I'm planning to try out cinnamon for my type II diabetes (have ordered some
capsules), but does anyone know if it is really paleo?
Information found on the Internet (no mention of any African origin):
Cinnamon is the common name for the trees and shrubs that belong to the
genus Cinnamomum of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). Cinnamon spice comes
primarily from the Sri Lankan cinnamon known as Cinnamomum zeylanicum. It is
obtained from the plant by drying the central part of the bark, which is
then sold in stick or powdered form. The cinnamon oil is extracted from the
waste products of drying and the pointed black fruits that the tree bears.
This oil is used for medicinal purposes or flavoring. Cinnamomum Zeylanicum
is the source of cinnamon that we in the United States commonly buy.
Cinnamon contains cinnamic aldehyde, essential oils, Eugenol, metholeugenol,
muscilage, sucrose, starch, and tannin.
It's part of the family Lauraceae, a large family, whose 2250 species are
dominantly distributed over tropics and subtropics. Trees and shrubs. Many
species contain essential oils made up from phenylpropanoids and terpenoids.
Cinnamomum burmannii (Indonesian cinnamon)
Cinnamomum camphora (Chinese camphor tree)
Cinnamomum cassia (Cassia)
Cinnamomum loureirii (Vietnamese cinnamon)
Cinnamomum tamala (Indian bay leaf)
Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylonese cinnamon)
Laurus nobilis (Bay leaf)
Lindera benzoin (Spice bush)
Litsea glaucescens (Mexican bay-leaf)
Ocotea quixos (American cinnamon)
Sassafras albidum (Sassafras)
Umbellularia californica (Californian bay-leaf)
Cinnamon is native to India, Mayala, Ceylon, China, Japan and Taiwan, where
it is as common to them as an Oak tree wood be to us. The spice grows in a
number of tropical forests and is extensively cultivated throughout the
tropical regions of the world, including Madagascar, Brazil, and the
Caribbean. Cinnamomum zeylanicum, True Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka,
India, where it was one of the spices responsible for world trade.
|
