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Cinnamon is not only a warming, sweet and exotic culinary spice. It is used extensively in traditional systems of medicine for its therapeutic value. It’s been a part of the Ayurvedic system of medicine for thousands of years. In Hindi, it’s called Dalchini.

The particular flavor and fragrance is due to its essential oil and chief components – cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. In this article, we’re going to look at nearly every aspect of cinnamon. Keep reading. Got a question? Leave it in the comment below and one of our experts will reply.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article.

Species Of Cinnamon
Cinnamon Botanical Description
Sanskrit Synonyms For Cinnamon With Their Meaning¹
Varieties Of CinnamonWhat You Should Know 
Ayurvedic Properties Of Cinnamon
Popular Ayurvedic Formulations With Cinnamon
Cinnamon Essential Oil
Ayurvedic Uses Of Cinnamon And Remedies
Chemical Constituents Of Cinnamon⁷Research On Cinnamon⁷
Cinnamon Nutrition Value⁸

Species Of Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the collective name given to various plant species in the genus Cinnamomum and family Lauraceae. Out of all these species only a few species are grown commercially for its bark.

The main species include Cinnamomum zeylanicum or Cinnamomum verum, commonly known as Ceylon.

Cinnamomum cassia or Chinese cinnamon is common as well. Cinnamomum tamale or Indian cinnamon, Cinnamomum citriodorum or Malabar cinnamon and Cinnamomum burmanni (Indonesian cinnamon) are other common varieties.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum has a new botanical name, Cinnamomum verum. The old name was originally derived from Sri Lanka’s former name Ceylon. It is found widely in Sri Lanka. But it also grows in Malabar, Cochin and China. It is also cultivated in Brazil, Mauritius, India and in many other countries.

These plants are grown for their inner bark. When dried, the bark rolls into a tubular stick which is commercially known as a quill.

Cinnamon is available in the market in stick form and in powder form. Cinnamon essential oil is also used widely for various purposes.

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Cinnamon Botanical Description

Cinnamon trees are small evergreen trees with aromatic bark and leaves. They have an economic lifespan of approximately ten years.

Cinnamon trees usually grow up to 20 to 30 feet tall. In the wild however, they can grow up to 50 to 60 feet tall.

The bark is scabrous and has a smooth and yellow color and a distinct pleasant odor.

The leaves of the tree are thick and oval or lanceolate in shape and 3-7 inches long. They are dark green on top and lighter green underneath. When crushed, they produce a pungent smell.

The branches of the plant are strong, smooth and grey. 

The tree produces small, yellow-white or green flowers on panicles. They have a distinct odor.

The fruit is purple in color. It is oval in shape and berry like and it contains one single seed.

Sanskrit Synonyms For Cinnamon With Their Meaning¹

These Sanskrit synonyms for cinnamon describe its various qualities.

Tvaka: It pacifies Vata dosha and covers Vata dosha in the body.Daru sita: It is a wooden stick with a sweet flavor, like sugar candy.Chocham: Its bark is of very good quality.Vraangam: Every part of cinnamon is admirable and wonderful.Bhringam: It has a hot property.Saimhalam: It originates in the Saimhala region which today is the region of Sri Lanka.

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Varieties Of Cinnamon

Different varieties of cinnamon are available. It’s classified based on where it’s been cultivated. Some common varieties include the following.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum

This variety is cultivated in Sri Lanka. Again, it is commonly known as Ceylon cinnamon. It has a thinner bark than Cassia cinnamon. It is sweeter than Cassia cinnamon and less bitter in taste.

It is considered the best variety among all varieties of cinnamon because it has a very pleasant smell and sweet taste.²

Cinnamomum tamala

This variety has also been used topically as an anti-inflammatory agent in traditional systems of medicine.³

Cassia cinnamon

This variety of cinnamon is mainly cultivated in China. Its has a thick bark.

