Description
Cinnamon is spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. Originally from Sri Lanka and southern India, cinnamon is almost exclusively marketed in its processed bar form, known to the general public, sometimes also shredded or ground. It is most often used to flavor sweet confectionery products or spice other types of food, but can also be converted into an essential oil, its strong antioxidant properties and its high calcium, iron, magnesium and fiber content with numerous benefits for health and beauty making cinnamon a true 100% natural cosmetic product. Originary made in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India, cinnamon essential oil is obtained from the bark of the trees that belong to Cinnamomun species, which comprise more than 250 aromatic evergreen trees. Having a sweet-spicy falovaour, cinnamon essential oil is made by water vapor distillation of the cinnamon crust.
History
Known from Antiquity, cinnamon astonished in terms of its beneficial properties on the health and beauty of the people who chose to use or consume it. Its benefits were highlighted both in the fight against flu and in the elimination of excess kilos, its aphrodisiac effect being another quality celebrated ever since the earliest times. In the Middle Ages, cinnamon was indelible from the world’s great cuisines, found in most of the sweet and savory recipes, and also being key ingredient of almost all the sauces and seasonings of the time. Wine, the most consumed drink of that time, was extremely fragrant with cinnamon, which also had the role of treating infections in winter or unfavorable weather, people trying to add it to the composition of medicines to fight the main epidemics, due to its antimicrobial properties. Rare and expensive, cinnamon essential oil was exported from Sri Lanka, the only major supplier of cinnamon bark oil, during 1983 and 1992 in quite small quantitites. Nowadays, Western Europe, especially France, is the major importer, followed by the United States.
Properties
Recognized as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic, cinnamon oil is beneficial for the induction and subsequent maintenance of a general health state of the body. Successfully used in aromatherapy and phytotherapy sessions, in creams, lotions, or natural soaps, it reduces stress, balances the nervous system and fights against depressive or anxious states, relaxing and calming both body and mind, also helping to fight nerve exhaustion and sleep regulation. Recommended for all people experiencing respiratory viral infections, bronchitis, enterocolitis, dysentery, food poisoning, cystitis or vaginitis, essential cinnamon oil is a natural adjunct to anyone’s reach. It is also a powerful antioxidant, inhibiting excess appetite through its simple olfactory presence and helping, when taken orally, to rapid burning of fats in the body.
Exceptional aphrodisiac, essential cinnamon oil is recommended when the conditions of sexual asthenia, impotence or frigidity persist, but also when simply trying to improve existing performance. Used externally in massages, alone or in combination with other precious oils, cinnamon oil is also recommended when talking about chronic back or rheumatic pain, acting quickly on painful sites and relieving symptoms, generating a general well-being state of both body and soul.
Ideal for cosmetic treatments or personal and beauty care rituals, cinnamon oil helps stimulate blood circulation and lymph drainage. Having the gift of absorbing extremely quickly into the skin, it guarantees a tonic effect on both the skin and the muscles and the whole body, combining the utility of a natural booster with that of a purely cosmetic treatment.
