Fall Asleep Easily Using Namog Cinnamon

I have difficulty going back to sleep once I wake up late in the evening or early dawn to go to the bathroom or after my daughter kicks me awake (lol) while she’s sleeping.

Here’s how I fall back easily to sleep:  I crush 2 leaves of Namog Cinnamon, put it under my pillowcase, and sniff on it until I fall asleep.  It’s effective!

What is Namog Cinnamon?

Namog Cinnamon is the Philippine name of Cinnamomum Iners, or “Wild Cinnamon”, per StuartXchange.  Like all cinnamons that you eat or buy from grocery stores, Cinnamomum Iners or “Wild Cinnamon” belongs to the Lauraceae family.  It is an evergreen medium-sized tree which can grow up to 18 m tall.  In the Philippines, it is found in Mindanao, Palawan and Tawi-Tawi; my friend who gave the leaves to me, found it in Negros Occidental.

According to the  National University of Singapore (NUS), Cinnamomum Iners is native to India and West Malesia.  In Singapore, it is found in coastal forest, park/garden, secondary forest, and road/other urban area.

Why does Namog Cinnamon induce sleep

My guess is that the high composition of Eugenol in Namog Cinnamon is what induces sleep.  In a dissertation study at University Sabah Malaysia, they found out that the leaves of Namog Cinnamon contains high levels of Eugenol (93.13%).  Eugenol is used as anaesthetic, per the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) of the United States National Library of Medicine.  Eugenol is also highly present in clove oil (87%), per study of the North Carolina State University.  Clove oil is one of the highly popular essential oils used to induce sleep naturally.  Looking at the percentages, it appears that Namog Cinnamon has even more Eugenol than clove!  P.S. – Namog cinnamon leaf oil smells close to clove.

Why use Namog Cinnamon Leaves

The high levels of Eugenol in Namog Cinnamon leaves makes it a natural antioxidant and antibacterial agent, according to the study in University Sabah Malaysia.

Uses of Namog Cinnamon

1. Aromatherapy
   • • Personally, my daughter and I use it to sleep soundly.  Since I have difficulty going back to sleep, I tried many ways like counting sheep, drinking warm milk, etc, to no avail.  Only the namog cinnamon helped me fall back to sleep easily.  I’ve just tried sniffing it, and since it is effective, I didn’t try making tea of it anymore.
   • • It appears that Namog Cinnamon has more eugenol than clove; the latter also induces sleep.  I read from thebarkingdog website that clove oil helped him/her fall back to sleep.
   • I compared the smell of Cinnamomun Zeylanicum by crushing both leaves, and they smell differently.  Cinnamomum Iners has a stronger smell (also maybe because it is dry).
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2. Medicine
   • • My friend, the one who gave me the leaves, told me that locals drink the tea of the bark and leaves to relieve stomachache.
   • The same is documented by the NUS, that “The leaves are used traditionally in treating diarrhoea, dysentery, coughs, fever, and rheumatism. Leaf oil extracts from the plant have aromatherapeutic applications. In cases of poisoning by the latex from Antiaris toxicaria (Poison Arrow Tree or Ipoh Tree), the leaves can also be used to produce an antidote.”
3. Condiment
   • • Bay laurel is one of most favorite spices, so I was happy that I could substitute by laurel with Namog Cinnamon.  I’ve personally used the Namog Cinnamon leaves to flavor our adobo and boiled peanuts.  I used the Namog Cinnamon leaves, as I would use the Bay laurel leaf (Cinnamon and Bay Laurel belong to the same family, Lauraceae).  I totally enjoyed the scent while the food was cooking, as well as the delicate flavor that is distinctively Namog Cinnamon.
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   • • There are many dishes that could be cooked with Cinnamon leaves.
       • Generally, cinnamon leaves are cooked with stews, pilafs and curries.
       • Spiced Basmati Rice
       • Chickpeas Curry
       • Cinnamon Lamb Curry
   • • Here’s a great forum where they discussed how to use cinnamon leaves.
   • Of course, there are a myriad of recipes using bay laurel leaf, which you can substitute with Namog Cinnamon leaves.

Where to get Namog Cinnamon leaves

I’m lucky to find Namog Cinnamon here in Negros Occidental, the Philippines.  I can sell some to those who are interested.  Please check out the Shop page (bottom portion).

I’m getting more and more appreciative of planting cinnamon, given the benefits of its bark, leaves, and seeds.  I also wrote about our native Kalingag cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon (planted in container), in case you’d like to learn more.

No wonder cinnamon has been used for centuries and is even mentioned in the Bible.

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