Warm and sweet with a sharp taste, with which Ceylon cinnamon enhances dishes, and its unforgettable aroma has been familiar to people for many centuries. However, there is no other spice whose place of growth would be shrouded in so many mysteries and mystifications.

At the beginning of the last century, cinnamon was worth almost 15 times more than silver, and in ancient Greece, 35 kg of cinnamon gave 5 kg of gold, which was still not very expensive. In some countries, 1 kg of cinnamon was exchanged for 1 kg of gold. And the Arabs should be “thanked” for this, who convinced the buyers that cinnamon is obtained by taking it from huge birds, whose nests are made of cinnamon sticks, through inhuman efforts and great risk. Such fables provided the Arabs with a monopoly on the spice trade for 3,000 years. A change in the pricing policy of cinnamon was made by the Portuguese, who arrived in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the 15th century and discovered the real source of the spice’s origin there. Without thinking long, the Portuguese overthrew the local lords, destroyed the dissenters, captured the entire island, taking control of the spice trade.

Did you know that this ancient spice has one of the highest levels of antioxidant properties among all spices?

Derived from the bark of the cinnamon tree, this sweet and peppery spice is scientifically known as Cinnamonum verum and comes in over a hundred varieties, with Ceylon cinnamon (true or true cinnamon) and Chinese cinnamon (cassia) being the two most widely used varieties.

The use of cinnamon in cooking

As a rule, a whole cinnamon bark is put at the beginning of cooking a dish or drink. Ground cinnamon is added during cooking or at the very end.

1. Spicy drinks are prepared from whole or broken bark: tea, coffee, compote, mulled wine, milk drinks
2. In combination with other spices, it is used to give a sweet and spicy aroma to sauces, vegetables, fish and meat dishes.
   It is placed in water or oil at the very beginning of cooking.
3. Ground cinnamon is used in baking, desserts, and sprinkled on fruit dishes, cereals, and cheese dishes.
4. In India, cinnamon is used in its entirety. Pieces of bark together with other whole spices are fried in boiling oil until they open (this is important for the aroma to develop), then other components are added – vegetables, yogurt, milk.
5. Meat or vegetables are cooked in a fragrant sauce. Before serving, pieces are removed from the dish, but sometimes they are kept as an aromatic decoration.

Cinnamon goes well with many spices and is part of many famous mixtures: garam masala, curry, masala for tea, masala for coffee.

Ceylon cinnamon, its use in Ayurveda and traditional medicine

Part Used: Bark
Energy: warms VK-P +
Precautions: high pitta, painful conditions with the threat of bleeding

• Cinnamon is an effective means for strengthening and harmonizing blood circulation (Vyana-vayu)
• It is an excellent diaphoretic and expectorant for flu and colds
• It relieves toothache associated with muscle tension. Eugenol is a component of filling and healing material used by dentists.
• Cinnamon strengthens the heart, warms the kidneys and promotes the action of agni.
• Like ginger, it is an almost universal medicine, only less pitta-stimulating.
• A tonic cinnamon drink has a beneficial effect on the vata constitution.
• It is recommended to add a pinch of cinnamon to breakfast (cheese, porridge, cereal) every day
• As a result of medical research, the antiseptic medicinal quality of cinnamon was discovered, the bactericidal properties of which are achieved due to the presence of eugenol in the composition of cinnamon essential oil, which has an anesthetic and pain-relieving effect.
• Regular use of the spice promotes normal digestion, strengthens the stomach and stimulates the appetite.
• Scientists have established the fact that cinnamic aldehyde is particularly effective in destroying even the most resistant pathogenic fungi of the genus Candida.

Cinnamon is a strong anticoagulant that reduces blood viscosity. As a result of the conducted research, the role of cinnamon in stabilizing the level of glucose in the blood has been proven.

It is used for weight loss, normalization of metabolic processes and burning of excess subcutaneous tissue.

The unique composition of the product normalizes the work of the intestines, eliminates fermentation, gas formation and bloating.

The calcium and fiber present in cinnamon can strengthen the heart and blood vessels.

Cinnamon oil has a unique chemical composition. Its effect on the body is based on the fact that the oil irritates the skin and mucous membranes, increases blood circulation and raises body temperature. Pharmaceutical manufacturers have taken this property into account by releasing pain-relieving ointments for the treatment of arthritis, sprains and strains.