Research on the Cinnamaldehyde Constituent

Pictured: Cinnamon, Whose Key Chemical Constituent is Cinnamaldehyde

By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, RA, LMT, RYT

Cinnamaldehyde is powerfully aromatic, and the dominant constituent found in the bark and leaves of cassia as well as the bark of cinnamon.  It is a potent aldehyde; excessive amounts can cause skin irritation and sensitization, as well as liver and kidney toxicity.[1]  Research has demonstrated antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, cancer fighting, insect repelling, and respiratory improving potential for this constituent.  Below are a few recipes and then a list of scientific research found; more research is necessary.

Recipes Containing Cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon)

Spicy House Cleaner

• 6 drops cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) essential oil
• 15 drops peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil
• 20 drops rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) essential oil
• 30 drops lemon (Citrus limonum) essential oil
• 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol or witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of dish detergent or liquid castile soap
• 3 cups of water

Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and use as a general house cleaner.  Shake and spray.  Discontinue use if any irritation occurs.

Yogi Tea

• 2 quarts water
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 12 cardamom seeds
• 6 whole cloves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 6 slices fresh ginger root
• 2 black tea bags

Boil all items except the tea bags for 30 minutes, then simmer for 2 hours.  In the last 10 minutes, add the tea bags.  Let cool overnight, then strain, and keep the liquid in the refrigerator.  Heat smaller quantities as needed along with milk and honey to taste.  Drink as a tea.  Do not exceed normal spice quantity amounts for ingestion; review possible contraindications of each herb before use.

Antimicrobial Skin Salve

• 1 cup of olive oil
• ¼ cup of beeswax
• ¼ cup of shea butter
• 3 drops of cinnamon(Cinnamomum zeylanicum) essential oil
• 30 drops of tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil
• 20 drops of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) essential oil
• 30 drops of geranium (Pelagonium graveolens) essential oil

In a crockpot, cook the olive oil, beeswax and shea butter on low until it melts. Then, turn off the heat and add the essential oil.  Pour immediately into container(s) with sealing lid(s) for after it cools.  Apply salve topically to affected area.  Discontinue use if any irritation occurs.  Not for prolonged use exceeding two weeks.

Research on Cinnamaldehyde

INSECTICIDAL / REPELLENT

• Cinnamomum cassia Blume bark and its cinnamaldehyde constituent were effective in a cream used on human volunteers to repell the mosquito: Aedes aegypti.[2]
• Cinnamaldehyde and eugenol had an effect against Paenibacillus larvae, a pest that affects honeybees.[3]

ANTIMICROBIAL / ANTIBACTERIAL / ANTIFUNGAL

• This article summarized antimicrobial research on essential oils with promising research on topical and antiseptic uses, as penetration enhancers, and in fighting medicine resistant species.[4]
• This mega analysis reviewed studies of essential oils as anti-bacterial treatments in food.  Several effective constituents included carvacrol, thymol, eugenol, perillaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid.  These constituents had minimum inhibitory concentrations with some having synergism such as carvacrol and p-cymene, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol, and between EO components and mild preservation methods.[5]
• Antibacterial abilities of 96 essential oils and their constituents were assessed. Marigold, ginger, jasmine, patchouli, gardenia, cedarwood, carrot seed, celery seed, mugwort, spikenard, and orange bitter oils along with the constituents of cinnamaldehyde, estragole, carvacrol, benzaldehyde, citral, thymol, eugenol, perillaldehyde, carvone R, and geranyl acetate were strongest against  jejuni.  Those most active against E. coli were oregano, thyme, cinnamon, palmarosa, bay leaf, clove bud, lemon grass, and allspice oils and the constituents: carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, thymol, eugenol, salicylaldehyde, geraniol, isoeugenol, citral, perillaldehyde, and estragole.  Those most active against L. monocytogeneswere gardenia, cedarwood, bay leaf, clove bud, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, thyme, and patchouli and the constituents of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, thymol, carvacrol, citral, geraniol, perillaldehyde, carvone S, estragole, and salicylaldehyde.  Those most active against S. enterica were thyme, oregano, cinnamon, clove bud, allspice, bay leaf, palmarosa, and marjoram oils as well as thymol, cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, eugenol, salicylaldehyde, geraniol, isoeugenol, terpineol, perillaldehyde, and estragole.[6]
• Cinnamaldehyde, piperidine, citral, furfuraldehyde and indole were potent candida inhibitors.[7]
• Cinnamon and its cinnamaldehyde constituent showed antifungal properties.[8]
• This study explained the antibacterial action of cinnamon and its major component, trans-[9]
• C. osmophloeumleaf essential oil and cinnamaldehyde were effective against 9 tested bacteria and could be used for medical purposes and as anti-bacterial additives in paper products.[10]
• Sixteen essential oils and forty-two pure constituents were tested against Candida albicans. Origanum vulgare, Satureja montana, Mentha piperita, Cinnamomum verum, and Cymbopogon flexuosus along with the pure constituents of β-phellandrene, carvacrol, 1-decanol, and trans-cynnamaldehyde showed inhibition.[11]
• The antimicrobial activity of thymol, carvacrol, limonene, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol were assessed.[12]

IN VITRO ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY

• The anticancer effect of cinnamaldehyde was studied related to apoptosis in human leukemia cells in vitro.[13]
• Cinnamaldehyde induces apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro.[14]
• This study determines how cinnamaldehyde triggers apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro.[15]
• Cinnamaldehyde cytotoxicity may be useful in cancer therapies based on this in vitro study.[16]

IN VITRO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

• Nuclear factor is a transcription factor regulating the expression of inflammatory and immune genes. Cinnamomum cassiawas discovered to have an inhibitory effect on nuclear factor transcriptional activity.[17]
• Cinnamaldehyde demonstrated anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory properties.[18]

RESPIRATORY HEALTH

• Cinnamon bark oil and cinnamic aldehyde were an effective inhalable vapor for treating fungi involved in respiratory tract mycoses: Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, A. nidulans, A. flavus, Candida albicans, C. tropicalls, C. pseudotropicalis,and Histoplasma capsulatum.[19]

ANTI-DIABETIC

• Cinnamaldehyde has hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects in diabetic rats.[20]
• Cinnamaldehyde showed an antidiabetic effect in rats.[21]

References

[1] Tisserand, R. & Young, R. (2014). Essential oil safety, Second Edition.  Elsevier.

