Ceylon cinnamon tree

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Ceylon cinnamon tree
Ceylon cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum verum), illustration from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants 1887.

Ceylon cinnamon tree ( Cinnamomum verum ),
illustration from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants 1887.

Systematics
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Magnoliids
Order : Laurels (Laurales)
Family : Laurel family (Lauraceae)
Genre : Cinnamomum
Type : Ceylon cinnamon tree
Scientific name
Cinnamomum verum
J. Presl

The Ceylon cinnamon tree or real cinnamon tree ( Cinnamomum verum ) is a species of plant within the laurel family (Lauraceae). The original homeland is Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Today this species is also grown in many tropical countries and states such as Madagascar and Zanzibar . It is the source for Ceylon cinnamon (real cinnamon ).

description

bark
Young leaves of the cinnamon tree, like many tropical trees, are formed in batches and are often red at the beginning
Fully developed leaves and inflorescences
Unripe fruit

Appearance, bark and foliage leaf

The real cinnamon tree is an evergreen tree that reaches heights of up to 18 m. In culture, the trees are pruned so that twigs and branches form, the bark of which can be used to produce cinnamon. The trunk diameter can be up to 60 cm. The bark is brownish to greyish, the bast has an aromatic smell, including cinnamaldehyde , it is harvested two to three times a year. The almost cylindrical (subterete) branches have a gray, somewhat white spotted bark . The buds are hairy, silky and downy.

In many tropical trees, many leaves are formed at the same time without a fixed point in time in the course of the year (leaf shedding), while the young leaves of many species are colored more or less red by anthocyanins , which protects against excessive UV radiation. In this species, too, the leaves are bright red when young, but later dark green with white veins. The aromatic leaves, which are mostly arranged opposite to each other on the branches, are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The bald, short petiole is up to 2.5 cm long. The large, more or less leathery, bald, simple and entire leaf blade is 11 to 16 cm long and 4.5 to 5.5 cm wide and is ovate to ovate lanceolate with a pointed to rounded, also narrowed blade base and pointed or pointed to a rounded end. The underside of the leaf is light green, the upper side of the fully developed leaf blade is glossy dark green. The mostly three to five raised, lighter and yellowish main veins on the underside and a fine mesh vein in between are typical . There are no stipules .

Inflorescence and flower

The terminal or axillary and loose paniculate inflorescence is 10 to 12 cm long. The inflorescence stem and rhachis are very finely hairy, silky and downy. The hermaphrodite, radially symmetrical , small and stalked, unpleasantly scented flowers have a diameter of 3–6 mm. There are usually six, rarely up to nine, yellow-green, oblong to obovate and slightly boat-shaped, almost identical bracts that are only fused at their base and are white-grayish and hairy on the outside. In three circles there are three short fertile stamens . The free stamens, which are slightly hairy near their base, each have two glands in the third circle. In the fourth, innermost circle, three small staminodes are formed. The medium-sized, unilocular ovary is provided with a length of 10 to 15 mm ovoid and bare. The short style ending in a disc-shaped scar .

fruit

The oval, smooth stone fruit with a length of 10 to 15 mm turns bluish-black when ripe. The remains of the bracts can still be seen on the fruit with the “ fruit cup ”.

Systematics

The valid first description of Cinnamomum verum was made in 1825 by Jan Svatopluk Presl in O Prirozenosti Rostlin , 2 (2), pp. 36, 37-44.

Synonyms for Cinnamomum verum J. Presl are: Laurus cinnamomum L. , Camphorina cinnamomum (L.) Farw. , Cinnamomum aromaticum J. Graham , Cinnamomum barthii Lukman. , Cinnamomum bengalense Lukman. , Cinnamomum biafranum Lukman. , Cinnamomum bonplandii Lukman. , Cinnamomum boutonii Lukman. , Cinnamomum capense Lukman. , Cinnamomum carolinense var. Oblongum Kaneh. , Cinnamomum cayennense Lukman. , Cinnamomum cinnamomum (L.) H. Karst. , Cinnamomum commersonii Lukman. , Cinnamomum cordifolium Lukman. , Cinnamomum decandollei Lukman. , Cinnamomum delessertii Lukman. , Cinnamomum ellipticum Lukman. , Cinnamomum erectum Lukman. , Cinnamomum humboldtii Lukman. , Cinnamomum iners Wight , Cinnamomum karrouwa Lukman. , Cinnamomum leptopus A.C.Sm. , Cinnamomum leschenaultii Lukman. , Cinnamomum madrassicum Lukman. , Cinnamomum maheanum Lukman. , Cinnamomum mauritianum Lukman. , Cinnamomum meissneri Lukman. , Cinnamomum ovatum Lukman. , Cinnamomum pallasii Lukman. , Cinnamomum pleei Lukman. , Cinnamomum pourretii Lukman. , Cinnamomum Regelii Lukman. , Cinnamomum roxburghii Lukman. , Cinnamomum sieberi Lukman. , Cinnamomum sonneratii Lukman. , Cinnamomum vaillantii Lukman. , Cinnamomum variabile Lukman. , Cinnamomum wolkensteinii Lukman. , Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume , Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyne , Cinnamomum zeylanicum var. Cassia Meisn. , Cinnamomum zeylanicum var. Cordifolium Hayne , Cinnamomum zeylanicum var. Foeniculaceum Meisn. , Cinnamomum zeylanicum var. Inodorum Meisn. , Cinnamomum zeylanicum var. Microphyllum Meisn. , Cinnamomum Zollingeri Lukman.

