Cinnamon

Parts Usually Used

Bark, oil obtained from bark and leaves

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

The dried inner bark of the branches of a small, tropical, evergreen laurel tree. The bark is peeled off and as the pieces are dried, they curl up into quills.

Where Found

Found growing around marshes.

Medicinal Properties

Stimulant, alterative, analgesic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, mild laxative

Biochemical Information

Essential oil including phellandrene, eugenol, gums, sugar, coumarins, cinnamic aldehyde, methuleugenol; mucilage, tannin, sucrose and starch

Legends, Myths and Stories

Cinnamon was probably the first spice used by man. Ancient records reveal that it was used for more than 5,000 years. The countless flavoring uses of this valuable spice need not be enumerated. Cinnamon brandy is made by soaking crushed cinnamon bark a fortnight in brandy. In the Far East, the cinnamon tree is grown in southern China, but is native to Kuangsi. Since ancient times, cinnamon has been used as medicine and the flavoring spice we know today.

Cinnamon has long been used to cure everything from athlete’s foot to indigestion. Early civilizations recognized its ability to stop bacterial growth. The Egyptians used it in embalming. During the Middle Ages, it was mixed with cloves and warm water, and placed in the sick rooms of victims of the Bubonic Plague. Recent research indicates that cinnamon can have favorable effects on brain function.

Participants in a study chewed cinnamon gum or smelled the sweet spice. Cognitive tests revealed that subjects who used cinnamon had better memory functions and could process information more quickly. Encouraged by these findings, scientists will now conduct studies to see if cinnamon will improve mental skills in the elderly and those prone to anxiety before testing. Chinese herbalists tell of older people, in their 70s and 80s, developing a cough accompanied by frequent spitting of whitish phlegm.

A helpful remedy, they suggest, is chewing and swallowing a very small pinch of powdered cinnamon. Should be of the highest quality, determined by a bitter-sweet taste. If too bitter and/or not oily, the quality is poor. This remedy can also help people with cold feet and hands, especially at night.

Uses

Cinnamon quills and sticks were historically incorporated into spiced punches, teas, cooked fruits, and pickling liquids, while the ground spice was used in sweet baked goods, fruit preparations, and select meat and fish dishes. Herbalists also prepared it as a liqueur. In traditional medicine, practitioners attributed warming and stimulating qualities to cinnamon, believing it raised vitality and supported peripheral circulation.

Folk traditions employed it to address digestive complaints, including diarrhea, abdominal spasms, gas, nausea, vomiting, and tension-related stomach upset, sometimes administering it in milk. Additionally, historical sources recommended cinnamon for congestion, colds, flu, sinusitis, bronchitis, and rheumatic complaints.

How Sold

Powder & Sticks or oil

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , West Nyack, NY, 1987. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co.

(1988). The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974