Magickal Properties of Cinnamon for Herbalism & Witchcraft

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Lore & History of Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been seen in ancient texts from the Bible to Ancient Egypt, consisting of lore and medicinal uses. 

The spice is obtained from the inner bark of several trees, including Cassia & Ceylon; both are very similar but have different mentions in ancient texts.

In Ancient China, cinnamon was used as incense in temples associated with Heng-O, the lunar goddess. Ceylon cinnamon is preferred in Chinese medicine.

In the Bible, it was one of the spices Moses was commanded to use when anointing the Tabernacle. 

In Ancient Egypt, cinnamon was considered a sacred gift to gods and kings. Its strong scent lent itself to the mummification process and an ingredient in Egyptian perfume. 

In Ancient Greece,  rulers would sometimes gift the temple of Miletus with cinnamon & cinnamon trees, considered a high-value gift to Apollo. Later, when it became cheaper, and cinnamon became an addition to wine, it became associated with Dionysus. 

In Ancient Egypt, Greece, and later Rome, cinnamon was a funeral rite for the very wealthy. 

In Rome, leaves of the cinnamon tree were woven into wreaths that decorated temples.

In ethnomedicine, cinnamons were often used for "warming" methods. Medieval herbalists prescribed it for coughs and sore throats. In the Trotula, gargling cinnamon infused in wine is recommended to strengthen the uvula. In other traditions, it is valued as a traditional aphrodisiac.

Although it is aligned with the element of fire, cinnamon is a wood that aligns esoterically with Earth.

Cinnamon is often used as a powerful protectant against offensive spirits in spiritual practices. 

Magickal Attributes of Cinnamon

Cinnamon carries masculine energy related to the fire element and the planet Sun. It was often used as an offering for Apollo and, later on, Dioynious (due to its inclusion in wine). Aphrodite, Venus, and other deities of beauty and attraction are also associated with cinnamon due to its attribution of lust, sex, love, and passion.

Cinnamon is also one of the herbs we see associated with Chinese spirituality, associating it with the lunar goddess Heng-O.

Its occult attributes range and include: Consecration, Comfort, Healing,  Fortification, Good Fortune, Love, Lust, Money, Passion, Power, Prosperity, Protection, Purification, Psychic Abilities, Spirituality, Success, Reconciliation, Wealth.

Magickal Uses of Cinnamon

• Use to flush out negative energy.

• Consecrate to protect and enhance magickal energy

• Stimulate your spiritual awareness & abilities

• Enhance your seduction or attract love

• Use to attract money & good fortune 

• Blow ground cinnamon through your door for prosperity

• Add cinnamon to hot chocolate and drink for self-love 

• Use cinnamon oil or incense when performing rituals to purify, protect and enhance spellwork 

• Add to any spell to go manifest faster and with a higher chance of success

• Mix with honey and use as a lip scrub to enhance desirability*

• Add cinnamon to coffee for good fortune for the day

• Tie a bundle of cinnamon sticks and hangover doorway to ward off unwanted guests

• Use in a simmer pot to promote comfort 

• Bake with cinnamon and share with someone whose passion you wish to rekindle 

Medicinal Actions of Cinnamon

When utilizing cinnamon in herbalism, one should take note of the differences between Cassia and Ceylon. Although similar and contain some of the same herbal actions and energies, some notable differences exist.

The spice is obtained from the inner bark of several trees, including Cassia & Ceylon; both are very similar but have different mentions in ancient texts. Cassia has a higher amount of coumarin, which is a natural blood thinner.

Cassia is cheaper and typically found at most stores.

Energetically, cinnamon, both Cassia and Ceylon are drying & warming.

Cassia: Alterative, Analgesic, Antioxidant, Carminatie, Circulatory Stimulant, Diaphoretic, Digestive, Emmenagogue, Expectorant

Ceylon: Anti-inflammatory, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antioxidant, Astringent, Carminative, Circulatory Stimulant

*Safety: Topical use of cinnamon may irriate the skin, use with caution. Not recommended in use of children & non-culinary doses should be avoided in pregnancy, lactation, cases of ulcer and compromised livers. Avoid the warming herb when individuals have a fever.

Chevallier, Andrew. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. St Leonards, Nsw., Dorling Kindersley, 2001.

Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Woodbury, Mn., Llewellyn Publications, 2013.

---. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen. Llewellyn Worldwide, 8 Apr. 2012.

Giesecke, Annette, and P Ovidius Naso. The Mythology of Plants : Botanical Lore from Ancient Greece and Rome. Los Angeles, Ca, J. Paul Getty Museum, 2014.

Hoffmann, David. Medical Herbalism : The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, Vt., Healing Arts Press, 2003.

Schulke, Daniel, and Benjamin Vierling. The Green Mysteries an Occult Herbarium. Three Hands Pr, 2017.

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