Cinnamon Products
With a long and distinguished history Cinnamon has many mystical, medicinal as well as economic stories attached to it. This fiery spice is largely used as a culinary ingredient and has varying grades and qualities. Here at Indigo Herbs we have procured one of the best quality cinnamons available on the market that make up our pure Cinnamon Powder and Pure cinnamon Essential Oil. Both of these products are of premium quality and can be used as one sees fit.
Cinnamon is native to (Ceylon) Sri Lanka, The true cinnamon known as Cinnamomum zeylanicum dates back in Chinese writings to 2800 BC and is still known as ‘kwai’ in the Chinese language today. Its botanical name derives from the Hebraic and Arabic term ‘amomon’, meaning ‘fragrant spice plant’. In the first century AD, the Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote of 350g of cinnamon as being equal in value to over 5kg of silver, about fifteen times the value of silver per weight! By the time of the Roman Empire, it was a highly valuable commodity for both medicinal and culinary. In the 17th century, the Dutch seized the world's largest cinnamon supplier, the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), from the Portuguese, demanding outrageous amounts from the poor laboring Chalia caste.
When the Dutch learned of a source of cinnamon along the coast of India, they bribed and threatened the local king to destroy it all, thus preserving their monopoly on the prized spice. By 1833, the downfall of the cinnamon monopoly had begun when other countries found it could be easily grown in such areas as Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Mauritius, Réunion and Guyana. Cinnamon is now also grown in South America, the West Indies, and other tropical climates. Cinnamon has a long sacred and magical use. It was used as an incense in Chinese temples, and for embalming the dead in Egyptian times. It is highly recommended as a purification incense prior to sacred work and used traditionally for its capacity to increase focus and concentration.
Cinnamon has up to 250 different species in its family and is native to Sri Lanka. Nearly all Cinnamon is aromatic but only a few are cultivated for spice. The tree itself can reach a height of 20-30 feet and has shiny dark green ovate leaves. When the tree is young the leaves are red and look wilted to dissuade insects and other animals from invading the tree. This particular habit is so that it might survive to a point where it is less vulnerable in its pivotal growing stages. The tree has small white flowers which eventually turn into small blue berries.
