How to Use Cinnamon Essential Oil for Health Benefits

Cinnamon essential oil benefits the body in so many ways that you may be surprised that the warm, spicy, fragrant oil is also a powerful remedy. And like all powerful remedies, it needs to be respected so it doesn’t sensitize or irritate your skin. Learn how to use carrier oils and other safety techniques to make sure you unlock all the reasons to use cinnamon oil. There are many benefits of this classic spice and essential oil.

Where Does Cinnamon Essential Oil Come From?

While we know there are many benefits to cinnamon spice, the simple sticks or powder, we’ll want to dive into cinnamon oil sources more. The flavorful “sticks” we know are derived from the inner bark of a Cinnamomum tree, of which there are many different varieties. In fact, cassia essential oil comes from a cinnamon tree – Cinnamomum cassia. This is a different essential oil though with its own therapeutic benefits. This post is going to discuss cinnamon essential oil uses though and we’ll save cassia for a different article.

As always, the plant variety effects the essential oil composition. The most common cinnamon essential oil comes from the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree, also sometimes called Cinnamomum verum. Both the inner bark and the leaves can be harvested for distillation.

You’ll see this difference indicated as either “cinnamon bark oil” or “cinnamon leaf oil” on your bottle. And yep, you guessed it: the cinnamon bark and leaf oils have unique compositions, as well. Which also impacts the benefits in essential oil form too.

• Cinnamon bark essential oil, on the other hand, is steam distilled from the bark, is reddish/ brown colored, and contains mostly cinnamaldehyde (63.1-75.7%) and much less eugenol (2.0-13.3%). It’s a known sensitizer and irritant which is why you’d never want to use it without appropriate dilution with organic carrier oils.
• Cinnamon leaf essential oil benefits, come from steam distilling the leaves of the tree, producing an oil that is yellowish in color, and contains high amounts of eugenol (68.6–87.0%) and some cinnamaldehyde (0.6-1.1%). It’s not as common a sensitizer as cinnamon bark is, though it’s still a known irritant.

Cinnamon leaf is typically more heavily filled with eugenol – used to relieve pain and inflammation and fight bacteria – while the bark is comprised more of cinnamaldehyde – potent as an antioxidant and antidiabetic. (1)

History of Cinnamon Essential Oil Uses

One of the oldest and most beloved spices, cinnamon was prized in ancient times as a costly and decadent substance, usually burned for its spicy aroma. Biblical mentions include it as a “choice spice” and part of the holy anointing oil of Exodus.

Further east, cinnamon was used in medicinal preparations in the Ayurvedic model of medicine. It was thought to be “warming” and was used as an antimicrobial treatment or protective substance.

Over time, the spice trade waned and culinary preparations became standard, at least in the Western world. The ability to distill essential oils specifically has opened up another avenue of use for us, and extensive research on this ancient spice has confirmed both aromatherapy uses and medicinal whole-spice uses.

Top 5 Cinnamon Essential Oil Benefits

Because the cinnamon leaf and cinnamon bark oils work differently, I’ll note where one is preferred over the other. The safest use for essential oil is through diffused aromatherapy applications, such as sprays, diffusers, or personal inhalation methods.

Some internal and topical use can be utilized as well, though, as long as you carefully dilute with carrier oils and use appropriate amounts. With that in mind, here are the top 5 uses for your cinnamon essential oil.

1. Antibacterial Strength

Cinnamon oil is well known for having antibacterial properties, and that is translating to varied uses as researchers begin to think outside of the box. In 2015, a couple of interesting studies were released showing its antibacterial strength.

The first, combined antibiotic doxycycline with isolated components of 3 essential oils, cinnamon being one of them – with all three components (carvacol, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde) found in both cinnamon leaf and bark oils. The combination had a synergistic effect (2), which could imply some answers to the problem of antibiotic resistance!

The second, addressed an issue on our minds for a while now, that of oral health with natural products. Cinnamon oil on its own was protective against an array of oral bacterial colonies. The oils didn’t contain prominent levels of cinnamaldehyde (3), indicating a potential preference toward leaf oil.

