The essential oil of cinnamon is derived from the cinnamon tree, scientifically known as Cinnamomum verum, and it belongs to the Lauraceae plant family. It is actually indigenous to South Asia, particularly used widely in Sri Lanka and India. But now, it is grown in almost every tropical region of the world and shipped to various parts as it is a well-known spice.

The spice and its essential oil has gained much prominence in the Ayurvedic health sphere because of its medicinal properties and therapeutic health benefits that can be used to address a variety of health ailments. It is known to be one of the longest existing spices in history and it symbolized protection and prosperity. In fact, during the ancient Egyptian times, if you had cinnamon in your possession, you were regarded highly as it symbolized wealth and status as well!

Today, cinnamon essential oil contains much antioxidants and anti-inflammatory as well as antiviral properties that make it a great agent to boost the health and the immune system of your body! It can do so much for your health, so read on to find out exactly what it can contribute to your health!

Health Benefits of Cinnamon Essential Oil:

1. Helps Manage Blood Sugar Levels

Cinnamon has been known to stimulate positive effects on insulin production and cinnamon as a whole spice has been commonly hailed for its anti-diabetic qualities as it helps to lower blood sugar levels. Cinnamon oil can help to regulate blood sugar levels and prevent overeating as well as sugar cravings.

In this way, cinnamon oil also helps in weight loss as it is widely reputed to be known as a fat-burning tool. Since it can help balance blood sugar levels, it helps in curbing overeating and weight gain.

A 2015 study published in Phytomedicine notes how cinnamic acid, a pure compound from cinnamon, helped to decrease blood glucose levels in diabetic rats and it significantly enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, thus exerting anti-diabetic activity.

How to Use it: You can try diffusing cinnamon oil using a diffuser or vaporizer and let the aromatic wafts engulf you in the dining or living room. Alternatively, you can mix it with a carrier oil and rub on your chests, wrists and clothes. You can even add one drop of the oil into your food after cooking it.

2. Promotes Heart Health

Not only does it contain anti-diabetic potential, but cinnamon oil also greatly helps in augmenting the health of your heart and decreasing the risks of heart diseases or heart damage. Since the oil promotes blood circulation, it can naturally help to keep your arteries clear, thus providing free and unobstructed passageway of the essential blood to your heart.

Cinnamon also facilitates nitric oxide production, which is important for the heart, thus making the oil a good natural aid for those who have suffered from a heart attack, heart disease or stroke.

How to Use it: You can add a drop of cinnamon essential oil into a glass of water, cup of tea or even in your food to reap the heart benefits of cinnamon. Just make sure there is proper dilution before ingesting it.

3. Promotes Healing

Cinnamon essential oil also contains potent antifungal and antibacterial properties, thus making it an effective antiseptic agent for treating external wounds or fungal infection on skin and for healing internal infections. It kills off bacteria, both externally and internally, thus speeding up healing processes and boosting the overall health as well as immune system of the body.

For example, a 2007 study conducted by Italian researchers notes how cinnamon and thyme essential oils exhibited the strongest antibacterial activities against bacterial strains that would lead to respiratory tract infections, thus demonstrating its antibacterial nature in combating respiratory infections.

Another 2013 study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that lavender oil and cinnamon oil was the best combination in treating fungal infections because the lavender soothes and neutralizes cinnamon’s irritant and harsh compounds, while killing off the fungal strains at the same time.

How to Use it: Mix cinnamon essential oil with a carrier oil and apply onto the affected areas to heal wounds and skin infections as well as skin fungal conditions. However, be sure to avoid open wounds. To help prevent and heal respiratory infections, you can diffuse the oil using a diffuser or vaporizer or create a steam inhalation by adding 3-4 drops into a bowl of hot, steaming water and inhale the vapors emanating out.

4. Promotes Gut Health

Cinnamon essential oil also contains much beneficial compounds to help promote the health of your digestive system. For example, a 2000 research study conducted by Italian researchers examined the anti-ulcerogenic activity of cinnamon oil. They found that eugenol, a beneficial compound present in the oil, helped to inhibit gastric ulcers as it was able to reduce the number of ulcers and the gravity of lesions in the mucous membranes.

