Ayurveda – Ayurvedic – India

Cinnamon has been known from remote antiquity, and it was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and other great potentates. Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka. It was imported to Egypt from China. It is possible that the Arabs established an early monopoly on trading in cinnamon, and kept its origin a secret for hundreds of years. Cinnamon is harvested by growing the tree for two years and then coppicing it. The next year, about a dozen shoots will form from the roots. These shoots are then stripped of their bark, which is left to dry. Only the thin inner bark is used; the outer woody portion is removed, leaving meter-long cinnamon strips that curl into rolls on drying; each dried roll comprises strips from numerous shoots packed together. These rolls are then cut into 5?10 cm lengths for sale. The name cinnamon is correctly used to refer to Ceylon cinnamon, also known as ?true cinnamon?. However, the related species are sometimes sold labeled as cinnamon, sometimes distinguished from true cinnamon as ?Chinese cinnamon?, ?Vietnamese cinnamon?, or ?Indonesian cinnamon?. Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. Cassia has a much stronger (somewhat harsher) flavor than cinnamon, is generally a medium to light reddish brown, hard and woody in texture, and thicker as all of the layers of bark are used.
Cinnamon bark is widely used as a spice. It is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavoring material. It?s used in the preparation of chocolate. In medicine it acts like other volatile oils and once had a reputation as a cure for colds. It has also been used to treat diarrhoea and other problems of the digestive system. The essential oil of cinnamon also has antimicrobial properties, which can aid in the preservation of certain foods. Cinnamon has traditionally been used to treat toothache and fight bad breath and its regular use is believed to stave off common cold and aid digestion. Cinnamon has been proposed for use as an insect repellent. Cinnamon leaf oil has been found to be very effective in killing mosquito larvae. It is reported that regularly drinking of tea made from the bark could be beneficial to oxidative stress related illness in humans, as the plant part contains significant antioxidant potential.

Credits to Dr Commander Selvam(Swamiji Sri Selvam Siddhar)
http://www.hindutempleofgeorgia.org