Cinnamomum zeylanicum

garden pOints

art 'n' science of gardening

to regain three basic needs of life from nature:

pure & non-polluted air, water & food

Cinnamomum zeylanicum - Cinnamon

Economic Value

		Cinnamom is widely used in food,
		pharmacy, cosmetic, perfumery, and gum industries. Cinnamon can be used as a moth or insect repellent.
		Cinnamon bark is one of the most
		important spices in the world. It is used for baking in dessert foods. Cinnamon rolls, a kind of dessert pastry has cinnamon as the main ingredient. Cinnamon is used as a spice with meat and poultry. Cinnamon is also used to flavour rice dishes, fish, chicken, etc. Cinnamon can be added to hot chocolate to give it an added flavour.
		Cinnamon leaves contain eugenol and so
		sometimes used as a substitute for cloves and bay leaves. Leaf decoction can be used as tea.
		Cinnamon was used as a preservative -
		added to food to prevent spoiling, and it was used in Egypt for embalming.
		The fragrance of Cinnamon is pleasant;
		stimulates the senses; yet it calms the nerves, and it is reputed to attract customers to a place of business.
		The various terpenoids found in the
		volatile oil are believed to account for Cinnamon's medicinal effects. Cinnamon is an astringent, antiseptic, antifungal, anti-viral, blood purifier, carminative, digestive aid, uterine stimulant and warming stimulant.

"We’ve poisoned the air, the water, and the land. In our passion to control nature, things have gone out of control. Progress from
now on has to mean something different. We’re running out of resources and we are running out of time." - Robert Redford

Ad Space, Lawns, Plants & Gardening Enquiry: gardenpoints@gmail.com Only Contact Cell No. 09396489673

Crop Details

Botanical Name: Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Common Name: Cinnamon Bark, Sweet Wood, Dalchini, Tamala Patra

Family: Lauraceae

Cultivars: Related species is Cinnamomum cassia

Origin: Sri Lanka, southeast of India, the Tenasserim Hills of Burma

Distribution: Sri Lanka, India, China, Madagascar, Brazil, the Caribbean, Japan, Taiwan,
Philippines and West Indies

Habitat: Rock outcrops, forests and forest gaps in tropics

Habit: Small evergreen tree, 30 feet tall

Duration: Perennial

Leaf: Opposite, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, coriaceous, 7 inches long, obtuse or acute leaf

Flower: Inconspicuous, yellowish-white flowers borne in panicles as long as leaves

Flowering Season: June-July

Fruit: Dark purple to black pointed fruit

Sunlight: Full sun, semi-shade (tolerant)

Water Requirement: Moderate

Soil Texture: prefers deep well-drained soils

Soil pH: Acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline (4.3 to 8)

Salinity Tolerance: moderate

Propagation: Seed, cuttings

Cultural Practices: Sucker shoots develop from the roots when young trees are cut
back twice a year. The cinnamon harvest commences in May and continues until late in
October. Slender shoots are trimmed up, decorticated, bark pieces are dried, to get
cinnamomum chips, chips are collected in bundles, allowed for a degree of fermentation
to facilitate the separation of the epidermis, bark dries and contracts to form quill.

Economic Part: Bark, Leaves, black fruit, roots

Crop Yield: Cinnamon contains from 0.5 to 1 percent essential oil

Chemistry:The primary chemical constituents include cinnamaldehyde, gum, tannin,
mannitol, coumarins and essential oils (aldehydes, eugenol, pinene). Essential oil of
cinnamon bark contains phenylpropanoids cinnamaldehyde (3-phenyl-acrolein) and
eugenol (4-(1-propene-3-yl)-2-methoxy-phenol). Other phenylpropanoids available are
safrole, coumarin, cinnamic acid esters, mono- and sesquiterpenes, and 2-heptanone
(methyl-n-amyl-ketone). Cinnamon leaves contain mainly of eugenol and so can be used
as a substitute for clove. Small amounts of cinnamaldehyde, benzyl benzoate, linalool and
β-caryophyllene are also present. Essential oil of cinnamon root bark contains camphor.
Cinnamon fruits or cinnamon buds contain trans-cinnamyl acetate and β-caryophyllene.

Caution: Pregnant women, women with excessive menstrual bleeding, men with
prostate problems, diabetics and those taking blood thinners should consult a specialist
before using cinnamon as a medicine. Taking Cinnamon and antibiotics together may
make the antibiotic not work. Increased heart rate (pulse), feeling dizzy, shortness of
breath and redness of the face may occur if too much cinnamon is taken. The cinnamon
tree once established, becomes the dominant tree and eliminates the native forest, so
classified as an invasive species.

Next to: Lime

Back to: Camphor tree

Subscribe in a reader

For Advanced Reading:

www.flickr.com

		It is believed to be a stimulant to increase the passions of a male.
		It is determined that consuming as little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon each day may
		reduce blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels by as much as twenty percent in Type-2 diabetes patients who are not taking insulin. Cinnamon is also a primary ingredient in our highly-successful Blood Sugar Support Blend.
		During the Bubonic Plague, sponges were soaked in Cinnamon and cloves and placed in
		sick rooms, and it has also been burned as an incense. In Chinese medicine, cinnamon is prescribed for everything from diarrhea and chills to influenza and parasitic worms.
		The cinnamaldehyde component is hypotensive and spasmolytic and increases peripheral
		blood flow.
		Cinnamon is used as a hair rinse for dark hair, its prolonged use is known to beautify the
		skin and promote a rosy complexion, as a toothpaste, as a wash to prevent and treat fungal infections such as athletes foot, used in massage oils, etc.