Useful Information On Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon)

Other Common Names: Canela, Sees (Ceylon cinnamon), Laurus Cinnamomum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Range: Native to Sri Lanka and India, has also been cultivated in the Brazils, Mauritius, Jamaica, etc.

Habitat: Grows best in almost pure sand.

It is hardy in the Gulf States of the U.S. Most of the cinnamon of commerce comes from Ceylon. It is the ground bark of the tree. The best quality of bark is from branches at least 2 years old. Cinnamon is widely used in cookery and confections. The flavor is due to a volatile oil contained in the bark. The cinnamon oil of commerce is extracted from inferior bark, not suitable for grinding.

The principal active ingredient in the volatile oil is cinnamaldehyde, which is responsible for the characteristic odor. The quality attributes are measured by volatile oil, aldehyde content of the volatile oil, non-volatile ether extract, total and acid insoluble ash, and moisture.

Carminative, astringent, stimulant, antiseptic; more powerful as a local than as a general stimulant; is prescribed in powder and infusion but usually combined with other medicines. It stops vomiting, relieves flatulence, and given with chalk and astringents is useful for diarrhea and hemorrhage of the womb.

Cinnamon is a very elegant and useful aromatic, more grateful both to the palate and stomach than most other substances of this class. Like other aromatics, the effects of cinnamon are stimulating, heating, stomachic, carminative, and tonic; but it is rather used as an adjunct to other remedies than as a remedy itself. Cinnamon has also been used as a treatment to stimulate the appetites of anorexics.

The oil is one of the most powerful stimulants we possess, and it is sometimes used as a cordial in cramps of the stomach, and in syncope; or as a stimulant in paralysis of the tongue, or to deaden the nerve in toothach. But it is principally employed as an aromatic, to cover the disagreeable taste of other drugs.

Known Hazards: Generally Recognized as Safe.

Consumer exposure to Cinnamaldehyde, used primarily in the flavor and fragrance industries for imparting a cinnamon flavor and/or fragrance to various types of foods, beverages, medical products, and perfumes. This chemical is used in the liquor industry for flavoring liqueurs and cordials.

Cinnamaldehyde has been reported to have anti-platelet aggregating and vasodilatory action in vitro .

Cinnamaldehyde has been found to be cytotoxic to L1210 mouse cells. The degree of cytotoxicity of Cinnamaldehyde was found to be proportional to the amount of the compound added to the cell culture medium.

Executive Summary Cinnamaldehyde: Biochemical Toxicology - The National Toxicology Program (NTP)

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