January 5, 2023
Cinnamon from the bark of Cinnamomum species is one of the most important spices used worldwide in food and as a traditional medicine for centuries. It has substantial benefits for human health including its protective role on cardiovascular diseases. The genus Cinnamomum is widely distributed in the world, with around 250 known species and the main species of commercially cultivated cinnamon are Cinnamomum verum (Ceylon Cinnamon), Cinnamomum burmannii (Korintje Cinnamon), Cinnamomum cassia (Saigon Cinnamon) and Cinnamomum loureiroi (Royal Cinnamon). Ethnobotanical reports state that the most consumed part of the plant is the bark. The main constituents of cinnamon are cinnamaldehyde and trans-cinnamaldehyde that are present in the essential oil. These compounds besides contributing to the cinnamon fragrance have biological properties.