Cinnamomum burmanni Malaysian cinnamon

Cinnamomum burmannii padang cassia

Cinnamomum camphora camphor tree

Cinnamomum elongatum laurel avispillo

Cinnamomum mexicanum Mexican cinnamon

Cinnamomum montanum avispillo

Cinnamomum sessilifolium Cinnamomum sessilifolium

Cinnamomum tamala indian bark

Cinnamomum verum cinnamon

The essential oil of cinnamon bark (max. 4%) is dominated by the two phenylpropanoids cinnamaldehyd (3-phenyl-acrolein, 65 to 75%) and eugenol (4-(1-propene-3-yl)-2-methoxy-phenol, 5 to 10%). Other phenylpropanoids (safrole, coumarine [0.6%] cinnamic acid esters), mono- and sesquiterpenes, although occurring only in traces, do significantly influence the taste of cinnamon. Another trace component relevant for the quality is 2-heptanone (methyl-n-amyl-ketone). The slime content of the bark is rather low (3%).

From cinnamon leaves, another essential oil (1%) can be obtained that consists mainly of eugenol (70 to 95%) and can be used as a substitute for clove. Small amounts (1 to 5%) of cinnamaldehyde, benzyl benzoate, linalool and β-caryophyllene have also been found.

A completely different composotion is found in the essential oil of cinnamon root bark; here, camphor (60%) dominates. This oil is not used commercially.

In cinnamon fruits the main components were found to be trans-cinnamyl acetate and β-caryophyllene.

Cinnamon has been associated with the ability to prevent ulcers, destroy fungal infections, soothe indigestion, ward off urinary tract infections, and fight tooth decay and gum disease. The pharmaceutical industry currently uses cinnamon in toothpastes and mouthwashes as a natural flavoring. its unique healing abilities come from three basic ingredients in the oil found in its bark. The oil contains the active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.

Anti-Clotting Actions

Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde) has been avidly -researched for its effects on platelets.Platelets are a constituent of blood which plays an important role in clotting . They halt bleeding when tissues are injured , in an action similar to a “Stopper “. But these same platelets when over active can seriously cause narrowing of blood vessels, compromising the blood supply to organs causing ” Heart Attacks” (Myocardial Infarction).

The cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets thereby reducing the incidence of strokes and heart attacks.

Blood Sugar Control

Cinnamon may significantly help people with Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2) to improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. Both in vitro and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose.

Cinnamon’s Scent Boosts Brain Function

Not only does consuming cinnamon improve the body’s ability to utilize blood sugar, but the aroma of this wonderful and sweet spice boosts brain activity!

Calcium and Fiber Improve Colon Health and Protects Against bowel cancer.

Cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for the prevention of several different conditions. Both calcium and fiber can bind to bile salts and help remove them from the body. This can prevent the damage that certain bile salts can cause to colon cells, thereby reducing the risk of colon cancer. In addition, when bile is removed by fiber, the body must break down cholesterol in order to make new bile. This process can help to lower high cholesterol levels, which can be helpful in preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Cinnamon peeling is a highly skilled technique, handed down almost unchanged from ancient times.

In the first stage of the harvest, the “flush” of tender shoots is cut down and, covered in sacking in the peeling shed, left to ferment slightly. The most difficult part of cinnamon production starts the next day. The peelers snip off the leaves and twigs, and scrape off the rough outer bark from the twigs. The inner bark is then rubbed and beaten down thoroughly with a smooth brass block to break up and homogenize the tissues and free the bark from the twigs. Then the peeler, using the distinctive tool of his trade, a small curved knife called a kokaththa, deftly marks two parallel slits on the stick and eases the bark free in one piece. Experienced peelers do this swiftly and with the precision of a surgeon, making clean and true cuts - all without fragmenting the bark. Next, the barks are carefully packed in layers, one inside the other, in several plys, telescoped and overlapped end to end to produce long, rolled and layered “quills.” Though it takes only a few lines to describe this , it is indeed a back breaking procedure. It takes years of practice and patience to gain the sufficient dexterity to master the intricate technique necessary to produce the clean bark without contamination.

