This might come as a surprise, but apparently there are more than 300 known species of cinnamon on our planet. And while many of them are great, there’s one that stands out from the rest: Ceylon cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is one of the most sought after cinnamons worldwide, featuring a subtle, sweeter taste than most cinnamons. On top of that, it actually has some pretty legit health benefits. Here are a few reasons to put Ceylon cinnamon on your spice rack.

Better sugar control: Some limited research in animals and test tubes suggests that Ceylon cinnamon can improve your blood sugar control. Additionally, there’s some evidence in humans to support the use of cinnamon as a diabetes treatment. Taking 1 to 6 grams daily may help manage blood sugar levels alongside other medications, but stronger evidence is definitely needed.

Improved cholesterol: According to animal studies, Ceylon cinnamon may have a beneficial effect on heart health by reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. This is a win-win for decreasing heart disease risk, but unfortunately, hasn’t been replicated in humans.

Decreased blood pressure: A single animal study also showed that Ceylon cinnamon could reduce blood pressure, and some small short-term human studies found beneficial effects of cinnamon on blood pressure as well. But again, more research is needed before we can truly understand how Ceylon cinnamon affects blood pressure.

Antioxidant content: Cinnamon may act as an antioxidant, stabilizing unstable free radicals that build up in the body over time, causing inflammation and increasing chronic disease risk. Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals and help prevent or reverse the cellular damage they cause. In one human study, Ceylon cinnamon increased antioxidant levels and improved other markers of free radical activity.

Antimicrobial activity: Test-tube studies show that cinnamon essential oil can kill some harmful bacteria, fungi, and even parasites. The problem with test-tube studies is that they typically involve dousing samples with highly-concentrated doses of the compound being studied. Unfortunately, we can’t do that in the real world, so it’s hard to say if Ceylon cinnamon would have the same effect in a more realistic setting. Want to learn more about Ceylon cinnamon and how to get your hands on some, have a look right here.