Cinnamon Bark

Botanical Name: Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Botany and Origins: Cinnamon is a bushy, evergreen tree up to 15m. The bark and leaves are strongly aromatic. Three distinct essential oils (bark, leaf and root) are produced from the cinnamon tree. It is often confused with Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia). Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, India and South East Asia. It has been introduced to the Seychelles, Zanibar and Indonesia. Cinnamon produces the finest bark in sunny regions with an average temperature of 27 to 30 degrees Celsius.

Method of Extraction: Cinnamon bark essential oil is obtained by steam or water distillation with cohobation.

Cultivation: Certified Organic

Historical and Traditional Uses: Both cinnamon and cassia have been used for several thousand years in Eastern and Western cultures in treating chronic diarrhoea, rheumatism, colds, abdominal and heart pains, kidney problems, hypertension and female disorders such as amenorrhoea and cramps. The ancient Egyptians were known to have used cinnamon in mummification. The Arab traders, who kept its origin a secret, supplied the spice to the Greeks and Romans. The quest for cinnamon was pursued so enthusiastically that it was the principal incentive of the Portuguese in discovering the route around the Cape to India and Ceylon.

Ceylon was occupied by the Portuguese in 1536, the Dutch in 1656 and the English East India Company in 1796. The Dutch started cinnamon cultivation in 1770 and exercised a strict monopoly on the cinnamon trade comparable with their monopoly of nutmegs. This continued until the monopoly of the English East India Company was abolished in 1833.

The Dutch introduced cinnamon into their East Indian colonies, particularly Java and Indonesia.

Cinnamon Bark essential oil is used in pharmaceutical preparations as a carminative, stomachic, tonic or counterirritant and it is often included in mouth washes, liniments, nasal sprays and toothpaste.

Pharmacology and Clinical Studies: The potential antibacterial and antifungal activity of cinnamon has been extensively demonstrated. A carbon dioxide extract of cinnamon bark at a 0.1% concentration completely suppressed the growth of numerous micro-organisms, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Cinnamon Bark essential oil was also found to have potent antifungal properties against fungi causing respiratory tract mycoses.

Indications:

• Antimicrobial Properties: Cinnamon Bark essential oil is regarded as one of the strongest antibacterial agents known. It is useful for resisting viral infections and contagious diseases.
• Digestive System: It is regarded as an excellent gastrointestinal stimulant. It calms spasms of the digestive tract, relieves conditions such as dyspepsia, colitis, flatulence, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. It stimulates secretions of gastric juices and is recommended for loss of appetite. The strong antimicrobial properties are quite effective in cleansing the intestinal tract of pathogenic bacteria. The phenyl-propanoid compounds such as cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol act against pathogenic bacteria and at the same time support the intestinal flora.
• Nervous System: It is very warming therefore they can be used to relieve aches and chills in the early stages of colds and flu, and the feeling of debility that often remains after the initial stage of a fever. The oil is also beneficial during convalescence. It is recommended to use cinnamon for general debility and older persons during the winter months as a tonic. It is recommended for persons who are devitalised, emaciated and suffering from nervous depression.

Safety: It is reported to be a severe dermal irritant and sensitiser. Dilution should not be more than 0.1% for topical application.

Country of Origin: Sri Lanka

Size: 10ml, 30ml, 50ml (for 100ml and above, please contact us)