Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the spice that I am going to highlight. I have created a taco seasoning blend for the assignment and I really love how the earthiness and spiciness of the cinnamon pairs with the cumin and chilies.

Cinnamon has been prized for its medicinal properties for thousands of years. Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as Cinnamomum. It has been used as an ingredient throughout history, dating back as far as Ancient Egypt. The distinct smell and flavor of cinnamon are due to the oily part, which is very high in the compound cinnamaldehyde. (1)

There are two main types of cinnamon: (2)

• Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)

• Cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassian)

Cinnamon primarily contains vital oils and other derivatives, such as cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate. In addition to being an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, lipid-lowering, and cardiovascular-disease-lowering compound, cinnamon has also been reported to have activities against neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Cinnamon has been used as a spice in daily life without any side effects. Several reports have dealt with the numerous properties of cinnamon in the forms of bark, essential oils, bark powder, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and isolated components. Each of these properties plays a key role in the advancement of human health. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities may occur through the direct action on oxidants or microbes, whereas the anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities occur indirectly via receptor-mediated mechanisms. The significant health benefits of numerous types of cinnamon have been explored. (3)

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References:

1. Torbati M, Nazemiyeh H, Lotfipour F, Nemati M, Asnaashari S, Fathiazad F. Chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Heracleum transcaucasicum and Heracleum anisactis roots essential oil. Bioimpacts. 2014;4(2):69-74. doi:10.5681/bi.2014.004

2. Chen P, Sun J, Ford P. Differentiation of the four major species of cinnamons (C. burmannii, C. verum, C. cassia, and C. loureiroi) using a flow injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprinting method. J Agric Food Chem. 2014;62(12):2516-2521. doi:10.1021/jf405580c

3. Rao PV, Gan SH. Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:642942. doi:10.1155/2014/642942