Abstract

A REVIEW ON AROMA PROFILE OF CINNAMOMUM SPECIES IN NORTH AND NORTH EAST INDIA

Akanksha Rani, Chitra Pande, Geeta Tewari* and Kiran Patni

Abstract

Cinnamomum genus belonging to the family Lauraceace comprises ofevergreen trees and shrubs. Over 250 species of Cinnamomum havebeen reported all over the world which are distributed in tropical andsubtropical regions of North America, Central America, SouthAmerica, Asia, Oceania, and Australia. Cinnamomum species havebeen mentioned in the Bible and have been used in Ayurvedicmedicine since time immemorial. Most of the Cinnamomum speciesare aromatic and many of them are used as spices and herbal drugsdaily by people all over the world. Cinnamomum oils containcinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate as major constituents.The oil shows antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer activityand reported to have been used for lipid-lowering, and cardiovascular-diseases. Twenty sixspecies of Cinnamomum are found in India, out of which 12 are from north east and southIndia. The leaves, panicle and bark of Cinnamomum species have aromatic oils. In northIndia, the important Cinnamomum species are C. tamala, C. verum, C. glanduliferum, C.sulphuratum, C. bejolghota, C. camphora, C. impressinervium, C. glaucescens, C.champokianum and C. pauciflorum. The present review highlights the various species ofCinnamomum found in north and north east India with their distribution and aroma profile.

Keywords: Cinnamomum species, distribution, essential oil profile, north India