Hello from Sri Lanka! I’ve been traveling over here in this amazing island country for the last few weeks, and have been astounded at how many amazing natural medicinal and healing plants there are! We’ve been exploring the spice gardens, the vegetable markets, some of the Ayurvedic healing centers and talking to lots of knowledgeable locals. I made some videos to share with you – and here is the first one: of the mighty cinnamon tree and learning about how cinnamon sticks and the cinnamon spice are created from it.
Here is how my conversation with our local guide went as we talked about the mighty cinnamon tree! 🙂
Kimberly: So, this is the cinnamon leaf, which doesn’t smell like cinnamon necessarily…
Guide: If you smell the trunk you will smell the cinnamon here.
Kimberly: Oh my gosh, it’s the strongest cinnamon smell! It’s amazing. So, the cinnamon comes from the trunk?
Guide: Yes! I’m very proud to say the best cinnamon in the world comes from Sri Lanka.
Kimberly: It smells like the best cinnamon in the world.
Guide: Yes, true cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon. It’s very in demand.
Kimberly: Really? Ceylon cinnamon, because it’s so fresh?
Guide: The Ceylon cinnamon, it is original to our country.
Kimberly: Wow. How do they make this into the cinnamon powder?
Guide: On the big cinnamon plantations, they are not allowed to grow so big like this tree.
Kimberly: Okay.
Guide: They are grown smaller and propagate. The trees come like this size. (Showing hand a few feet in the air) We have to cut the trees like 80, up to 90 percent up from the bottom. From there, you get new shoots. The tree keeps regenerating.
Kimberly: How do they make the cinnamon sticks?
Guide: Good Question. The sticks are created with a special process. Before we peel the bark, we massage up and down the bark, without massage you cannot peel the bark. After, you massage the bark and the trunk separates.
Kimberly: Oh, that’s the cinnamon stick?
Guide: Yeah. We use a special knife for cutting cinnamon. It’s like a finger size, very sharp and we cut the bark. The bark, we peel it off. Take about two tree bark and we keep one by one, roll into stick and dry under sun shine. Then becomes a brown stick. That’s a good stick.
Kimberly: Wow. Do you have to kill the tree to do that or it just regenerates?
Guide: Correct, it regenerates.
Kimberly: Okay. Wow. It just smells amazing.
Guide: The best cinnamon.
Kimberly: Is this is really good for blood sugar levels and diabetics?
Guide: Yes, this is the best medicine for diabetic for when their sugars goes over 300, 400.
Kimberly: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Cinnamon regulates.
Guide: Cinnamon is better than coffee, chewing gum and sugar. If you have a piece of cinnamon and chew and swallow. It’s quickly helps the body and it’s better than sugar.
Kimberly: Wow. It’s amazing how much medicine is in these trees. Thank you.
I hope you enjoyed getting to learn about these amazing cinnamon trees as much as I did and a little journey to Sri Lanka. More from here again soon!
Lots of love,
Kimberly
P.S. Let me know how you like to use cinnamon in the comments below 🙂
Love cinnamon especially Ceylon cinnamon!!
Dear Kim, thanks for sharing! Since you mentioned cinnamon, I had always wanted to ask you: is cinnamon safe during pregnancy, or when trying to conceive? I have heard some people say it increases the chance of miscarriage.