Photo:

Cinnamomum burmannii (Padang cassia)

©J.S. Peterson (USDS PLANTS Database)

Characteristics:

• Cinnamon flowers are whitish-green, inconspicuous, and have an unpleasant smell. They are about 0.5 cm long and arranged in loose, axillary or terminal panicles. The fruit is berry-like and oblong (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Cinnamon plants are heavily foliated evergreen tree 6.5 to 12 m tall with pale brown bark. The branches are cylindrical with a gray-brown bark. The tough leaves, which are opposite, are initially red, then turn green. They are about 12 cm long, lanceolate to oblong, more or less acuminate and entire-margined. The leaves smell like cloves (Gruenwald et al. 2000).

Habitat:

• Cinnamon is a tropical plant with species indigenous and cultivated in Sri Lanka, southwest India, southern China, Vietnam, Laos, and Burma (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Cinnamon prefers warm, moist conditions and sandy soil (Gladstar 2012).

Parts Used:

• The medicinal parts are the flowers, which are collected and dried after they have finished blossoming, the whole or partly peeled, dried bark of thin, young branches, the oil extracted from the bark, and the cinnamon leaf oil (Gruenwald et al. 2000).

Collection and Harvesting:

• Cinnamon consists of the dried tree bark, separated from the cork and outer rind, of young shoots growing on the branches. The harvested bark is dried in the shade. The bark may be powdered, chopped, or left as whole sticks. The tree is widely cultivated (Gladstar 2012; Gruenwald et al. 2000).

Constituents:

• Essential oils (cinnamaldehyde [responsible for the characteristic scent and flavor of cinnamon], benzaldehyde, cuminaldehyde, eugenol, methyleugenol, pinene, phellandrene, cymeme, caryophyllene, eugenol acetate, cinnamyl acetate, benzyl benzoate, linalool), tannins, iron, magnesium, mucilage, zinc, coumarins, calcium oxalate, cinnzeylanin, cinnzeylanol, gum, mucilage, resins and sugars (Barnes et al. 2007; Gladstar 2012).
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Actions:

• Cinnamon possesses antispasmodic, carminative, orexigenic, antidiarrhoeal, antimicrobial, refrigerant and anthelmintic properties. Cinnamon bark is astringent, and cinnamon oil possesses carminative and antiseptic properties (Barnes et al. 2007).
• Cinnamaldehyde, the main constituent of the essential oil, is antibacterial, fungistatic, and improves immune resistance, promotes motility, and inhibits ulcers (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, linalool, limonene, and citral have antimicrobial activity.
• Euginol is antifungal.
• The tannin content of cinnamon acts on the digestive tract [increases gastric secretions] (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Cinnamon also has a mild estrogen effect, although the constituent responsible is unidentified (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Cinnamon is an insecticide due to the diterpenes cinnzeylanin and cinnceylanol (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Cinnamon is a mild emmenagogue (Gladstar 2012).

Indications:

• Cinnamon is used internally for (Barnes et al. 2007; Gladstar 212; Gruenwald et al. 2000):
  • loss of appetite
  • dyspeptic complaints - it is a well-respected digestive aid, particularly for cases of overeating, bloating, and sluggish digestion
  • boosting vitality
  • improving circulation
  • clearing congestion
  • stabilizing blood sugar levels
  • treating anorexia
  • treating viral infections, fungal infections, and colds and flus as it is also a powerful antiseptic, with antiviral and antifungal properties
  • treating sluggish and painful menstruation
• Cinnamon is used externally for (Gruenwald et al. 2000):
  • cleaning wounds
• Unproven uses for cinnamon (Gruenwald et al. 2000):
  • In folk medicine, internal uses include infantile diarrhea, chills, influenza, worm infestation, symptomatic treatment of gastrointestinal disorders (mild, colicky upsets of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating, flatulence and diarrhea), treatment of temporary states of exhaustion, and to increase weight.
  • Uses of cinnamon in Indian medicine include toothache, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and halitosis (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
  • Uses of cinnamon in Chinese medicine include impotence, diarrhea, enuresis, rheumatic conditions, conditions of the testicles, hernia, menopause syndrome, amenorrhea, abortion, and to stabilize immunity (Gruenwald et al. 2000).

