, the cinnamon represents a fractional contribution to a multi-spice blend that is itself a small component of a larger recipe. The per-serving quantity of cinnamon is therefore extremely small, a fraction of a quarter-inch stick distributed across multiple servings.

His general dosage guidance for spices collectively was that they should be consumed in moderate doses and that individuals should remain sensitive to their bodies' changing needs, including the possibility of reaching saturation points requiring temporary abstinence.

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Cinnamon appears as a recipe ingredient in the following specific raw food preparations documented by Aajonus Vonderplanitz:

Ingredients in which cinnamon appears: - 1/4-inch cinnamon stick

Full spice blend: cardamon seed (1 whole), coriander seeds (1/4 teaspoon), grated fresh ginger root (1/4 teaspoon), fenugreek seeds (1/4 teaspoon), whole clove (1), cinnamon stick (1/4 inch), whole allspice (1/4 teaspoon), whole mixed peppercorns (3).

These whole spices, including the cinnamon stick, are blenderized together in a 4-ounce jar on high speed until they are flour. This flour is then combined with the remaining ingredients: 2 tomatoes, 6 tablespoons flax oil, 3 tablespoons unsalted raw butter, 1 slice fresh garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon fresh red onions, 1 pinch paprika, 1 pinch grated nutmeg, 1 fresh hot red pepper, 1 tablespoon unheated honey.

The sauce is blenderized all together in a 12- or 16-ounce jar for 15 seconds and let stand for at least 10 hours. It will keep in refrigeration for at least 1 month.

This version uses the same spice quantities and the same blenderizing-to-flour technique for the dry spices including the 1/4-inch cinnamon stick, but substitutes 6 tablespoons stone-pressed olive oil and 3 tablespoons unsalted raw butter for the fat component (rather than flax oil and butter as in the fish version). The remaining ingredients are the same: 2 tomatoes, 1 whole cardamon seed, 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root, 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 1 whole clove, 1/4 teaspoon whole allspice, 1 slice fresh garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon fresh red onion, 1 pinch paprika, 3 whole mixed peppercorns, 1 pinch grated nutmeg, 1/4 fresh hot red pepper, 1 tablespoon unheated honey.

Preparation: Blenderize cardamon, coriander, fenugreek, clove, cinnamon, allspice and peppercorns together in a 4-ounce jar until they are flour. If a thicker sauce is desired, slice a deep and wide cut in tomato. Over a bowl, gently squeeze tomato to remove juice and seeds. Drink tomato juice when thirsty. Blenderize all ingredients together in a 12- or 16-ounce jar for 15 seconds. Let stand for at least 10 hours. Sauce will keep in refrigeration for at least 1 month.

Ingredients include: 1/2 cinnamon stick, along with 2 whole cardamon seeds, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon whole allspice, 1 shallot, 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns, 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, 2 pistils of saffron, 1 fresh hot pepper, 5 ounces stone-pressed olive oil.

Preparation: If you enjoy a less hot paste, remove seeds from fresh hot pepper. Blenderize all ingredients except fresh hot pepper and shallot together in an 8-ounce jar on medium speed for 5 seconds and on high speed for another 5 seconds. Add and blenderize all ingredients together in an 8-ounce jar on medium speed for 20 seconds. Cap and let stand in cupboard for 24 hours, then use or refrigerate. Paste will keep in refrigeration for approximately 3 months.

Note: This Spice Paste then becomes the base for the Cheesy Spiced Paste, which combines 1 cup Sour Cottage Cheese with 2 ounces Spice Paste, mashed and stirred together until thoroughly mixed, keeping in refrigeration for 2 weeks.

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Aajonus's statement that commercial cinnamon bark is black in its natural state and has been bleached to produce the familiar orange-red color is his documented account of the commercial processing and misrepresentation of this spice. This fits within his larger teaching that commercially processed foods, including spices, are routinely subjected to treatments (bleaching, irradiation, chemical processing) that alter their natural state and render them potentially harmful or less beneficial.

His statement that most spices have been irradiated and his instruction to purchase only those labeled non-irradiated reflects his documented position that commercial food processing systems, including spice processing, routinely employ treatments that damage or alter the food in ways the consumer is not made aware of.

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