A much earlier study had confirmed more traditional uses for this antibacterial oil – relieving bacterial respiratory conditions. Of the essential oils tested in 2007, cinnamon and thyme essential oils rose to the top as the most effective against respiratory infections. (4)

Indications: Diluted into alcohol for mouth rinse blends, cleaners, hand sanitizers, room diffusion, and respiratory blends for inhalation. Cinnamon bark essential oil is a key ingredient in our immune boosting recipe.

2. Antidiabetic Potential with Blood Sugar Balancing

We know that cinnamon as a whole spice can be used for anti-diabetic purposes, helping to lower fasting blood sugar levels. (5) Further research is diving into the way this works, and some studies have found specific compounds of cinnamon are responsible for the effect – compounds also found in the essential oil.

For example, cinnamaldehyde in animal models has been observed reducing glucose levels and normalizing responses in circulating blood. (6) In 2015, researchers found cinnamic acid to improve glucose tolerance and potentially stimulate insulin production. (7)

These results are promising, and it will be interesting to see how it ultimately plays out. Diabetes affects a large swath of the population, and diabetes medication can put a strain on the body. Natural remedies like those with essential oils to help manage diabetes are needed now more than ever.

Indications: One or two drops diluted in a carrier oil and included in recipes; inhalation or diffusion; whole-spice culinary inclusion.

3. Antifungal Synergy

Remember that with such a strong and potentially irritating essential oil like cinnamon, blending and dilution are important. Fortunately, the oils seem to work even better that way. A 2013 study demonstrated the effects of synergy on fungal infections (8), with the lavender essential oil and blended with cinnamon essential oil performing the best.

Incidentally, lavender soothes what cinnamon may irritate! When creating your blends, use small amounts of cinnamon to enhance the other oils in the combination for an overall effective result.

Indications: Topical fungal infections, diffusion, and sprays for in-home fungal growth. If mold or mildew is a problem in your area, add cinnamon bark oil to our Heavy Duty Cleaner for a sparkling, fungus-free bathroom.

4. Gut Health Protection

Traditional medicinal uses of cinnamon essential oil include protecting the digestive system. The whole spice is still indicated for this purpose, but aspects of the essential oil are finding their way into studies on this topic, as well.

For example, eugenol, found in cinnamon leaf oil, was the subject of a study in 2000. It was found to have a protective effect (9) on the mucosal lining against ulcers and lesions. More recently, in 2015, both eugenol and cinnamaldehyde were explored as additives in animal feed for intestinal protection. (10)

Both cinnamon leaf and bark oils could be utilized here, though the leaf is much milder in taste and should contain the eugenol content that is recurring in studies.

Indications: One or two drops diluted into a lipid and added to recipes; whole-spice use in culinary preparations. You can see an example of how to do this in our organic coffee latte recipes.

5. Cancer Fighting

Last, but certainly not least, is cinnamon essential oil’s ability to fight cancer. Eighty studies (11) to date have investigated cinnamaldehyde’s ability to inhibit tumor cell proliferation via trigger cancer cell apoptosis (“programmed cell death”) and other mechanisms and the research is clear: cancer patients should be encouraged that natural solutions truly do exist!

Enjoy Benefits via Favorite Blends & Applications

For all of its known benefits, cinnamon oil is also known as a sensitizer. Keep to 1% max dilution and no more than 2 drops per culinary dish. Remember that oil and water don’t mix, so dilution should happen first in a lipid such as coconut oil or another carrier oil. Use cinnamon oil in these kinds of blends and applications:

Cleaners and Household Sprays – For household cleaning, cinnamon blends nicely with clove, citrus, and others for antimicrobial properties. Try using it in our Heavy Duty Cleaning Wipes.

Respiratory Support Essential Oils – Cinnamon bark essential oil works well to help combat the bacteria that cause flu and pneumonia so you can pair it with eucalyptus and frankincense to help with breathing problems. Learn more about essential oils for respiration here.

Culinary Preparations – Yes, you can ingest essential oils safely, and cook with them. See how we use cinnamon bark essential oil with peppermint essential oil in our fat-burning matcha latte recipe as an example you can follow.

Topical Preparations – Diluted properly with carrier oils, cinnamon bark oil is part of our blood sugar balancing body oil.

Mouthwash and Oral Health – Cinnamon bark essential oil benefits oral health because of its pain relief and antibacterial properties. See our homemade mouthwash and homemade toothpaste recipes.

References: