Cinnamomum oliveri
StarCinnamomum oliveri
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Australia, Oliver's sassafras was adopted as a folk medicine and local substitute for cinnamon, the aromatic bark being used as a domestic remedy; the bark essential oil has documented antibacterial activity, including activity against pathogens such as Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Lassak & McCarthy, 2001).
Botanical Description
Cinnamomum oliveri, commonly called Oliver's sassafras, black sassafras or Australian cinnamon, is a tall evergreen rainforest tree of the laurel family reaching 30 m or more, with a straight trunk and aromatic, cinnamon-scented bark. The glossy, leathery leaves are opposite or sub-opposite, elliptic to lance-shaped, dark green above and paler beneath, with three prominent veins and a spicy fragrance when crushed. Small cream to greenish flowers are borne in branched clusters in the leaf axils, followed by ovoid black or dark purple berries seated in a shallow, cup-like receptacle. The bark and wood contain an essential oil rich, depending on chemotype, in camphor, safrole and methyleugenol or in cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol. The species occurs in subtropical and warm-temperate rainforest of eastern Australia, from the Illawarra district of New South Wales north to the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland.
Active Constituents
Safrole
Phenylpropanoid (methylenedioxy-substituted allylbenzene)Concentration: Dominant in the safrole/camphor chemotype of the bark oil
The main aromatic (sassafras-like) principle of one chemical variety of the bark oil. Safrole is a recognised rodent hepatocarcinogen and genotoxin and is banned as a food and flavour additive, which restricts any internal use of this chemotype.
Methyleugenol
Phenylpropanoid (methoxy-allylbenzene)Concentration: Accompanies safrole in the same chemotype
A clove-like aromatic constituent; like safrole it is classified as a genotoxic carcinogen in animal studies, reinforcing that the oil should not be ingested.
Camphor
Bicyclic monoterpene ketoneConcentration: Notable in the safrole/camphor chemotype
Gives the wood and bark a camphoraceous odour (the tree is also called 'camphorwood'); a topical rubefacient and aromatic, toxic if taken internally in more than trace amounts.
Cinnamaldehyde (cinnamic aldehyde)
Phenylpropanoid aldehydeConcentration: Principal component of the cinnamaldehyde/eugenol chemotype
The cinnamon-scented aromatic of a second chemical variety of the bark, responsible for the vernacular names 'Australian cinnamon' and 'cinnamonwood' and for early use of the bark as a cinnamon substitute.
Eugenol
Phenylpropanoid (hydroxy-methoxy-allylbenzene)Concentration: Accompanies cinnamaldehyde in that chemotype
A spicy, clove-like phenol with antiseptic and mild local-anaesthetic properties, contributing to the aromatic character of the eugenol-rich bark variety.
Tannins
Polyphenolic tanninsConcentration: Present in the bark
Astringent polyphenols typical of laurel bark, of limited pharmacological documentation in this species.
Preparation Methods
Aromatic bark (historical flavouring / not recommended internally)
Parts: Bark, Bark essential oil
Historically the fragrant, cinnamon- or sassafras-scented bark of the cinnamaldehyde chemotype was occasionally used by early Australian settlers as a cinnamon substitute and aromatic. Because the oil of many trees of this species is dominated by safrole and methyleugenol—both recognised genotoxic carcinogens that are prohibited in food—internal use of the bark or oil is not recommended. There is no established medicinal preparation or dose.
Timber / aromatic wood
Parts: Heartwood
The fragrant, moderately dense timber ('Oliver's sassafras', 'black sassafras', 'camphorwood') is used for indoor lining, joinery and cabinet work rather than for medicine; this is the principal documented use of the species.
References
- Penfold AR, Willis JL (and earlier Australian essential-oil surveys). Chemical varieties (chemotypes) of the essential oil of Cinnamomum oliveri Bailey . Studies of Australian essential oils, Royal Society of New South Wales (1920) [DOI]
- Floyd AG. Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia (Cinnamomum oliveri, Oliver's Sassafras) . Inkata Press / Forestry Commission of New South Wales (1989) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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