Cinnamon has been used as a spice for thousands of years; several references to it are found in the Bible. In Egypt, cinnamon was a spice used in embalming fl uid. In Ayurvedic medicine, cinnamon bark was used as an antiemetic, antidiarrheal, antifl atulent, and general stimulant. The Portuguese found cinnamon trees growing in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) during the early 16th century; they subsequently imported cinnamon to Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Dutch occupied Sri Lanka in the mid -17th century until the British captured the island in 1796. The East India Company then became the main exporter of cinnamon to Europe. The Dutch cultivated cinnamon in Java, and the exports of Ceylon cinnamon decreased as a result of heavy export duties. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka is the only regular supplier of cinnamon bark and leaf oils. The food industry prefers Ceylon cinnamon, but pharmaceutical manufacturers use both oils from Ceylon cinnamon (cinnamon oil) and from Chinese cinnamon (cassia oil) interchangeably. China is the main exporter of cassia oil.