Cinnamon

 What is Cinnamon?

Cinnamon refers to the dried inner bark of the trees of genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known to the history of humankind and it is very popular in culinary world in almost all the countries. India’s Ayurvedic system of medicine employs Cinnamon in various remedies ranging from respiratory and digestive to gynaecological health problems. Besides the bark of Cinnamomum, the other part of this tree which have medicinal or culinary use are the leaves, flowers, fruits and roots (Paranagama et al 2010, ).

Botanical Classification of Cinnamomum verum J. Presl cinnamon

• Kingdom: Plantae (Plants or flora)
• Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants, the plants with Xylem and Phloem tissues)
• Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed generating plants)
• Division: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants or angiosperms)
• Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons or Dicots)
• Order: Laurales
• Family: Lauraceae (Laurel family)
• Genus: Cinnamomum Schaeff. – Cinnamon
• Species: Cinnamomum verum J. Presl – Cinnamon (also called Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

Cinnamomum is a tropical evergreen tree which has four main varieties which are of economic importanc (Chen et al 2014). The botanical and common names of these verities are listed below:

• Cinnamomum verum: also called Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Sri Lankan, or True Cinnamon
• Cinnamon cassia: also known as Cinnamomum aromaticum, Chinese cinnamon
• Cinnamomum burmannii: also called Korintje, Java, or Indonesian cinnamon
• Cinnamomum loureiroi: also known as Vietnamese or Saigon cinnamon

Among these plants, C. verum’s old scientific name, i.e. Cinnamomum zeylanicum, was derived from Sri Lanka’s older name, Ceylon which in Latin means zeylanicum. This is why, Cinnamon obtained from Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum is called Ceylon Cinnamon.

What Drives the Flavor and Aroma of Cinnamon?

Essential oils in Cinnamon contributes to its characteristic flavor and aroma: the higher the level of essential oils, the stronger the flavor. The essential oils of Cinnamon bark are composed of trans-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and linalool, representing more than 4/5th part of the total composition. Among various verities of Cinnamon, C. verum’s flavor is considered to be the most delicate and complex or mild.

Why is Ceylon Cinnamon considered safe compared to Chinese Cinnamon?

Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon Cinnamon) and Cinnamon cassia (Chinese Cinnamon) are the most common verities which are available in the market, and one of the important differences between these two verities their coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone) content (Archer et al 1988). Coumarins are secondary phytochemicals which have been shown to be exert anticoagulant, carcinogenic and hepato-toxic properties, and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Coumarin is 0.1mg/kg body weight/day. German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has suggested Cinnamon cassia or Chinese Cinnamon to contain 2100-4400mg of coumarin while and that Cinnamomum zeylanicum or Cinnamomum verum contains ‘hardly any’ coumarin (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung 2006, Abraham et al 2010). This is why Ceylon Cinnamon is considered safe, especially comparted to Chinese Cinnamon.

What are the beneficial *health effects of Cinnamon?

Irrespective of the species mentioned above, Cinnamon has been associated with a variety of beneficial health effects (Jayaprakasha and Rao 2011, Ranasinghe et al 2011, Hariri and Ghiasvand 2016). However, considering the above mentioned toxicity related concerns, Ceylon Cinnamon or True Cinnamon should be opted over other varities, especially the Chinese Cinnamon. Some of the key health benefits which have been associated with Cinnamon in traditional wisdom and research/clinical publication which includes:

• Digestive disorders
• Diabetes
• Respiratory tract infections
• Antioxidant activity
• Antimicrobial activity
• Glucose and lipid control
• Gynaecological ailments.
• anti-inflammatory
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cognitive function
• Anti-colonic cancer

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES:

1. Abraham K, Wöhrlin F, Lindtner O, Heinemeyer G, Lampen A. Toxicology and risk assessment of coumarin: focus on human data. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 2010;54:228-39.
2. Archer A. Determination of cinnamaldehyde, coumarin and cinnamyl alcohol in cinnamon and cassia by high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography. 1988;447:272–276.
3. Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung. High daily intakes of cinnamon: health risk cannot be ruled out.Germany: Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung; 2006. (Book).
4. Chen P, Sun J, Ford P. Differentiation of the Four Major Species of Cinnamons ( burmannii, C. verum, C. cassia, and C. loureiroi) Using a Flow Injection Mass Spectrometric (FIMS) Fingerprinting Method. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2014 Mar 26; 62(12): 2516–2521 [PMID: 24628250].
5. Hariri M, Ghiasvand R. Cinnamon and Chronic Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2016;929:1-24.
6. Jayaprakasha GK, Rao LJ. Chemistry, biogenesis, and biological activities of Cinnamomum zeylanicum. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2011 Jul;51(6):547-62.
7. Paranagama PA, Wimalasena S, Jayatilake GS, Jayawardena AL, Senanayake UM, Mubarak AM. A comparison of essential oil constituents of bark, leaf root and fruit of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blum), grown in Sri Lanka. Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka. 2010;29:147–153.
8. Ranasinghe P1, Pigera S, Premakumara GA, Galappaththy P, Constantine GR, Katulanda P. Medicinal properties of ‘true’ cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013 Oct 22;13:275.

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