The Cinnamon Oil Claim

In one of the more memorable episodes of the NBC sit-com "Seinfeld," Jerry tells Elaine that cinnamon babka bread "takes a bag seat to no babka." He added, "People love cinnamon. It should be on tables at restaurants along with salt and pepper."

Now, there may be a new reason to defend cinnamon's honor.

The N.Y. Times examined the claims that cinnamon oil is capable of killing bacteria such as E. coli and MRSA. These claims had all the sound of a pseudo-folk tale. But the Times reporter found that cinnamon oil has anti-microbial properties that make it capable of killing those bacteria.

In fact, reports the Times, one study found that cinnamon oil is "just as effective as several antiseptics widely used in hospitals."