Occurrence

The original homeland is Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Today this species is grown in many tropical countries. The species is feral in tropical Asia, the Caribbean islands and the Seychelles.

Use as a spice and story

Bark and "cinnamon blossoms" as a spice

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices that is said to have been made before 2000 BC. Was used as a spice in India and China . The Portuguese Vasco da Gama finally brought this spice to Europe in 1502 after landing in 1498 on the southern Indian island of Ceylon, today's Sri Lanka .

The real cinnamon tree is best known for its cinnamon bark spice . The aroma of the cinnamon tree is due to the cinnamon oil it contains , which consists of 75% cinnamaldehyde . The cinnamon leaves are used as a substitute for Indian bay leaves . The unripe, very young and dried whole fruits, also known as “cinnamon blossoms”, are also used as a spice; Fruit cup with flower shell and small fruits.

Substitute

In the food industry, instead of real cinnamon , the Indonesian cinnamon Cinnamomum burmannii , which is often used in the United States and the Netherlands, is used. But Cinnamomum cassia ( cassia cinnamon) is also used, which comes from the cinnamon cassia , the Chinese cinnamon tree.

The problem is the increased content of the potentially carcinogenic and hepatotoxic coumarin of the other cinnamon varieties compared to real cinnamon. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment therefore advises the moderate consumption of "cassia cinnamon", a collective name for Chinese cinnamon ( Cinnamomum cassia ) ( cassia cinnamon), Indonesian cinnamon ( Cinnamomum burmannii ) and Vietnamese cinnamon ( Cinnamomum loureiroi ). The use of real cinnamon, often declared as Ceylon cinnamon, is therefore recommended for food preparation in the household . Unfortunately, the information on the product packaging of cinnamon powder is not always clear. With bars, however, the difference can be seen. Real cinnamon consists of several fine layers that are rolled up into a closed rod and resemble a cigar in cross-section. Other types of cinnamon usually only consist of a single, thick layer of bark, which rolls up at both ends and therefore does not form a closed stick.

Use as a medicinal plant

The so-called cinnamon bark Cinnamomi cortex (often also called Cinnamomum cortex ) is used as a medicinal drug . It is the bark harvested from one to two-year-old root saplings or stick rashes and freed from the outer layer by scraping.

Furthermore, the cinnamon oil , the essential oil of the rind is used, and the cinnamon leaf oil , the essential oil of the leaves.

Active ingredients: In the bark up to 4% essential oil with cinnamaldehyde as the main component (65–75%), eugenol (10%) , cinnamon alcohol , cinnamic acid and other phenylpropanes, insecticidal diterpenes , procyanidins , phenol carboxylic acids and mucilage . Essential oil in the leaves with plenty of eugenol (approx. 80%) and only a little cinnamaldehyde.

Application: Many earlier indications for cinnamon as a medicinal drug have since been abandoned. Today one still uses the appetite-stimulating and digestive effect, which is caused by the stimulation of the saliva and gastric juice secretion. Correspondingly, cinnamon is used for digestive problems with bloating and flatulence, for loss of appetite and slight cramp-like pain and the like. a. related to menstruation . The drug is rarely used on its own as a tea infusion, but sometimes it is contained in tea mixtures, and more often the tincture in combined gastrointestinal remedies. Cinnamon bark and the cinnamon oil obtained from it are primarily used today to improve the taste of medicines and to flavor house teas. In preparations for external use, cinnamon is occasionally still contained as an active ingredient that irritates the skin.

