Ocotea quixos

Ocotea quixos
Dried Ishpingo (O. quixos) cupules
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Ocotea
Species:	O. quixos
Binomial name
Ocotea quixos (Lam.) Kosterm.

Otherwise known in Quechua as Ishpingo (which directly refers to the flowers ^[1]), Ocotea quixos is a species of tree found in Ecuador and Colombia. Ishpingo belongs to the Lauraceae family and the bark is used to produce 'Ecuadorian' (or 'American') cinnamon which bears some resemblance to common cinnamon (which also comes from a tree in this family).^[2]

The taste of Ecuadorian cinnamon is thought to come from the presence of methyl cinnamate and trans-cinnamaldehyde which are also found in the essential oils which come from the flower calices of the plant. The oils have previously been used in the traditional medicine of some Amazonian tribes for their anti-inflammatory properties and some peer-reviewed data also support this theory. Investigation of trans-cinnamaldehyde showed that it significantly reduced the production of NO by macrophages (cells of the immune system), which is something that normally occurs during inflammation. The same study of methyl cinnamate did not show this effect.^[3] It has also been shown that this oil can reduces the chance of blood clot formation by preventing platelet aggregation in the blood.^[4]

Ishpingo grows in soil which is mildly acidic and grows at an annual rate of roughly 6 inches for the first three years of its life.^[5] After flowering starts, the flowers are produces once every two years.^[6]

References

1. ^ http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/ocotea-essential-oil.html
2. ^ http://sangay.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/ecuador-culinary-tradition-colada-morada-con-guaguas-de-pan/
3. ^ http://www.compassionateconsulting.net/uploads/Ocotea_quixos_PDF_article_in_Fitoterapia_try_2.pdf
4. ^ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661806001721
5. ^ http://www.hawaiiantropicalplants.com/spice.html
6. ^ http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/ocotea-essential-oil.html