Hello!
A few of you have mentioned that you wanted to learn a little more about Cinnamon essential oil. What a great ‘spicy’ oil!
While they are two types of Cinnamon essential oil (one distilled from the leaves and one from the bark), I will focus on Cinnamimum zeylancium, also referred to as Cinnamon Leaf essential oil. For most applications, I prefer to use this one over Cinnamon bark, simply because it smells less sweet and has more of a spicy smell to it.
The Cinnamon tree is native to Indonesia, but is also cultivated in India and Sri Lanka. This rust colored tree is known to grow up to 15 meters tall, however, it tends to be kept around a more manageable 2 meters for commercial reasons. The leaves on the tree are small and a leathery green color, the tree also has small white flowers, and oval shaped deep purple colored berries. The bark is a papery, rather pale brown, with thick quills that roll inside one another. Talk about a tree with many different textures!
Cinnamon gets it’s name from the Greek word ‘Kinnamon’ which means ‘tube’ or ‘pipe’.
Back in the day, Cinnamon oil was used as an incense in the temples, while the Egyptians used it during foot massages. The traditional uses of Cinnamon oil are highly respected because of it’s great antimicrobial and antiseptic properties.
Precautions: It is recommended not to use Cinnamon Leaf essential oil, on or near mucus membranes, and for some it can be a mild to moderate dermal irritant.
While some Aromatherapists recommend not using Cinnamon Leaf essential oil in dermal applications – even if it is diluted (as it ALWAYS should be!)- it can be very effective in treating lice, warts and wasp stings. This oil is also very beneficial for the respiratory system in that it can help treat colds, coughs, respiratory track infections and it’s very calming for the respiratory track. It’s usefulness doesn’t end there though! Cinnamon also works wonders for the muscles, especially in cases of Arthritis, Rheumatism, and even just general aches and pains. Even for things like nausea, vomiting, intestinal infections and colitis, Cinnamon essential oil proves useful.
Frankly, I could be here for quite a while longer, listing all of it’s wonderful uses. Suffice it to say though, that Cinnamon Leaf essential oil does more than just smell great!