The bark rolls are covered in jute sacking again and left to cure slightly for a day, after which they are air-dried indoors on hammocks for two days. When dried, the bark is curled round into golden-brown quills, which are again dried outdoors in filtered sunlight for one or two days. By this time the cinnamon is dried to a crackling, papery texture and possesses the true cinnamon colour. The bark is then trimmed precisely to the 106.7cm (42-inch) quills specified by the world cinnamon market.

A well-made cinnamon quill, or “pipe,” is a slim cane of uniform thickness, colour and quality, with edges neatly joined in a straight line end to end and looking like a tight roll of golden-brown multi-ply paper. Quills must be firm, compact and free from “foxing” - trade jargon for reddish brown warps caused by damp. Quills are packed in 45-kilogram bales and classified into 10 grades according to diameter and the number of 42-inch quills to a pound; permissible amounts of foxing are specified for each grade. Quills are sometimes “buffed” with sulfur for markets with a preference for light-colored bark. Chips, referred to as “quillings” and “featherings,” are sold as medium-quality cinnamon for grinding into cinnamon powder, sold on its own or as “pudding spice” in a compound with nutmeg, clove, cardamom, mace and allspice. The chips are also sold for the distillation of oil.

The consumption of cinnamon already had a long history in Europe by the time that the Portuguese arrived at Ceylon, in the early years of the sixteenth century. Cinnamon is mentioned in several books of the Bible, for instance as an ingredient in Moses’ anointing oils and as a token of friendship between lovers or friends. In ancient Rome, mourners burnt cinnamon in funeral pyres in order to cover the scent of burning flesh. Emperor Nero consumed a year’s worth of the spice in the pyre for his wife Poppaea in 65 AD. Most often, however, the spice found its primary use as an additive to food, and in the Middle Ages it was a status symbol for Europe’s elites.

It was the upper echelons of the society that used cinnamon and it was considered to be quite fashionable and a status symbol .

Some scholars speculate that the upper crust of European society consumed large quantities of spices during the Middle Ages in order to cover up the taste of cured meats, which began to spoil during the winter. Only the wealthy could afford large quantities of meat; therefore, it is not surprising that consumption of spices in general occurred in the top layers of society. At a banquet, a host would offer guests a plate with various spices piled upon it as a sign of the wealth at his or her disposal. The social rank of the host was revealed by the excess or moderation with which they offered spices to their guests. Cinnamon also was reported to cure various ailments during the Middle Ages, including coughs and indigestion. Beyond its importance as a status symbol and curative, cinnamon was used by those who could afford it for the enjoyable flavor it added to food and drink.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the burgeoning middle class began to desire the trappings of the elites, including their ostentatious consumption of spices. The Venetians had controlled the spice trade throughout the previous centuries. Delivered by Arab merchants, who closely guarded the secret of the source of the spice from potential rivals, shipments of cinnamon arrived at Alexandria via an overland trade route from India to the Mediterranean. Traders from the Italian entrepôt sailed to Egypt to purchase their supply of cinnamon, then returned to Venice, from where the spice traveled to the estates of Europe’s upper class. Because the overland trade route allowed for only small quantities of the spice to reach Europe and because Venice had a virtual monopoly of the trade, the Venetians could set the price of cinnamon exorbitantly high. Trade expanded in order to meet the growing demand for spices, but the overland trade routes made spices too expensive to meet the needs of the growing market. Furthermore, once the Mamlukes rose to power in Egypt and the Turks in Asia Minor, the free trade that had previously existed in those regions essentially ceased to exist. Increased demand for spices, spiraling customs duties, and the inadequate capacity of overland trade caravans spurred the search for new routes to Asia by Europeans eager to take part in the lucrative spice trade.