Combinations:

• Due to its sweet, warming flavor, cinnamon is often used in medicinal formulas simply to improve their flavor (Gladstar 2012).
• Cinnamon can be combined with licorice, Echinacea, and Usnea to make a potent antibacterial/antiviral tea.

Preparation and Dosage: (Gruenwald et al. 2000)

• To prepare a tea, pour hot water over 0.5 to 1 g of cinnamon bark and strain after 10 minutes.
• To prepare a tincture by percolation, moisten 200 parts cinnamon bark evenly with ethanol and percolate to produce 1000 parts tincture.
• To prepare a tincture by maceration, add 20 parts cinnamon bark to 100 parts 70% ethanol.
• The daily dosage of cinnamon is:
  • 2 to 4 g of bark or powder
  • 0.05 to 0.2 g of essential oil
  • one cup of tea/infusion taken 2 to3 times daily at mealtimes
  • 1.5 to 1 ml of liquid extract (1:1 in 70% ethanol) taken 3 times daily
  • 2 to 4 ml of tincture taken 3 times daily
• The standard single dose is 0.5 to 1 g of bark or powder.

Contraindications:

• Medicinal preparations of cinnamon should not to be administered during pregnancy (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Individuals may become sensitized to cinnamon as a result of its cinnamaldehyde content, which is considered an irritant and a sensitizing principle (Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Contact with cinnamon bark or oil may cause an allergic reaction (Barnes et al. 2007).
• Cinnamon oil is a dermal and mucous membrane irritant, and a dermal sensitizer. It is a hazardous oil and should not be used on the skin. The oil should not be taken internally (Barnes et al. 2007).

Drug Interactions:

• N/A.

History and Origin:

• Cinnamomum cassia - the word cinnamon, the genus name, probably came from either the Arabic or the Hebrew language, but the species name cassia is from the Greek kassia, meaning to strip off the bark (Mountain Rose Herbs 2015).
• Cinnamomum verum - the quest for cinnamon was one of the major factors that led the Europeans to explore the world in the 15th century. Cinnamon was very highly valued - in the 1st century C.E., Pliny the Elder wrote that 350 grams of cinnamon was equal to 5 kilograms of silver, or about 15 times the value of silver per weight (Mountain Rose Herbs 2015).

Ethnobotany:

• The use of Cinnamomum cassia in Chinese medicine goes back to at least 2700 B.C. where it is referred to in several herbal formularies (Mountain Rose Herbs 2015).
• During the middle ages, Cinnamomum verum was used as a meat preservative due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal qualities (Mountain Rose Herbs 2015).

Growing Information: (Gladstar 2012)

• Cinnamon is a tropical native, and prefers warm, moist conditions and sandy soil.
• Depending on the variety, cinnamon matures as either a large tree or a large shrub, and definitely will require a large space in the garden.
• North America generally does not offer the best growing conditions for cinnamon, and it is not commonly grown here. However, if you happen to live in a particularly warm, moist region, and have a large backyard, you may be able to grow your own cinnamon.
• Cinnamon can be grown indoors in pots quite successfully.
• Japanese cinnamon (Cinnamomum japonica, aka C. chekiangense, C. insularimontanum, C. pedunculatum, and C. tenuifolium) is hardy to -18°C. However, it doesn't produce as much cinnamaldehyde as Ceylon cinnamon (GC analysis of leaf oil from this species shows 22.143% para-cymene, 16.262% alpha-pinene, 11.089% dl-limonene, 9.268% linalool, 1.686% coumarin, 0.162% cinnamaldehyde, and 0.121% citral, amongst other constituents). VanDusen Gardens in Vancouver often has stock available at their plant sale.

Personal Impressions and Experiences:

• Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are spices that I have always associated with the winter season, the celebration of wintertime holidays, and socializing with friends and family during that time.
• I have happily chewed on cinnamon sticks when mildly hungry - cinnamon does indeed stabilize blood sugar levels.
• I use cinnamon a great deal in cooking, both in sweet and savory recipes, as a component of my favorite "regular" (non-medicinal) herbal tea, and as a component of medicinal teas, especially to treat bacterial infections.

Historical Botanical Illustrations:

©Wikipedia

Cinnamomum verum, from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants (1887).