A common herb, cinnamon is most associated with baking apple pie or a warm scent on a cold, wintry day. Aside being a delicious smelling herb, cinnamon has a lot of cool history as well. Learn some fun facts about cinnamon that makes you think of more than just “Big Red”.
The word cinnamon is derived from the Greek word that means “sweet wood”. Cinnamon is actually technically a wood, as it is derived from an evergreen tree called the, what else? Cinnamon tree. The inner bark is peeled from the cinnamon tree and then rolled into scrolls, which is turned into sticks, or ground into a powder, which is used in baking or many beverages.
There are actually 2 kinds of cinnamon, “true” cinnamon, “cassia” cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is the flavor that North America is used to the most, being the stronger and the cheaper of the 2 varieties. True cinnamon grows in Sri Lanka and Southern India, and has a yellowish brown tint to it. It is milder, sweeter, and more expensive than cassia cinnamon, which is more of a grayish brown color and grown in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Cinnamon is actually used as a food preservative in many cultures, as it is helpful in keeping harmful bacteria in exposed meats and foods, like salmonella and E. coli, at bay. However, cinnamon can be dangerous as well, particularly if consumed in oil form as a daily supplement. Pregnant women are advised to stay away from cinnamon oil entirely as it can cause abortions.
Cinnamon is considered to be GRAS by the FDA. GRAS means “generally recognized as safe”. Cinnamon in high doses can be known to cause toxicity in people. That odor and taste cinnamon is known for is caused by the cinnamaldehyde, which is the odorous oils found in the bark. Eating too much ground cinnamon or oils can cause more harm than good, so use caution when using cinnamon to help regulate Diabetes symptoms or other medicinal uses.
Many lip glosses and lipsticks use cinnamon to make their products “lip enhancers” since the cinnamaldehyde actually causes swelling of the lips. That tell-tale tingliness from putting on a cinnamon-enhanced lip gloss or lipstick is not in your imagination, it’s actually making your lips more plump and full. Over-chewing of cinnamon gum has been known to cause mouth sores and lesions, and even lip swelling from too much consumption of the hot flavor.
Cinnamon has been around for centuries. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in their embalming mixtures, and cinnamon was thought at one time to be more valuable than gold. In many cultures, cinnamon was regarded to be worth 15 times the amount of silver. For the many medicinal uses and the great aroma cinnamon provides, it was once regarded with massive respect, rather than just another flavorful herb that we are all familiar with today.