Seeking the high profits promised by the cinnamon market, Portuguese traders arrived at Ceylon toward the end of the fifteenth century. Before Europeans arrived at that island, the state had organized the cultivation of cinnamon. Members of the salagama caste peeled the bark off young shoots of the cinnamon plant in the rainy season, when the wet bark was more pliable. During the peeling process, they curled the bark into the “stick” shape still associated with the spice today. The salagama caste then gave the finished product to the king as a form of tribute. When the Portuguese arrived, they wanted to increase production significantly, which meant that they had to change the traditional patterns of cinnamon cultivation by introducing new groups into the harvesting process.In 1518, the Portuguese built a fort on the island, which permanently changed the trade of cinnamon by allowing the Europeans to develop a monopoly in it. This allowed the Portuguese to generate very high profits in the exchange of the spice. In the late fifteenth century, for example, they enjoyed a tenfold profit when shipping cinnamon over a journey of eight days from Ceylon to Calicut. Profits were sixfold on shipments from India to Hormuz. In order to protect their monopoly, the Portuguese enslaved the Sinhalese, sank Arab dhows, and hanged the agents of their European competitors.

When the Dutch began to arrive off the coast of southern Asia, they set their sights on displacing the Portuguese from their cinnamon throne. The Dutch allied themselves with Kandy, an inland kingdom on Ceylon. In return for payments of elephants and cinnamon, they protected the native king from the Portuguese. By 1640, the Dutch broke the Portuguese monopoly when they overran and occupied their factories. By 1658, they had permanently expelled the Iberians from the island, thereby gaining control of the lucrative cinnamon trade.

In order to protect their monopoly and to meet European demand for cinnamon, the Dutch, like the Portuguese before them, treated the native inhabitants harshly and guarded their lock on the market with armed force. In order to increase production even further, the Dutch began to change the cultivation practices of the Ceylonese. Originally, only wild cinnamon trees were available for harvesting. Under the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC), the natives had to meet such high demand that the supply of cinnamon trees was nearly exhausted, due to systematic stripping of their bark. The Dutch had been shipping 270 tons of spice a year but began to wonder whether they could continue to keep up with the ever-increasing demand in Europe. Eventually, a VOC employee named De Coke settled on the idea that the Company should cultivate the cinnamon tree, which must grow for eight years before it is large enough to be harvested. Eight years after De Coke’s suggestion, European demand was beginning to collapse. In order to maintain a higher price , the Dutch burned stocks and delayed delivery of the spice to Europe. This was a reckless decision , considering the fact that the Dutch had the monopoly on the commodity.

In 1796, the English arrived on Ceylon, thereby displacing the Dutch from their control of the cinnamon monopoly. Ceylon allowed England to regain some of its economic health due to the latter’s loss of its American colonies and its absence from Mediterranean trade. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the market in Europe was larger and more democratic than it had been in the Middle Ages, when only the ruling elite could afford spices in large quantities. Production of cinnamon reached 1000 tons a year, after a lower grade quality of the spice became acceptable to European tastes. By that time, cinnamon was being grown in other parts of the Indian Ocean region and in the West Indies, Brazil, and Guyana. Not only was the monopoly of cinnamon being broken down , but the spice trade as a whole was failing to be as lucrative as before . Eventually, coffee, tea, chocolate, and sugar dethroned cinnamon and other spices from their domination of European palates and wallets.

Restaurant

This type of facility although highly necessary is greatly lacking in these parts. Visitors will be able to get good refreshments from this facility.

Administrative Facility

Administrative Facility is a must for the well being of the “Hog Deer Park”(Vil Muwa Arana). We are planning to build the facility adjoining the Education centre.

Storage Facility & Staff Quarters

Storeroom & workers quarters have to be built in order to maintain everyday activities of the park. At least six workers (including two guards) should work everyday to accomplish day-to-day activities.

All these structures will be designed in an environment friendly manner, using locally available material with public participation and utilizing funds from the well wishers & NGO.
Once the required protection is ensured after the installation of the chain link mesh, a dozen of Hog deer already under captivity will be introduced.
We will be handing over Hog Deer for this project while encouraging other farmers to do the same.