As such, cinnamon oil is a great natural remedy to help prevent and treat gastric ulcers. Its anti-inflammatory properties are also beneficial in this way since it helps to soothe the inflamed gastric linings.

How to Use it: Mix it with a carrier oil and gently massage onto your lower abdominal area. Alternatively, you can add a drop of cinnamon oil into a glass of water, cup of tea or into your foods and ensure proper dilution before proceeding to ingest it.

5. Boosts Libido

Since it promotes blood circulation, cinnamon oil is also a great natural remedy for impotence and low libido as well as erectile dysfunction. This is because part of the reason why people suffer from low libido is because of clogged arteries that makes it difficult for the reproductive organs to receive sufficient blood, oxygen and nutrients.

The natural compounds in cinnamon oil serves to solve this problem of erectile dysfunction, thus making you feel much more confident, resulting in your sex lives being more enhanced!

How to Use it: You can diffuse cinnamon oil in your diffuser or vaporizer, or you can add about 4-5 drops of the oil in a tub of warm, bathing water to soak inside.

6. Offers Pain Relief

Cinnamon oil is also a great pain reliever agent as it has anti-inflammatory properties that is known to soothe inflamed and sore muscles and joints. As such, it helps to offer pain relief from rheumatism, arthritis, gout and other related conditions. Since it boosts circulation as well, it helps in such conditions too because these ailments are partly caused by improper circulation of oxygenated blood to the muscles and joints.

In addition, it is also able to provide pain relief from headaches and toothaches! Since it expands blood vessels, pain and pressure that is causing headaches will be significantly diminished. And since it is antibacterial in nature, it helps to eradicate oral bacteria that is the cause of toothaches and mouth discomfort.

How to Use it: Mix it with a carrier oil (such as rosehip, grape seed or coconut oil) in a 1:1 ratio and apply onto the affected areas on your body. For headaches, apply it onto your temples and back of the neck. For toothaches, try adding 1-2 drops of the oil into a cup of water to make a gargle solution. However, be careful not to ingest the mixture while gargling.

7. Serves as an Air Freshener

Cinnamon oil, with its woody and musky scent, is a great agent to deodorize your homes and to invoke the warm, holiday smell and atmosphere! It evokes such a cozy mood in your homes, thus making it a great way to purify your homes and detoxify the air around you.

Not only that, its bactericide properties makes it a great insect repellent agent as it fights off insects, parasites and other unwanted creepy crawlies from invading your households.

How to Use it: You can diffuse cinnamon oil in a diffuser or vaporizer. Alternatively, you can mix cinnamon, orange, lemon and clove essential oils together in your diffuser to create a therapeutic blend.

Safety Precautions:

Cinnamon essential oil is safe to be ingested, but ensure that you only use a high-grade, top-quality and 100% pure cinnamon essential oil that is purchased from a reliable and reputable seller.

You can add one drop of the oil into a glass of water, to your tea or you can mix it with honey even. However, do seek the advice of your doctor before proceeding to take cinnamon oil internally as an alternative treatment for your ailments.

This is especially so if you have preexisting medical conditions and are under drug prescriptions from your doctor because the oil can interfere with the prescribed drugs to produce unwanted side effects.

Whenever you want to apply it topically onto your skin, ensure proper dilution with a carrier oil first and perform a skin patch test to ensure you do not have any sensitive or allergic reactions to the oil.

If you are pregnant or nursing, it is best to avoid using cinnamon essential oil and because it is known to irritate nasal passageways in some people, avoid diffusing it for too long and breathing directly in large doses.

References:

Hafizur RM, et al., “Cinnamic acid exerts anti-diabetic activity by improving glucose tolerance in vivo and by stimulating insulin secretion in vitro”, Phytomedicine (2015); 22(2)

Fabio A, et al., “Screening of the antibacterial effects of a variety of essential oils on microorganisms responsible for respiratory infections” Phytotherapy Research (2007); 21(4)

Stephanie de Rapper, et al., “The In Vitro Activity of Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil in Combination with Other Aroma-Therapeutic Oils” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2013)

Capasso R, “Preventive effect of eugenol on PAF and ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage”, PubMed (2000)