Ceylon Cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon is notorious for also being called as true cinnamon. It is assigned to the family Lauraceae and is conventionally characterized by small green trees. These trees heighten no more than 15 meters and possess ovate-oblong leaves, green-colored flowers that are heavily branched and are distinguished by their distinct odor, and fruits bearing a single seed.

The bark of Ceylon cinnamon is saluted for its use as a spice. Medicinally, it is being utilized therapeutically for the treatment of diabetes by enhancing the glycogen synthetase activity that activates insulin receptors.

Ceylon cinnamon is also brought into play when it comes to treating diarrhea, indigestion, obesity, and so forth. It not only bolsters the immune system but also manifests anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial activity. Its radical scavenging scheme grabs the root cause of various diseases.

Its leaves, dried flowers, and bark grant the wishes of the medicinal world.

There is madness to the method of Ceylon cinnamon as it spurns various pathological diseases the way someone spurns a diseased dog. All these pharmacological actions are brought into play by the blessing of cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate. The distinct mild flavor of this ambitious plant is attributed to cinnamaldehyde, which comprises 50 to 60% of its oil.

Growing Ceylon cinnamon plant is an easy sport.

Ceylon cinnamon portrays robust growth in a warm and sultry climate. They prefer highly a humid atmosphere but they are accustomed to do well in low levels of humidity too. Just when the mercury hits 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you know your cinnamon plant is all set to manifest the healthy growth.

For indoor potting, begin with a large container or pot, preferably with a height of 36 inches to give some space to your plant for growth. Choose a well-drained, acidic potting mix (half sphagnum moss and half perlite).

For those who are a fan of the outdoor settings, seed viability is limited so sow ripe black seeds as soon as you get your hands over them. Stem cutting method can also be used but it is a slow process and needs a good deal of patience.

As an end note, its growth is encouraged by a highly fertilized soil. Therefore, sow your seeds where a natural layer of leaf mold can nourish whereas for indoor settings, use fertilizers weekly or biweekly for better establishment. Excessive use of fertilizers may subject to foliar disease.

Get hold of the fresh fruits and extricate the seed from the pulp of berries. The germination occurs three weeks after sowing the dried seeds. Its flowers bloom with the opening of spring and keep blooming till the termination of summer.

After fertilization, blackish-purple berries emerge that are inedible but its bark is a handy tool in imparting the lovely scent and taste.

A strong and well flourished three years old cinnamon tree is hot to trot.

They can be harvested at any time of the twelve-month session but harvesting the barks is a job that leaves you tuckered out. So, harvesting the barks after the rainfall is a good option in this particular situation.

The bark of this small evergreen plant is of some serious importance so they are harvested zealously.

The only points that should be noted are:

• Plant should be three years old mature.
• After scraping the layers of the outer bark, a yellow part emerges i.e. inner bark that is employed in various culinary and medicinal fields.
• Harvesting biyearly is opted to keep the plant healthy.

Storing Ceylon cinnamon is as easy as doing something with shut eyes.

The barks of cinnamon can be stored in both grounded and intact form. The grounded form stays fresh for about six months whereas the stays fresh for a year or so. This assessment of freshness can be easily done by your nose.

From adding spices to creating a tea, the craft of Ceylon cinnamon knows no bounds.

Here are six ways through which you can enjoy the perks of cinnamon in different frames.

• Tincture - Infuse chopped cinnamon sticks in grain alcohol for 4 to 6 weeks. Strain the liquid and place it in a dark and dry place.
• Tea - Throw 2 to 4 cinnamon sticks in a boiling cup of water and let it steep for as long as you want to enjoy.
• Decoction - Steeping the cinnamon sticks in boiling water launches a healthy decoction.
• Salve - Cinnamon oil is homogenized with various oils to make salve.
• Syrup - Cinnamon sticks and sugar are simmered in water to form thick syrup.
• Infused oil- Grounded cinnamon is infused with simmering olive oil for 3 minutes to strain a perfect cinnamon infused oil.

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