[2] Chang, K. S., Tak, J. H., Kim, S. I., Lee, W. J., & Ahn, Y. J. (2006). Repellency of Cinnamomum cassia bark compounds and cream containing cassia oil to Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) under laboratory and indoor conditions. Pest management science, 62(11), 1032-1038.

[3]  Gende, Liesel Brenda, et al. “Antimicrobial activity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) essential oil and its main components against Paenibacillus larvae from Argentine.” Bulletin of insectology 61.1 (2008): 1.

[4] Solórzano-Santos, F., & Miranda-Novales, M. G. (2012). Essential oils from aromatic herbs as antimicrobial agents. Current opinion in biotechnology, 23(2), 136-141.

[5] Burt, S. (2004). Essential oils: their antibacterial properties and potential applications in foods—a review. International journal of food microbiology, 94(3), 223-253.

[6] Friedman, M., Henika, P. R., & Mandrell, R. E. (2002). Bactericidal activities of plant essential oils and some of their isolated constituents against Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica. Journal of Food Protection®, 65(10), 1545-1560.

[7] Rajput, S. B., & Karuppayil, S. M. (2013). Small molecules inhibit growth, viability and ergosterol biosynthesis in Candida albicans. SpringerPlus, 2(1), 1.

[8] Wang, S. Y., Chen, P. F., & Chang, S. T. (2005). Antifungal activities of essential oils and their constituents from indigenous cinnamon (Cinnamomum osmophloeum) leaves against wood decay fungi. Bioresource technology, 96(7), 813-818.

[9] Meades, G., Henken, R. L., Waldrop, G. L., Rahman, M. M., Gilman, S. D., Kamatou, G. P., … & Gibbons, S. (2010). Constituents of cinnamon inhibit bacterial acetyl CoA carboxylase. Planta medica, 76(14), 1570-1575.

[10] Chang, S. T., Chen, P. F., & Chang, S. C. (2001). Antibacterial activity of leaf essential oils and their constituents from Cinnamomum osmophloeum.  Journal of ethnopharmacology, 77(1), 123-127.

[11] Tampieri, M. P., Galuppi, R., Macchioni, F., Carelle, M. S., Falcioni, L., Cioni, P. L., & Morelli, I. (2005). The inhibition of Candida albicans by selected essential oils and their major components. Mycopathologia, 159(3), 339-345.

[12] Di Pasqua, R., Hoskins, N., Betts, G., & Mauriello, G. (2006). Changes in membrane fatty acids composition of microbial cells induced by addiction of thymol, carvacrol, limonene, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol in the growing media. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 54(7), 2745-2749.

[13] Ka, H., Park, H. J., Jung, H. J., Choi, J. W., Cho, K. S., Ha, J., & Lee, K. T. (2003). Cinnamaldehyde induces apoptosis by ROS-mediated mitochondrial permeability transition in human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. Cancer letters, 196(2), 143-152.

[14] Han, D. C., Lee, M. Y., Shin, K. D., Jeon, S. B., Kim, J. M., Son, K. H., … & Kwon, B. M. (2004). 2′-benzoyloxycinnamaldehyde induces apoptosis in human carcinoma via reactive oxygen species. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279(8), 6911-6920.

[15] Wu, S. J., Ng, L. T., & Lin, C. C. (2005). Cinnamaldehyde-induced apoptosis in human PLC/PRF/5 cells through activation of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins and MAPK pathway. Life Sciences, 77(8), 938-951.

[16] Chew, E. H., Nagle, A. A., Zhang, Y., Scarmagnani, S., Palaniappan, P., Bradshaw, T. D., … & Westwell, A. D. (2010). Cinnamaldehydes inhibit thioredoxin reductase and induce Nrf2: potential candidates for cancer therapy and chemoprevention. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 48(1), 98-111.

[17] Reddy, A. M., Seo, J. H., Ryu, S. Y., Kim, Y. S., Kim, Y. S., Min, K. R., & Kim, Y. (2004). Cinnamaldehyde and 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde as NF-κB inhibitors from Cinnamomum cassia. Planta medica, 70(09), 823-827.

[18] Chao, L. K., Hua, K. F., Hsu, H. Y., Cheng, S. S., Lin, I. F., Chen, C. J., … & Chang, S. T. (2008). Cinnamaldehyde inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion from monocytes/macrophages through suppression of intracellular signaling. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46(1), 220-231.

[19] Singh, H. B., Srivastava, M., Singh, A. B., & Srivastava, A. K. (1995). Cinnamon bark oil, a potent fungitoxicant against fungi causing respiratory tract mycoses. Allergy, 50(12), 995-999.

[20] Babu, P. S., Prabuseenivasan, S., & Ignacimuthu, S. (2007). Cinnamaldehyde—a potential antidiabetic agent. Phytomedicine, 14(1), 15-22.

[21] Anand, P., Murali, K. Y., Tandon, V., Murthy, P. S., & Chandra, R. (2010). Insulinotropic effect of cinnamaldehyde on transcriptional regulation of pyruvate kinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and GLUT4 translocation in experimental diabetic rats. Chemico-biological interactions, 186(1), 72-81.