Scientific name

Family

Origin

Synonyms

Real cinnamon

Used Parts

Chemical constituents

• Essential oil rich in cinnamic aldehyde and a small percentage of eugenol;
• terpenes;
• Tannins;
• mucilage;
• Polyphenols.

Ceylon Cinnamon in Herbalist: Properties of Ceylon Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice widely used in cooking, but also in the preparation of anti-flu products, often together with cloves. Cinnamon essential oil has antimicrobial properties and can be used diluted in alcohol at low concentrations: be careful because it can have numerous drawbacks and must necessarily be prescribed by your doctor. Cinnamon has antimicrobial and eupeptic activity: it is in fact applied in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, bacterial cystitis, vaginitis and oral cavity infections.

Contraindications

Do not use cinnamon oil in case of hypersensitivity to one or more components, or if you are allergic to the balsam of Peru.

Pharmacological Interactions

• NSAIDs;
• gastrolesive drugs.

Note

Chinese Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum cassia or Cinnamomum aromaticum ) is present in the USA Pharmacopoeia, where flowers and bark are more easily used as a corrective of the taste in certain herbal preparations. Although widely used, these drugs can give rise to allergies, including crusades, due to the presence of cinnamic aldehyde; in addition, they reduce the absorption of tetracyclines.