“Traditional Chinese Medicine Dictionary”: Cinnamon (Ròu Guì)
Pinyin Ròu Guì
Alias Mǔ Guì (牡桂, “Male Cinnamon”), Zǐ Guì (紫桂, “Purple Cinnamon”), Dà Guì (大桂, “Large Cinnamon”), Là Guì (辣桂, “Spicy Cinnamon”), Guì Pí (桂皮, “Cinnamon Bark”), Yù Guì (玉桂, “Jade Cinnamon”).
Source “Tang Ben Cao” (《唐本草》)
Origin The dry bark and branch bark of the Lauraceae plant Ròu Guì. Generally harvested from August to October, the bark is stripped from the tree in specified widths and processed into various specifications, mainly including the following types:
① Guān Guì: Bark stripped from young trees aged 5-6 years, dried in the sun for 1-2 days, and rolled into cylindrical shapes to dry in the shade.
② Qì Biān Guì: Bark stripped from trees over ten years old, with both ends trimmed, and dried between wooden boards.
③ Bǎn Guì: Bark stripped from older cinnamon trees, with a circular incision made 30 cm above the ground, the bark peeled off, and dried in a press until 90% dry, then stacked and pressed for about a month until fully dried.
As for “Guì Xīn” (桂心), it refers to the edge strips removed during the processing of cinnamon. All types of cinnamon products should be stored in a dry, cool place or in sealed tin boxes.
Plant Morphology Cinnamon, also known as Guì Mù (桂木, “Cinnamon Tree”), Shēn (梫), Mù Guì (木桂, “Wood Cinnamon”), Guì Tóng (桂桐, “Cinnamon Paulownia”).
It is an evergreen tree, 12-17 meters tall. The bark is gray-brown and aromatic, with young branches slightly quadrangular. The leaves are alternate, leathery; elongated oval to nearly lanceolate, 8-17 cm long, 3.5-6 cm wide, with a pointed tip and blunt base, entire margin, green and glossy above, gray-green and covered with fine hairs below; with three prominent veins from the base, and fine veins parallel; petioles robust, 1-2 cm long. The inflorescence is a cone-shaped cluster, axillary or near the top, 10-19 cm long, covered with short fine hairs; flowers small, about 3 cm in diameter; pedicels about 5 mm long; calyx tube about 2 mm long, with 6 lobes, yellow-green, oval, about 3 mm long, densely covered with short fine hairs inside and outside; with 9 stamens in 3 whorls, anthers are oblong, 4-celled, with the outer 2 whorls of filaments without glands, the inner whorls facing inward, and the third whorl facing outward, with 2 glands at the base of the filaments, and one whorl of degenerate stamens inside, the anthers heart-shaped; the pistil is slightly shorter than the stamens, the ovary is oval, 1-celled, with 1 ovule, the style is slender, nearly equal in length to the ovary, and the stigma is slightly disc-shaped. The fruit is oval or obovate, slightly flattened at the tip, dark purple, about 12-13 mm long, with persistent calyx. The seeds are elongated oval and purple. The flowering period is from May to July, and the fruiting period is until February to March of the following year.
The tender branches (Guì Zhī) and immature fruits (Guì Dīng) of this plant are also used medicinally, detailed in specific entries.
Habitat Distribution Cultivated in sandy soil and sloped mountainous areas. Distributed in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other regions, mainly produced in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Yunnan.
Properties ① Guān Guì (《本草图经》)
Also known as Jūn Guì (菌桂, “Mushroom Cinnamon”), Tǒng Guì (筒桂, “Tube Cinnamon”), Guì Er Tōng, Guì Tōng, Tiáo Guì. It is semi-grooved or cylindrical, about 40 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, and 1-3 mm thick. The outer surface is gray-brown, with fine wrinkles and small cracks, the bark pores are oval, occasionally with raised transverse lines and gray spots; when the cork is scraped off, the surface is smoother, reddish-brown, commonly referred to as “Guì Xīn”. The inner surface is dark reddish-brown and granular. It is hard and brittle, with a purple-red or brown-red cross-section, showing light-colored stone cell clusters, and the fracture lines are ring-shaped. It has a fragrant aroma and a sweet-spicy taste.
② Qì Biān Guì
Also known as Qīng Huà Guì. It is long and flat, with both sides curling inward, and the center slightly concave, 40-50 cm long, 4.5-6 cm wide, and 3-6 mm thick. The outer surface is gray-brown, and the inner surface is reddish-brown, showing brown oil lines when scratched with a fingernail. It has a strong aroma, and other properties are similar to Guān Guì.
③ Bǎn Guì (《本草图经》)
Also known as Guì Nán. It is plate-like, usually 30-40 cm long, 5-12 cm wide, and about 4 mm thick, with rough ends.
All of the above are best when the bark is fine and thick, with a purple-red cross-section, high oil content, strong aroma, sweet and slightly spicy, and little residue when chewed.
Chemical Composition The bark contains volatile oil (known as cinnamon oil) 1-2%, with the main component being cinnamaldehyde 75-90%, and contains small amounts of cinnamic acid esters, phenylpropionic acid esters, etc. This product does not contain eugenol. It also contains mucilage, tannins, etc.
Pharmacological Effects ① Effects on the Central Nervous System
Cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon has a significant sedative effect on mice, manifested as reduced spontaneous activity. It counteracts excessive activity induced by methamphetamine, motor coordination issues in the rotarod test, and prolongs the anesthetic time of cyclohexyl barbiturate. It has been proven to have analgesic effects through tail pressure stimulation or intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid to observe twisting movements. It has a cooling effect on normal body temperature in mice and on artificially induced fever from typhoid and paratyphoid mixed vaccines. Cinnamaldehyde and sodium cinnamate have antipyretic effects on rabbits with fever induced by thermal stimulation. It can delay the onset of tonic seizures and death caused by strychnine and reduce the incidence of tonic seizures and death caused by nicotine. It is ineffective against those induced by pentobarbital.
