cinnamon bark

cinnamon bark

Cinnamon is the inner bark of the cinnamon from Ceylon. Its flavor is due to an aromatic essential oil

Cinnamon is a spice that is mainly produced on the island of Sri Lanka.

The essential oil of cinnamon is composed of 65-90% of cinnamic aldehyde, 4 to 12% of phenols (especially eugenol) and the following compounds: camphor, beta-caryophyllene, benzaldehyde, cuminaldehyde, cineol, phellandrene, etc. This essential oil should be used with caution because it can be dermocaustic. It takes about 1 ton of bark to produce 3-5 kg ??of essential oil.

Cinnamon powder is an important source of condensed tannins. It contiendrait2 to 8.1 g of proanthocyanidins (including monomers) per 100 g of dry powder (but the authors do not specify how this is cinnamon).

cinnamon bark benefits

It is supposed to stimulate digestion and breathing, being antiseptic [ref. required] (active against the bacillus typhoid) [ref. required], antispasmodic [ref. required], worming [ref. necessary] ; it is sometimes indicated in the weakness and gastrointestinal spasms, asthenia influenza (J. Valnet).

Some studies show that cinnamon is effective in helping diabetics stabilize their blood sugar but that is contradicted by a study published in January 20083.


Furthermore, the authors note that the consumption of large doses of cinnamon or cinnamon extracts may be toxic. Indeed, cinnamon contains coumarin, a compound capable, in sensitive individuals, cause liver damage and inflammation (LD50 of 0.196 g / kg in mice). American and Saudi 2013 study confirms these results4. The amounts of coumarin are however low in Cinnamon Sri Lanka, contrary to the case (or cinnamon China), which contains many more. True cinnamon is expensive, so often replaced in industrial pastries and soft drinks by the case, which contains 63 times more coumarin. The consumer must make the difference between "good" and "bad" cinnamon, which is difficult when the powder buys. By cons, sticks, cassia or Chinese cinnamon, is easily recognizable: it is brown and made of a single thick layer of rolled bark.

Two recent studies have however shown that cinnamon could have anti-hypertensive properties and could slow down the emptying