The cinnamon cassia is an evergreen tree of the laurel family, from whose dried bark the cassia cinnamon is obtained. Originally from southern China, cinnamon cassia differs in taste and ingredients from true cinnamon, also called Ceylon cinnamon, which also belongs to the laurel family. The cassia cinnamon develops a characteristic sweet-pungent flavor and is mostly used in Europe to flavor desserts.
Occurrence and cultivation of cinnamon cassia.
Characteristic in the appearance of cinnamon cassia is that the bark, which can be up to thirteen millimeters thick, the branches and foliage have a strong aromatic fragrance. The cinnamon cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) is an evergreen tree of the laurel family (Lauraceae) with a growth height of up to twelve meters, in good locations even up to fifteen meters. The tree, which is also called caneel or English or Chinese cinnamon in German-speaking countries, probably originated in southern China. Today’s predominant cultivation regions are found in China and in Southeast Asian countries. The cinnamon cassia differs from the true cinnamon, also called Ceylon cinnamon, which establishes its own species, but is also included in the laurel family. Characteristic in the appearance of cinnamon cassia is that the bark, up to thirteen millimeters thick, the branches and foliage have a strong aromatic fragrance. The pleasant and characteristic sweet and pungent smell is mainly due to the cinnamaldehyde it contains. The flowering season of the cinnamon cassia ranges from June to September for trees growing in the northern hemisphere. The dried bark is rolled into small rolls and is sold as cinnamon sticks. Alternatively, the bark of the cinnamon cassia is ground into powder, which is often mixed with sugar and used as cinnamon sugar to flavor desserts. In some cases, the dried bark is also used as a drug and traded under various names such as Cinnamomi Cassiae Cortex, Cassia lignea and others. The cassia flowers or young fruits are also used to make a drug (Cassiae flos). An oil, oleum cinnamomi, is extracted from bark waste and the foliage by steam distillation and is also known as Chinese cinnamon oil or cassia oil.
Effect and application
The main ingredients of cassia cinnamon are essential oils, coumarin and mucilage. Cassia essential oil consists mainly of cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, diterpenes and proanthocyanidins. Unlike cassia cinnamon, true or Ceylon cinnamon contains coumarin only in very low concentrations. While one kilogram of cassia cinnamon contains up to two grams of coumarin, the same quantity of Ceylon cinnamon contains only 0.02 grams. Coumarin is a fragrance and flavoring substance that has been shown to have liver-damaging effects and is suspected of being carcinogenic. The German Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) has therefore introduced tight limits for coumarin. For many people, the thought of cinnamon triggers associations with Christmas cookies and gingerbread spice, as well as certain desserts such as rice pudding. In Arabic, Indian and Far Eastern cuisine, however, cinnamon plays a much more extensive role as a single spice or as a component of spice mixtures. References to cinnamon as a spice can be found as early as 2,700 BC in a Chinese herbal book. Cassia cinnamon can be used either as stick cinnamon in the form of tube-like rolled-up pieces or in ground form. In the form of stick cinnamon, real cinnamon can already be distinguished from cassia cinnamon externally. The small tubes or sticks of Ceylon cinnamon are characterized by the fact that they are completely filled – similar to the inside of cigars, because they consist of several layers rolled into each other. The sticks of cassia cinnamon resemble small tubes, because they are usually rolled up from only one (thicker) layer. When stick cinnamon is used for seasoning, it is usually removed from the dish or pickled fruit at some point. Cassia cinnamon can also be used to add spice and flavor to meat dishes such as game stews and lamb and poultry. A roast pork crust can also be given a particularly interesting flavor note with cinnamon. Stick cinnamon can keep its aroma for up to three years if stored in a dark and cool place.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Significance for health and metabolism unfold especially the essential oils, which are also listed as cassia oil or Chinese cinnamon oil in the trade. The ingredients of cassia cinnamon have antibacterial and fungistatic effects. This means that they can stop the growth of harmful fungi. It is documented that as early as the 11th century it was recommended to take cinnamon to “reduce the bad juices and promote the good juices”. In Ayurveda as well as in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cinnamon has its place. In TCM, cinnamon is used, among other things, for internal cold, tension and poor circulation. A therapeutic use of cassia cinnamon against bloating, flatulence and mild, cramping disorders of the digestive tract is also recommended today as well as to overcome loss of appetite. The positive influence of cassia cinnamon on the motility, the peristalsis of the intestine is assured. A gentle effect for the treatment of digestive problems can be achieved with a tea prepared by brewing over crushed cinnamon bark with boiling hot water. Cinnamon tinctures are recommended for the treatment of nervous weakness, flatulence, stomach weakness and for nausea. Experts are currently discussing whether cassia cinnamon has blood sugar lowering properties that may delay or even prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. The dried bark, flowers that have already developed into young fruits and leaf extracts obtained by steam distillation also serve as active ingredients for which the pharmaceutical industry has uses.