It’s also used topically as anti-inflammatory agent in traditional systems of medicine.²

Its leaves are commonly used and are referred to as bay leaves.⁴ When these bay leaves dry they smell like cloves. If they do not have any fragrance and are missing their typical sharp taste then they should not be used in medicine.³

Among these three varieties of cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon is considered the best. It is sweeter in taste and has the best odor and aroma compared to others.⁵

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What You Should Know

Cassia cinnamon has a strong and spicy flavor. It is often used in baking, especially cinnamon rolls.

Among cassia, Chinese cinnamon is generally medium to light reddish brown in color. It is hard and woody in texture.

It is thicker than others because all of the layers of bark are used.

Cassia cinnamon sticks are harder than others.

The Chinese variety or Cinnamomum cassia are always sold as broken pieces of thick bark because the bark is not supple enough to be rolled into quills.

With Ceylon cinnamon, only the thin inner bark is used.  It has a lighter brown color and a finer, less dense and more crumbly texture.

It is more subtle and more aromatic in flavor than cassia. It loses much of its flavor during cooking.

Ceylon cinnamon sticks (quills) have many thin layers. It can easily be made into powder using a coffee or spice grinder

Indonesian cinnamon is often sold in neat quills made up of one thick layer. It is so hard, it’s capable of damaging a spice or coffee grinder.

The powdered bark of cinnamon is harder to distinguish between varieties. If it’s treated with a tincture of iodine (a test for starch), little effect is visible with pure Ceylon cinnamon. When Chinese cinnamon is present however, a deep-blue tint is produced.

Ayurvedic Properties Of Cinnamon

In The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of Herbs, the following species are explained.

Botanical name: Cinnamomum zeylanicumFamily: Lauraceae

Rasa or taste: Katu (pungent), tikta (bitter), madhura (sweet)Guna or qualities: Laghu (light), ruksha (dry), teekshna (piercing or sharp)Virya or potency: Ushna (hot)Vipaka or post digestive taste: Katu (pungent)Effect on dosha: Kapha Vata hara (Reduces Kapha and Vata dosha)

It pacifies Kapha dosha and Vata dosha because of its hot potency. Due to its hot potency, it increases Pitta dosha.  Cinnamon which is more sweet in taste however, pacifies Pitta dosha.⁵

Parts used: Tvaka or stem bark, taila or oil and patra or leaves.⁶

Amount used:⁶

Tvaka churna (powder) of stem bark: 1-3 gramsPowder of leaves: 1-3 gramsOil: 2-5 drops

Popular Ayurvedic Formulations With Cinnamon

Sitopaladi churna is a popular Ayurvedic formulation to treat respiratory problems, cough, cold and anorexia.⁶

READ MORE: How To Fight The Flu With Ayurveda

Cinnamon Essential Oil

The essential oil is extracted through steam distillation of the bark. It has a mild and sweet aroma that soothes the mind.

There are two types.

1. Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil

This essential oil is derived from the leaves. It is dark brown in color and has a fragrance like cloves.

It is 70-85% eugenol

2. Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

This essential oil is derived from the bark. It is light yellow in color but on storing, changes to red.

This oil contains 50-65% cinnamaldehyde and 60-75% eugenol.⁵

Apart from having different chemical compositions, both these essential oils mostly serve the same health benefits.

Ayurvedic Uses Of Cinnamon And Remedies

According to ‘The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of Herbs’⁵, it is helpful in increasing the metabolic fire. It improves appetite and relieves anorexia.

Other uses according to the Pharmacopoeia include the following.⁵

It is useful in digestion of food. It is useful in relieving flatulence, abdominal pain and improving liver function.

Cinnamon is helpful in diarrhea, hemorrhoids and irritable bowel syndrome.

It is also useful in fever due to intestinal problems.

Cinnamon has anti-microbial properties. It is helpful in improving cardiac problems, blood related problems, cough and cold.

It is useful in asthma and chronic respiratory problems. 

Cinnamon helps in increasing ojas. According to Ayurveda, ojas is responsible for immunity, strength and vitality.