Ceylon Cinnamon, Cassia (Eng), Zimt (Ger), Cannelle (Fr), Canella (Ital), Dalchini (Hindi), Darusita, Twak (Sanskrit), Rougui (Chin)

Botanical Name Cinnamomum spp

Common names: Ceylon cinnamon, cassia (Eng), Zimt (Ger), cannelle (Fr), canella (Ital), dalchini (Hindi), darusita, twak (Sanskrit), rougui (Chin)

There are several different cinnamon species and some confusion about which ones are used. The most common are the following.

Cassia: Cinnamomum cassia (L.) Presl (from China) Ceylon cinnamon: Cinnamonum verum J.S. Presl or C. zeylanicum (from Sri Lanka and south India) Indonesian cinnamon: Cinnamomum burmannii (Nees & T. Nees) Blume Vietnamese cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum) Nees Indian cinnamon (Cinnamomum bejolghota Buch.-Ham.

There are also other Cinnamonum species (camphora, burmanni, iners, loureirii, massoia) that are used for medicinal or culinary purposes.

The famous cinnamon ‘quills’ come from Ceylon cinnamon. This contains the highest levels of the delicious and therapeutic essential oils. The most common cinnamon sold for cooking is Indonesian.

The most important of the many constituents of cinnamon include

 Cinnamaldehyde: this gives cinnamon its scent, flavour and heat, and likely accounts for its aromatic digestive properties. Research shows it reduces inflammation.  Other (aromatic) volatile oils (β-caryophyllene, linalool, eugenyl acetate, and cinnamyl acetate)  Polyphenols (eg vanillic, caffeic, gallic, protocatechuic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids)  Tannins are astringent, protecting the gut wall.

Cinnamon has had literally a fabulous reputation from earliest recorded history. Its unique flavours meant not only that it was one of the most valuable spices in early commerce, but also delivered almost immediate benefits to the

digestion and circulation. Its reputation probably began with its role in cooking and digestion. In the past food selection was the first stage of healing: spices were widely added to foods to support digestion, prevent gut infections and build resilience. Survival depended on preventing diseases before they became disabling. It also depended on full recovery from illnesses, and before we lost the skills in the modern times, convalescence was core to health care. Cinnamon was one of the most popular convalescent tonics in Asia, supporting digestion and maintaining warmth through this vulnerable recovery time.

Cinnamon was also highly highly regarded as an aromatic, as recorded of the seductress in the Bible’s Book of Proverbs (7:17-18) I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

India (relating to Ceylon cinnamon)

Rasa (taste) Pungent, sweet, astringent, bitter. Virya (action) Hot. Vipaka (post-digestive effect) Sweet. Guna (quality) Dry, light, penetrating. Dosha effect: strengthens pitta, and reduces kapha and aggravated vata Dhatu (tissue) Plasma, blood, muscles, nerves, reproductive. Srotas (channels) Digestive, circulatory, respiratory, urinary, nervous, reproductive.

It increases saliva, sharpens the appetite and promotes digestion, and encourages a gentle expectoration in (cold) mucus congestion. It revives and stimulates.i

China (relating to Cassia) Properties: acrid, sweet, hot Primarily warming: good for inducing perspiration and promoting circulation. In the 3rd century text Shang Han Lung (on Cold damage) cinnamon is the classic remedy against “external deficient Yang patterns” marked by aversion to wind and cold, cold hands and feet, headache, pain and stiffness in the back of the neck, nasal congestion. It is said also to “warm the Spleen and disperse Cold”: signs include cold-induced stomach ache, abdominal pain and loose bowels.ii

Indonesia (relating to Indonesian cinnamon) and Thailand stimulant to digestion, respiration and circulation ... warming medicine, ‘heart tonic’iii

In traditional herb-based treatments cinnamon is a highly regarded component of formulations designed to stimulate digestion and to warm the body when suffering from the effects of cold. It also pleasantly flavors otherwise strong medicines. Cinnamon may be a leading ingredient in individual formulations in the following areas.

Digestion: Cinnamon stimulates the digestive metabolism making it an excellent remedy in characteristically cold and sluggish digestive systems and slow digestion. It is indicated

in flatulence and colic. Cinnamon’s ability to support absorption also makes it useful in diarrhoea with characteristically loose and watery stools and undigested food. The anti-microbial properties of cinnamon also indicate it in the treatment of different forms of dysbiosis, including Candida.

