Cinnamon Bark Oil

Cinnamon bark oil is obtained from the bark of trees that belong to the Cinnamomum species (also called Cinnamon zeylanicum), which comprise more than 250 aromatic evergreen trees and shrubs all throughout Asia and Australia, although it is native to Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India. Cassia oil, sassafras and Ho leaf oils fall under the same category.

Cinnamon bark oil is quite rare and expensive. From 1983 to 1992, exports from Sri Lanka, which was virtually the only major supplier of cinnamon bark oil, only reached 2.8 tons. Western Europe, especially France, is the major importer of cinnamon bark oil, followed by the United States.

Uses

Cinnamon bark oil has a delicate aroma and a sweet, pungent taste. It is typically used as a flavoring in toothpaste to hide the disagreeable taste of pyrophosphate, a compound that inhibits plaque calcification. In Ayurvedic medicine, cinnamon bark was used as an antiemetic, antidiarrheal, antiflatulant, and a general stimulant. Today, cinnamon bark oil has been proven to naturally:

•Lower cholesterol

•Kill bacteria

•Heal wounds

•Control blood sugar levels

•Relieve stomach flu caused by harmful bacteria like salmonella

Because of its honeyed taste and smell, cinnamon bark oil is frequently added in meat and fast food seasonings, sauces and pickles, baked goods, confectionery, cola-type beverages, and . However, cinnamon bark oil is seldom used as a main ingredient in perfumes and soaps because it has skin-sensitizing properties.

Benefits of Cinnamon Bark Oil

Most therapeutic uses of cinnamon bark are rooted in its historical use as a traditional Chinese medicine. According to several studies, cinnamon bark oil can potentially help:

•Fight serious viral diseases like herpes and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

•Kill leukemia cancer cells as observed in animal testing due to the fungus Antrodiacinnamonea

•Reverse the symptoms of Parkinson's disease

•Treat fungal infections, including those caused by Candida albicans, Histoplasma capsulatum and Aspergillus niger, which is known to cause serious sinus infections

•Counter cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, a severe form of dementia, which almost 5.54 million Americans are suffering from right now.