I seriously doubt that anything sold as pure cinnamon would be adulterated
by any spice manufacturer.  In any case, it happens to be one of the
cheaper spices.  However, as with any agricultural product, there is always
a risk of mold, etc. --but AFAIK no more than other spices.

However, it is not surprising that humans would react to spices.  Plants
produce aromatic compounds for their own ends--often to deter pests.  I've
used cinnamon to repel an invasion of ants--when cayenne pepper failed to
deter them.

You can check your brown sugar reaction by seeing if molasses bothers you.
It contains the contaminants that have to be cleaned out of the brown sugar
to turn it into table sugar.  If molasses doesn't bother you then real
brown sugar--the stuff that sets up like a lump of concrete--should not.
However, be careful of the "pourable" stuff which needs something to
increase flowability--but the additives used should be on the food label.

It's possible to make your own "brown sugar" by adding a bit of molasses
(preferably the dark flavorful kind) to white table sugar.

Barbara


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