The second phase will be more challenging as the wild caught Hog Deer may resist capturing and translocation. Several locations for capturing Hog Deer have been identified. To finalize these locations DWLC has already launched a formal survey with the assistance of the “Biodiversity Protection Organization” at Batapola.
Safety Nylon nets is used to capture wild Hog Deer by way of driving them towards the net. Safety boxes will be used to transport them to the center. Transportation will be done through the Department of Wild Life Conservation (DWLC) vehicles.

At the center both captive and wild caught Hog Deer will be brought up as semi wild animals allowing them to interact with each other (After the Quarantine period). Capture and introduction will continue for six months until a viable population is built up at the center.

When the population increases a supplement diet will be needed to compensate their nutritional requirements. Rise-Bran and brewers-residue are freely available in the area. By adding essential minerals and vitamins a balanced diet, which could enhance the breeding, efficacy should be introduced in the form of palatable feed. Further research will be needed to formulate such a supplement.
After encouraging natural breeding once the Hog-Deer population increases to viable numbers, the first batch of a Hog Deer will be released to a National Park or to a protected area, once further studies are done on their habitat requirements by The Wild Life Conservation Department & “The Hog Deer park” (Vil Muwa Arana) authority. Estimate of this project is over 1 Million. Where 1% of our profit will be completely allocated for this project.
Benefits to the Environment, to people and the quality of life now and in the Future

The Wild Life, which we rehabilitate and re-introduce back into nature, is part of the ecological balance of our planet. Considering examples in other countries, we must realize that we must do everything possible Now, in order to save our Wild Life for future generations.

This is our last chance to do so, and we mean all Wild Life, including the Hog Deer, because they are also part of our Ecosystem.
Education can only be done if proper knowledge is available. By working closely with our diverse wild life, the centre can contribute to this knowledge and would like to put special emphasis on the Education of our children who are at this stage so far removed from Nature.

Nature is essential for the well being of people, they are part of it. There is enormous amount of heritage attached to wild animals, which will be forgotten if these animals disappear.
Therefore Nomannic Krab Hog Deer Rehabilitation Project feels that people will benefit by:

• Awareness & Education of the importance and the existence of our forests and it’s wildlife
• Schools having a place to go for environmental educational outings
• A centre to learn about our wild life and its benefits
• A place to study the ethology and behavior of this unique species
• A place to educating farmers how to maintain natural areas on their farms. At the moment there is great emphasis put on Natural farming, we have learned about the abuse of poisons, insecticides, etc in farming. Natural processes in farming are definitely more beneficial for people’s well being than the use of chemicals

All the efforts of the Nomannic Krab Hog Deer Rehabilitation Project (CHDRP) is to ensure the quality of life now & in the future for both the creatures on our earth as well as the people.

Every inhabitant in Sri Lanka has the right to enjoy the heritage of our remaining wild life.

Every generation being the trustees of our Natural heritage must act in the interest of the succeeding generations to ensure the viability of our wild life forms and Natural habitats.

It is therefore necessary that every citizen take into consideration all activities that will have an adverse influence on our Natural environment.

The maintenance & protection of natural ecological processes, diverse habitats and land forms are essential for the survival of not only our wildlife, but for the survival of all life forms.

Community Value of the Project

• A centre where people can be encouraged to hand in Hog Deer’s that have been raised in captivity, and where the public can be educated on how to exist with and appreciate our wild life
• Emphasis that wild animals do not make good pets
• A facility to teach our younger generation how to treat and respect our environment and the repercussions that follows when the balance of nature is disturbed
• A contact point to offer realistic advice and to educate the farming community on how to deal with and minimize crop damage caused by wild life
• The centre will directly and indirectly create hundreds of jobs and that will uplift their living standards.

We hope to hold hands with “Hog Deer park” (Vil Muwa Arana) which is supported by the Department of Wild Life Conservation (DWLC) in Sri Lanka to achieve an ecological balance and to establish the authentic identity of Hog Deer while minimizing the Hog Deer threat to the Sri Lankan agriculture.

Different people have different priorities and approaches. But Nomannic Krab’s is based on the ground of Spartan discipline and care for our responsibility.