Chinese cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia, is a spice derived from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree, a tree of the Lauraceae family. The cinnamon tree can reach 15 m in height. It does not support temperatures below 15 degrees. It is only found in tropical regions. Cinnamon is widely used in perfumery and to flavor dishes, in association with turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, cloves or cardamom.
It is imported from the Orient and has been used for almost 4,000 years. The Chinese cinnamon is the oldest species listed. We find the trace of its therapeutic use in the Chinese pharmacopoeia written 2,700 years ago as well as in the Bible. It is also very important in Ayurvedic medicine. To obtain Chinese cinnamon essential oil, the leafy twig is distilled.
The essential oil is recommended for its very powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antiparasitic properties. It is used for gastrointestinal infections, bronchitis, severe flu, tropical infections etc. It also has a stimulating and toning effect. It is hyperemic, and increases the local blood flow. This is why it is very useful when preparing for a sporting effort or in case of pain. The major active ingredient of the essential oil is cinnamaldehyde.
A 2019 study showed that cinnamon essential oil alone is able to inhibit the development of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the same effectiveness as streptomycin. It also exhibits synergistic activity when used with ampicillin and chloramphenicol against Staphylococcus aureus and with chloramphenicol against Escherichia coli. It also has an additive effect when used in combination with streptomycin against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The latter having shown resistance to the use of ampicillin and chloramphenicol alone. This effect is attributed to cinnamaldehyde which interferes with certain biological processes in cells, particularly with proteins and nucleic acids. It also disrupts quorum sensing, division, ATPase and biofilm production of bacteria (OOI & al., 2006 ; EL ATKI & al., 2019).
The antibacterial effect of cinnamon essential oil is also explained by the fact that it disrupts membrane permeability, leading to leakage of cellular material, in particular ATP, and a drop in intracellular pH (OUSSALAH & al., 2005).
It effectively inhibits the growth of Streptococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus pyogenes, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Samonella typhymurium. It has both bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity (OOI & al., 2006 ; FIRMINO & al., 2018).
Cinnamaldehyde is able to significantly inhibit in vitro the inflammatory mediators IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α produced by human synoviocytes. In vivo, it has an anti-inflammatory effect. It decreases the severity of arthritis, joint swelling, erosion and bone destruction in rats in which arthritis has been experimentally induced. IL-6 levels are also decreased in these rats (CHENG & al., 2020).
Other studies have shown that cinnamaldehyde suppresses the expression of NO, PGE2 and COX-2 in an experimental model of paw edema in mice (LIAO & al., 2012).
Cinnamaldehyde exerts an antioxidant effect by promoting the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and decreasing the activity of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase in vivo in mice (LIAO & al., 2012).
Among the following essential oils: Thymus vulgaris, Citrus limonum, Pelargonium graveolens, Cinnamomum cassia, Ocimum basilicum and Eugenia caryophyllus cinnamon has shown the best fungicidal and fungistatic activity against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. Its mechanism of action is associated with inhibition of potassium outflow from cells (GUCWA & al., 2018).
Cinnamon essential oil also inhibits the growth of C. tropicalis, C. krusei, Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium sp. (OOI & al., 2006).
You’ll never look at mulled wine, your grandmother’s apple pie or Zimetküeche from the Mosel region the same way again.
