Aromatherapy
Appetite: Aromas and the Table
How scent shapes the pleasure of eating, and a few oils traditionally tied to a settled, comfortable table.
Aromatherapy
Cinnamon Oil
Cinnamomum verum
A warm, spicy oil from cinnamon bark or leaf; bark is the more intense, more irritating type.
Also known as true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon.
Texture: thin, mobileScent: warm, sweet, spicy (bark); sharper and more clove-like (leaf)
Origin
Sri Lanka, Madagascar, India, and Southeast Asia.
Cinnamon essential oil comes in two distinct types. Bark oil (steam-distilled from the inner bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum / Ceylon, or cassia) is very high in cinnamaldehyde, intensely sweet-spicy, and a significant skin irritant. Leaf oil is higher in eugenol, harsher-smelling, and somewhat less dermally aggressive but still requires dilution.
For a true 'cinnamon' aroma most people want bark oil, but it must be treated with the same caution as cassia. Look for a clear label distinguishing bark vs leaf and a stated species, plus batch GC-MS.
It is best used aromatically; topical use should be minimal and heavily diluted.
Traditional Uses
Cinnamon is named in Exodus among the ingredients of the holy anointing oil and appears as a luxury spice and perfume in scripture and the ancient spice trade.
Modern Uses
Cinnamon essential oil is used aromatically in warm, comforting diffuser blends. Bark oil is more potent and more irritating than leaf oil; both require care on skin.
Our Approved Cinnamon Oil
Plant Therapy
Best for aromatherapy
A clearly-labeled Ceylon cinnamon BARK oil (the type most people mean by 'cinnamon') with published GC-MS from a reputable house. Ideal for warm, cozy diffuser blends; treat skin…
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From the Journal