Circulation: Cinnamon stimulates circulation to the extremities, indicating it in conditions such as Raynaud’s syndrome, arthritis and generalised circulatory insufficiencies. These effects can also be of use in cardiac insufficiency with cold extremities, difficulty breathing, fluid accumulation and tiredness.

Lungs: Cinnamon clears mucus and encourages circulation throughout the respiratory system. It can also be used as a hot decoction to clear fevers and encourage sweating.

Urinary & Kidney: Cinnamon’s warm and dry qualities are helpful in treating conditions such as nocturia and frequent urination that are irritated by the cold. Cinnamon can penetrate deep into the tissues, where, coupled with its sweet quality give it an ability to nourish the reproductive system, treating infertility and male impotence.

Women’s health: Cinnamon is an excellent anti-spasmodic for painful periods (dysmenorrhoea). It can also help both lack of periods (amenorrhoea) and excessive bleeding at periods (menorrhagia). It can also be used in wet and stagnant conditions due to its drying astringency in the pelvic cavity, indicating it in the management of ovarian cysts, fibroids and endometriosis.

Most of the traditional reputation for cinnamon has yet to be tested by modern research. Published papers focus on prospects that different species of cinnamon may affect blood sugar control, particularly in diabetic conditions. Here there is evidence that cinnamon reduces tissue resistance to insulin, decreases inflammatory markers, and lowers glucose, lipids, and blood pressure in people with ‘metabolic syndrome’ (‘insulin resistance’ or pre-diabetic state).iv,v There are similar benefits in people with fatty liver problemsvi and even with healthy subjects.vii An interesting extension of this benefit is to polycystic ovary syndromeviii,ix, which is marked by disturbances in blood sugar control.

Women may also find cinnamon helpful to relieve menstrual pains.x

Ceylon cinnamon has also been shown to have a range of benefits although most of the modern evidence is laboratory based.xi

Recently, other trials have explored the beneficial prospects of cinnamon in Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, and arteriosclerosis.xii

As a widely used cooking spice around the world cinnamon is inherently safe.

One issue that has arisen is the presence of coumarin, which can cause liver and kidney damage in mice and rats. However, this has been shown to be linked to a detoxification process not usually present in humans (‘the 3- hydroxycoumarin pathway’). Many commentators complicate the issue by confusing coumarin with its derivative dicoumarol or warfarin. On the precautionary principle however European health agencies have warned against

consuming high amounts of cassia due to its high content of coumarin, and many commercial products on the European market have cut their cassia content.

Medicinal doses are higher than those found in the diet: the recommended treatment dose is 1.5-8 g dried bark.

i Ravindran PN, Nirmal-Babu K, Shylaja M eds (2005) Cinnamon and Cassia: The Genus Cinnamomum. CRC Press ii Zhang Z, Ye F, Wiseman N, and Mitchell, C (1999). Shang Han Lun: On Cold Damage, Translation and Commentaries. Paradigm Publications iii Perry LM (1980) Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia: attributed properties and uses. MIT Press iv Medagama AB. (2015) The glycaemic outcomes of Cinnamon, a review of the experimental evidence and clinical trials. Nutr J. 14: 108 v Gupta Jain S, Puri S, Misra A, Gulati S, Mani K. (2017) Effect of oral cinnamon intervention on metabolic profile and body composition of Asian Indians with metabolic syndrome: a randomized double -blind control trial. Lipids Health Dis. 16(1):113 vi Askari F, Rashidkhani B, Hekmatdoost A. Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Nutr Res. 2014;34(2):143–148 vii Solomon TP, Blannin AK. Changes in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity following 2 weeks of daily cinnamon ingestion in healthy humans. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2009;105(6):969–976 viii Borzoei A, Rafraf M, Asghari-Jafarabadi M. Cinnamon improves metabolic factors without detectable effects on adiponectin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2018;27(3):556–563 ix Hajimonfarednejad M, Nimrouzi M, Heydari M, et al (2018) . Insulin resistance improvement by cinnamon powder in polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 32(2):276–283 x Jahangirifar M, Taebi M, Dolatian M. (2018) The effect of Cinnamon on primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 33: 56–60 xi Ranasinghe P, Pigera S, Premakumara GA, et al (2013) Medicinal properties of 'true' cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med.13: 275. xii Hariri M, Ghiasvand R. (2016) Cinnamon and Chronic Diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;929:1–24.