In therapeutic doses, the drug is not allowed to be used during pregnancy or with gastric and intestinal ulcers. People with known hypersensitivity to balsam of Peru should avoid cinnamon altogether. Allergic skin and mucous membrane reactions are relatively common due to the cinnamaldehyde content.

The leaf oil is significantly cheaper than the bark oil and is used for toothpastes, oral care products and other cosmetic products as well as for the production of eugenol. The cinnamon alcohol, also known as styron, which is particularly contained in the leaves, is an allergen .

Common names

The other German-language trivial names exist or existed for Ceylon cinnamon : Caneel, Canel, Cedemonie, Cedwezrinden, Ceylonzimt, Cimerinten, Cinamein, Cinamin, Cinamom, Cinamomen, Cinamon, Cinemein, Cinemen, Cinimen, Cymet-renen, Cynnamet, Cynmay , Cynneban, Czimarind, Czynamein, Czynamomey, Czynamyn, Zimain, Zimbet, Zimei, Zimin, Zimit, Zimitbluot (the finest, Middle High German), Zimmerrinde, Zinmend, Zimment, Zimmint, zimendboum, Zimmerrinde, Zörimundrinde, Zimmerrinde , Zymmat (documented as early as 1483), Zymet, Zymetrörly ( Middle High German ). Cincimen, Cinciment, Cinment, Rindeken, Ryndeken, Synamin ( Old High German ). Kanél ( Northern Germany ), Kanell, Kneel ( Middle Low German ).

literature

  • Xi-wen Li, Jie Li, Henk van der Werff: Cinnamomum. In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China . Volume 7: Menispermaceae through Capparaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2008, ISBN 978-1-930723-81-8 , pp. 181 (English). (PDF) , Cinnamomum verum online (section description).
  • Ingrid Schönfelder, Peter Schönfelder : The new manual of medicinal plants. Special edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-440-12932-6 .
  • Lutz Roth, Max Daunderer, Kurt Kormann: Poison Plants - Plant Poisons. Occurrence, effect, therapy, allergic and phototoxic reactions. With a special section about poisonous animals. 6th, revised edition, special edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-009-6 .

Web links

Commons : Ceylon cinnamon tree ( Cinnamomum verum )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Kai Dräger: Origin, cultivation and recipe suggestions for Ceylon cinnamon. In: Spicebar - The Spice Pioneers. Spicebar, February 1, 2016, accessed December 8, 2019 .
  2. G. Volkens: Leaf fall and leaf renewal in the tropics . Bornträger Brothers, Berlin 1912, p. 56–59 ( online at HathiTrust - shedding and shedding leaves). found in: Herwig Teppner: Recensio. Wagenitz Gerhard 1996. Dictionary of Botany. In: Phyton (horn). Volume 39, No. 2, 1999, p. 292, (PDF) ( Memento from May 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ).
  3. ^ Cinnamomum verum at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
  4. ^ RA Donkin: Dragon's Brain Perfume: An Historical Geography of Camphor. Brill, 1999, ISBN 90-04-10983-8 , p. 12.
  5. Frederick J. Simoons: Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry. CRC Press, 1991, ISBN 0-8493-8804-X , pp. 392-395.
  6. Ceylon cinnamon on Gernot Katzer's spice pages .
  7. Cinnamomum burmannii from Useful Tropical Plants, accessed July 24, 2017.
  8. ^ Gerhard Eisenbrand, Peter Schreier: RÖMPP Lexikon Lebensmittelchemie. 2nd edition, Thieme, 2006, ISBN 978-3-13-736602-7 , p. 1315.
  9. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment: New Findings on Coumarin in Cinnamon - Opinion No. 036/2012 . 2012 ( bund.de [PDF]).
  10. Comparison: Real cinnamon and cassia cinnamon at BfR - Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.
  11. Cinnamon bark - Cinnamomi cortex on medizinal Pflanzen.de.
  12. K. Jason Dennis and Takayuki Shibamoto: Photochemical Products of trans-Cinnamic Alcohol: Possible Formation of Skin Irritants and Allergens. In: J. Toxicol. Cutan. Ocul. Toxicol. 9 (2), 1990, pp. 149-157, ( doi : 10.3109 / 15569529009036319 ).
  13. ^ Heinrich Dickel: Implementation of a relational database system in the University Dermatology Clinic in Cologne with the evaluation of a bicontinental multicenter study - BAER study - on the question of allergen frequency in contact allergies . Dissertation, TH Aachen, 1996, DNB 97070903x / 34 .
  14. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 100, ( archive.org ).