Cassia Bark (whole)

Family name: Lauraceae
Botanical name: Cinnamomum cassia

Culinary uses:  generally used in savoury dishes but can be used almost interchangeably with cinnamon.  The bark is coarser and the flavour more pungent and robust in taste.  It can be used in curries, pickling spice, mixed spice, spice blends, Indian and Cape Malay cuisines and is an important ingredient in Chinese 5-spice.  It also be used in sweet dishes, such as flavouring chocolate and stewed fruit, rhubarb and apple. It is NOT the poor country cousin of Cinnamon but a spice in its own right.

Medicinal uses: used often in traditional Chinese medicine, the oil can be used in some inhalants, tonics, also to help with flatulence, stomach ailments, malaise, diarrhoea, headaches, to promote healthy digestion and normal blood sugar levels.   It has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Origin: usually Myanmar, Indonesia or Sri Lanka