Dilip Ghosh
Nutriconnect, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Title: Cinnamon: A Journey from Traditional Flavor to Modern Health Applications
Biography
Biography: Dilip Ghosh
Abstract
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum; C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree, 10-15 meters tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka and South India. These plants are economically important due to their broad uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Cinnamon has been explored for medicinal use in the last decade; this presentation will discuss its journey in different health domains. Cinnamon consists of a variety of resinous compounds, including cinnamaldehyde, cinnamate, cinnamic acid, and numerous essential oils. The health benefits of cinnamon in clinical situations have been explored over the last decade. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies in animals and humans have demonstrated an array of beneficial health effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, reducing cardiovascular disorders, boosting cognitive function, and reducing risk of colonic cancer. But there is still a lack of well-designed, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) to substantiate these in vitro and animal results. A few recent well-designed RCTs in allergic rhinitis and chemotherapy-induced weight loss and alopecia strengthened understanding of the medicinal properties of cinnamon.
Cinnamon bark research has moved many miles ahead from culinary use as a spice and traditional medicinal use. Several of its medicinal properties and safety are now validated through modern scientific methods. These include anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and neurological disorders. The true multifaceted clinical potential of cinnamon polyphenols has surfaced only recently with clinical evidence for immune/allergic inflammatory conditions such as allergic rhinitis and chemotherapy side effects.