Cinnamon Totally Explained

Everything about Cinnamon totally explained

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, synonym C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree 10–15 meters (32.8–49.2 feet) tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, and is native to Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The bark is widely used as a spice due to its distinct odour.
   The leaves are ovate-oblong in shape, 7–18 cm (2.75–7.1 inches) long. The flowers, which are arranged in panicles, have a greenish color, and have a distinct odor. The fruit is a purple one-centimetre berry containing a single seed.
   Its flavour is due to an aromatic essential oil which makes up 0.5% to 1% of its composition. This oil is prepared by roughly pounding the bark, macerating it in seawater, and then quickly distilling the whole. It is of a golden-yellow colour, with the characteristic odour of cinnamon and a very hot aromatic taste. The pungent taste and scent come from cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde and, by the absorption of oxygen as it ages, it darkens in colour and develops resinous compounds. Chemical components of the essential oil include ethyl cinnamate, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, beta-caryophyllene, linalool and methyl chavicol.
   The name cinnamon comes from Greek kinnámōmon, itself ultimately from Phoenician. The botanical name for the spice—Cinnamomum zeylanicum—is derived from Sri Lanka's former name, Ceylon.(External Link

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History

Indian subcontinent. This is contained in much lower dosages in Cinnamomum burmannii due to its low essential oil content. Coumarin is known to cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations. True Ceylon cinnamon has negligible amounts of Coumarin.
The two barks, when whole, are easily distinguished, and their microscopic characteristics are also quite distinct. Cinnamon sticks (or quills) have many thin layers and can easily be made into powder using a coffee or spice grinder whereas cassia sticks are much harder. Indonesian Cassia (Cinnamomum burmannii) is often sold in neat quills made up of one thick layer, capable of damaging a spice or coffee grinder. Saigon Cassia (Cinnamomum loureiroi) and Chinese Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum) are always sold as broken pieces of thick bark as the bark isn't supple enough to be rolled into quills. It is a bit harder to tell powdered cinnamon from powdered cassia. When powdered bark is treated with tincture of iodine (a test for starch), little effect is visible in the case of pure cinnamon of good quality, but when cassia is present a deep-blue tint is produced, the intensity of the coloration depending on the proportion of cassia.
Cinnamon is also sometimes confused with Malabathrum (Cinnamomum tamala) and Saigon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi).

Uses

Cinnamon bark is widely used as a spice. It is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavouring material, being largely used in the preparation of some kinds of desserts, chocolate, spicy candies, tea, hot cocoa and liqueurs. In the Middle East, it's often used in savoury dishes of chicken and lamb. In the United States, cinnamon and sugar are often used to flavour cereals, bread-based dishes, and fruits, especially apples; a cinnamon-sugar mixture is even sold separately for such purposes. Cinnamon can also be used in pickling. Cinnamon bark is one of the few spices that can be consumed directly.
   In medicine it acts like other volatile oils and once had a reputation as a cure for colds. It has also been used to treat diarrhea and other problems of the digestive system. Cinnamon is high in antioxidant activity. The essential oil of cinnamon also has antimicrobial properties, which can aid in the preservation of certain foods.
   "Cinnamon" has been reported to have remarkable pharmacological effects in the treatment of type II diabetes and Insulin Resistance. However, the plant material used in the study was most from cassia and only few of them are truly from Cinnamomum zeylanicum (see cassia's medicinal uses for more information about its health benefits).^, . Recent advancement in phytochemistry has shown that it's a cinnamtannin B1 isolated from C. zeylanicum, which is of theraputic effect on type II diabetes with the exception for the postmenopausal patients studied on C. cassia . Cinnamon has traditionally been used to treat toothache and fight bad breath and its regular use is believed to stave off common cold and aid digestion.
   Cinnamon is used in the system of Thelemic Magick for the invocation of Apollo, according to the correspondences listed in Aleister Crowley's work Liber 777. In Hoodoo, it's a multipurpose ingredient used for purification, luck, love and money.
   Cinnamon is also used as an insect repellent.
   It is reported that regularly drinking of Cinnamomum zeylanicum tea made from the bark could be beneficial to oxidative stress related illness in humans, as the plant part contains significant antioxidant potent .
   Cinnamon has also yielded results of improving brain function, when chewing it, or even just smelling:

"...a recent research study presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Services in Sarasota, FL, found that merely smelling cinnamon or chewing cinnamon-flavored gum actually enhanced multiple areas of brain processing and function; everything from memory to visual-motor speed to recognition to attention & focus? In fact, the results were so promising that multiple research studies underway are testing cinnamon for its potential effects on enhancing cognition in the elderly, people with "test anxiety", and possible benefits for people with cognitive diseases."(External Link)

Further Information

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