Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum / cassia)
The evergreen cinnamon trees belong to the laurel family. In our country, Ceylon cinnamon and Chinese or cassia cinnamon are best known as spices, mainly used at Christmas. It is the cut and possibly ground bark of the branches of the tree.
The various types of cinnamon are very similar in terms of the ingredients, but there are qualitative and quantitative differences in the ingredients, especially in the essential oil. In the case of cassia cinnamon, the unpeeled primary bark is used or the essential oil extracted from it; in the case of Ceylon cinnamon, the bark is freed from the outer layers.
Both types of cinnamon contain between 0.5 and 2.5 percent essential oil and tannins. The crushed medicinal drug is used for tea infusions, the essential oil or other preparations in the form of ready-to-use preparations.
Cinnamon has an antibacterial effect and inhibits the proliferation of fungi. It also stimulates the appetite and is especially valued for its healing effect on disorders of the digestive tract, such as flatulence, bloating, gastrointestinal cramps, abdominal pain with diarrhoea. Folk medicine also uses cinnamon preparations for nausea and menopausal symptoms, as well as externally for pain in the joint and musculoskeletal system due to its circulation-enhancing effects.
In recent experimental and clinical studies, cinnamon has been shown to have an anti-diabetic effect. Furthermore, lowering effects on the blood lipid content are being discussed.