Cinnamon is native to India and Sri Lanka and was later introduced to Indian Ocean and South East Asia. It is mainly cultivated in Sri Lanka, coastal regions of India as well as in Malaysia.

Cinnamon is an ancient spice which was mentioned in some religious text. In the ancient times Cinnamon was highly valued and regarded as a gift fit for monarchs (Toussaint-Samat, 2009). As a food, Cinnamon is popularly used as a natural flavouring agent. It is commonly used in food recipes as well as chocolate making, confectionaries and bakeries. Besides, Cinnamon is also a very important ingredient in many traditional medicines.
The Council of Europe listed Cinnamon as a natural source of food flavouring which can be added to foodstuffs in small quantities (Council of Europe, 1981). In USA, cinnamon is listed as Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS) (Leung, 1980).

Phyto-Chemicals & Therapeutic use:

Cinnamon is very rich in volatile oils – cinnamaldehyde, eugenol & trans-cinnamic acid and other phenolic compounds. Cinnamon has been tested on the following actions:

  • Antibacterial/Anti-fungal properties – the essential oil of cinnamon is reported to have the action of antibacterial and anti-fungal (Bruneton, 1995) (BHP, 1996)
  • Type-2 Diabetes – Researchers suggest that adding cinnamon in diet may help Type-2 diabetic to control glucose level (Khan A et al, 2003) (Lu, 2012)

As mentioned above, cinnamon is commonly featured in many traditional medicines. The Commission E approved Cinnamon to be use in internal preparation for loss of appetite, dyspeptic complaints such as mild, spastic condition of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating and flatulence (Commission E, 2000).
Cinnamon is also approved for anorexia, intestinal colic, infantile diarrhoea, common cold, influenza, and specific for flatulent colic, and dyspepsia with nausea by British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983.

Side-Effects & Toxicity:

No documented side-effects and toxicity of consuming cinnamon bark as a food substance. However, the essential oil of cinnamon was reported to have irritant and sensitising action (Tisserand R & Balacs T, 1995). The accepted daily intake level of eugenol is up to 2.5mg/kg of body weight (Martindale 1989).

Name: Cinnamon Bark (english) | Kulit Kayu Manis (Malay) | 桂皮 (chinese)
Scientific name: Cinnamomum Verum

By: HEI Wellness

References:

British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Keighley: British Herbal Medicine Association, 1983

British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (BHP). 1996. Exeter, U.K.: British Herbal Medicine Association.

Bruneton J. 1995. Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Paris: Lavoisier Publishing.

Council of Europe. Flavouring substances and Natural Sources of Flavourings, 3rd edn. Stransbourg: Maisonneuve, 1981.

Bluementhal, Glodberg & Brinckmann. Herbal Medicine Expanded Commission E Monographs. American Botanical Council 2000.

Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA (2003). “Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes”. Diabetes Care 26 (12): 215–218.

Leong AY. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Consmetics. New York-Chichester: Wiley, 1980.

Lu, T.; Sheng, H.; Wu, J.; Cheng, Y.; Zhu, J.; Chen, Y. (2012). “Cinnamon extract improves fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin level in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes”. Nutrition Research 32 (6): 408–412.

Martidale: The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 29th edn. (Raynolds JEF,ed). London: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1989.

Tisserand R, Balacs T. Essential Oil Safety. Ediburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1995.

Toussaint-Samat 2009, p. 437