Cinnamon (Cinnamomum Species)
Section snippets
History
Cinnamon has been used as a spice for thousands of years; several references to it are found in the Bible. In Egypt, cinnamon was a spice used in embalming fluid. In Ayurvedic medicine, cinnamon bark was used as an antiemetic, antidiarrheal, antiflatulent, and general stimulant. The Portuguese found cinnamon trees growing in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) during the early 16th century; they subsequently imported cinnamon to Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Dutch occupied Sri Lanka in the
Botanical Description
The genus Cinnamomum comprises over 250 aromatic evergreen trees and shrubs, primarily located in Asia and Australia.
Common Name: Cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon
Scientific Name:Cinnamomum verum J. Presl (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, Laurus cinnamomum L.)
Botanical Family: Lauraceae (laurel family)
Physical Description: Large evergreen trees with young branches that are smooth and brown. The leaves are opposite, leathery, ovate to broadly ovate with three (and rarely, five) prominent veins. Young leaves
Sources
Cinnamon leaf and bark are spices and sources of cinnamon oil, primarily from the Cinnamomum verum J. Presl (Ceylon cinnamon). However, most of products are extracted from cinnamon trees cultivated at altitudes up to about 1500 ft (460 meters). Cortex cinnamomi is the dried inner bark of shoots from Cinnamomum verum J. Presl or the stripped trunk bark of Cinnamomum cassia Blume. Cinnamomum aromaticum Nees (Chinese cinnamon) is the main source of internationally traded cassia oil, which is a
Chemical Composition
Volatile oils are distilled products from the bark, leaves, flowers, or buds of Cinnamomum species, and the chemical composition of these oils varies depending on the part of the plant used for the distillation process. Cinnamon bark and leaf oil are steam distillation products obtained from the inner bark and leaves, respectively, of Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum).9 Other sources of cinnamon include Japanese cinnamon, Java cinnamon, and Taiwan cinnamon. Most of the chemical constituents of
Toxicokinetics
There are few human toxicokinetic data for the constituents in cinnamon oil. Rodent studies indicate that the major metabolic pathway of o-methoxycinnamaldehyde involves oxidation to the corresponding cinnamic and phenylpropionic acids with subsequent urinary excretion of benzoic and hippuric acids.19
Clinical Response
Most case reports of toxicity from cinnamon oil involve local irritation and allergic reactions to cinnamon oil as a constituent of personal hygiene (toilet soaps, mouthwash, toothpaste, perfumes, mud baths),20 beverages (colas, vermouth, bitters), or baking products.21, 22, 23 Allergic reactions include contact dermatitis, perioral dermatitis, cheilitis, stomatitis, gingivitis, glossitis, chronic lichenoid mucositis, contact urticaria,24 and rarely immediate hypersensitivity reactions (asthma,
Diagnostic Testing
Analytical methods for the identification of the constituents of cinnamon oil include high performance liquid chromatography35 and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.10, 36
Treatment
Treatment is supportive. Patients with leukoplakia after chronic use of cinnamon-containing gums should be observed for resolution after cessation of use. Persistent oral lesions should be evaluated for oral cancer.
References (36)
- et al.
Inactivation of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple juice by a combination of nisin and cinnamon
J Food Prot
(2004) - et al.
Determination of Cinnamomi cortex by high-performance liquid chromatography
J Chromatogr
(1987) History of the treatment of chronic bronchitis
Respiration
(1991)WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants. Vol. 1
(1999)- et al.
Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes
Diabetes Care
(2003) - et al.
Pro-healing effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark
Phytother Res
(2003) - et al.
The chemical composition of some Lauraceae essential oils and their antifungal activities
Phytother Res
(2004) - et al.
Study on the antiinflammatory activity of essential oil from leaves of Cinnamomum osmophloeum
J Agric Food Chem
(2005) - et al.
Allergic contact dermatitis from cinnamon as an odour-neutralizing agent in shoe insoles
Contact Dermatitis
(2004) - et al.
Cinnamon supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Pharmacotherapy
(2007)
Inorganic chemical approaches to pharmacognosyV. X-ray fluorescence spectrometric studies on the inorganic constituents of crude drugs. (3). On the cinnamoni cortex
Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo)
Headspace constituents of the tree remain of Cinnamomum camphora
Nat Prod Lett
Investigation of the essential oil of cinnamon leaf grown at Bangalore and Hyderabad
Flavour Fragrance J
Volatile constituents from Cinnamomum zeylanicum fruit stalks and their antioxidant activities
J Agric Food Chem
Chemical composition of volatile oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum buds
Z Naturforsch
Chemical composition and analysis of enantiomers of essential oils from Madagascar
Flavour Fragrance J
Chemical composition and mosquito larvicidal activity of essential oils from leaves of different Cinnamomum osmophloeum provenances
J Agric Food Chem
Herbal medicines for treatment of bacterial infections: a review of controlled clinical trials
J Antimicrob Chemother
Cited by (69)
Optimizing the extraction of essential oil from cinnamon leaf (Cinnamomum verum) for use as a potential preservative for minced beef
2023, Applied Biological Chemistry
This article was published in: Barceloux DG. Medical Toxicology of Natural Substances: Foods, Fungi, Medicinal Herbs, Toxic Plants, and Venomous Animals. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. pp. 39-43. Copyright © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.