2.cinnamon

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Lauraceae

Cultivation • Raised from seeds • Sandy , rich soil & Sheltered , damp climate needed. • Seeds (4-5) sown in holes 2mts apart • When 4-6 yrs old it is cut close to the ground .From this 4-7 shoots arise • When shoots are 18 – 24 months old they were cut & leafy tops removed

Collection • Shoots rubbed with knives to loosen the

bark • Ringed at nodes 30cm apart & cut with copper / brass knives and the bark is peeled • Peeled bark stretched on a suitable wooden stick , cork & cortex • Dried for 24 hrs , sorted , placed one inside the other • Compound quills dried on wooden frames in open air on wicker platforms raised about 1mt above ground level • First dried in shade next day in direct sun • Sorted into grades depending on

Products

• Small pieces of quills & debris is

known as quillings & featherings • Bark from large shoots which do not peel well forms chips • Quillings , featherings & chips used for oil extraction

Descriptio n

• Shape

long , slender flexible sticks longitudinal lines scars of leaves /shoots • Colour dull pale brown • Fracture short , splintery • Odour aromatic & fragrant warm,sweet ,agreeable • Taste

• Outer • Inner

Microscopy

pericyclic sclerenchyma dark phloem traversed by fine medullary rays • Pericyclic sclerenchyma 3-4 cell wide with groups of pericyclic fibers, sclereids & collapsed sieve tubes parenchymatous , • Phloem yellowish brown walls with starch • Medullary rays bi seriate , widen as they reach pericycle • Idioblasts with volatile oil & mucilage

Constituents & Uses • Volatile oil cinnamaldehyde , eugenol • Tannin & mucilage • Inferior varieties are more mucilaginous

Uses • Carminative • Flavouring agent • Antiseptic • Mild astringent