② Antihypertensive Effects
The combination of Fu Zi and cinnamon has antihypertensive effects on rats with adrenal cortical hypertension (model created by burning one side of the adrenal gland); it has no effect on renal hypertension rats (model created by ligating the kidney in an 8-shape). This effect may be due to the combination promoting the reduced activity of the adrenal gland, bringing it back to normal.
③ Preventive Effects on Schistosomiasis
Mice were orally administered a decoction (unspecified variety) at 0.2 ml/10 g body weight (10.8 g/180 ml) for 15 days, and on the third day of medication, they were infected with schistosomiasis, showing no preventive effect. However, when used in combination with realgar, betel nut, and ferula, it showed some effectiveness.
④ Other Effects
Cinnamon oil has strong antibacterial effects, better against Gram-positive bacteria than negative ones. Due to its irritant nature, it is rarely used as an antibacterial drug, but it can be applied externally to treat stomach pain, gastrointestinal bloating, and cramping. Internally, it can be used as a stomach tonic and carminative. It also has significant antifungal effects and has been used in a mixture containing 1.5% cinnamon oil and 0.5% thyme phenol to treat tinea capitis. Cinnamaldehyde and sodium cinnamate can cause vasodilation in frog web membranes and increase white blood cells in rabbits.
Toxicity Cinnamon is a hot and spicy medicine, and the herbal texts record it as having “slight toxicity”; thus, it should not be used in excessive amounts. There have been reports of dizziness, blurred vision, eye swelling, dry cough, reduced urination, thirst, and rapid pulse after taking 1.2 taels of cinnamon powder at once, with toxic reactions gradually alleviating after switching to cold medicines over 1-2 weeks.
Preparation Remove impurities, scrape off the rough bark, and crush it when needed; or scrape off the rough bark, soak in warm water for a moment, slice, and dry.
Properties and Taste Spicy, sweet, hot.
① “Shennong’s Classic”: “Taste is spicy and warm.”
② “Bielu”: “Taste is sweet and spicy, very hot, with slight toxicity.”
③ “Yao Xing Lun”: “Taste is bitter and spicy, non-toxic.”
④ “Medical Origins”: “Aromatic and hot, with a strong spicy taste.”
Meridians Entered Enters the Kidney, Spleen, and Bladder meridians.
① “Pearl Bag”: “Sun meridian.” “Foot Shaoyin meridian.”
② “Leigong’s Preparation and Pharmacological Properties”: “Enters the Heart, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney meridians.”
③ “Bencao Jing Shu”: “Enters the Hand and Foot Shaoyin, Jueyin blood divisions.”
Main Functions and Indications Tonifies the Yang, warms the Spleen and Stomach, eliminates cold accumulation, and promotes blood circulation. Treats deficiency of the Mingmen fire, cold limbs, weak pulse, Yang deficiency collapse, abdominal pain and diarrhea, cold hernia, low back and knee pain, menstrual disorders, yin sores, and floating Yang.
① “Shennong’s Classic”: “Mainly treats cough and reverse qi, throat obstruction, facilitates joints, and tonifies Qi.”
② “Bielu”: “Mainly treats heart pain, flank wind, flank pain, warms the tendons, promotes circulation, stops restlessness, and sweating. It warms the middle, facilitates liver and lung Qi, treats cold diseases in the heart and abdomen, cholera, cramps, headaches, low back pain, stops salivation, cough, and nasal congestion; can induce abortion, strengthen bones and joints, promote blood circulation, and harmonize insufficiencies; facilitates the action of all medicines, without fear.”
③ “Yao Xing Lun”: “Mainly treats various heart pains, kills three worms, breaks blood, promotes menstruation, treats soft feet, numbness, retained placenta, eliminates cough and reverse qi, obstructs cold qi in the abdomen, unbearable pain, treats diarrhea, and nasal polyps. Kills plant and wood toxins.”
④ “Rihua Zi Bencao”: “Treats all wind diseases, tonifies the five labors and seven injuries, opens the nine orifices, facilitates joints, benefits essence, brightens the eyes, warms the low back and knees, breaks phlegm and masses, eliminates blood stasis, treats wind bi and joint contractions, restores tendons and muscles.”
⑤ “Pearl Bag”: “Removes wind evil, treats lower abdominal pain in autumn and winter.”
⑥ “Medical Origins”: “Tonifies the lower jiao deficiency, treats cold shoulder and cold exterior sweating. “Main Treatment Essentials”: “Promotes urination, stops thirst.”
⑦ “Medication Principles”: “Counters cold evil, treats floating Yang.”
⑧ Wang Haogu: “Tonifies the deficiency of the Mingmen, benefits fire and eliminates Yin.”
⑨ “Gāng Mù”: “Treats cold bi, wind aphasia, Yin excess blood loss, diarrhea, and shock. Treats Yang deficiency blood loss, internal abscesses, and can draw blood to transform sweat and pus, detoxifies snake venom.”
Dosage and Administration Internal use: decoction, 1.5-4.5 g; or in pills, powders. External use: appropriate amount, ground into powder for application or soaked in alcohol for topical use.
Precautions Contraindicated in Yin deficiency with excess fire, pregnancy, and caution in cases of blood heat causing bleeding.
① “Bielu”: “Avoids ginseng, licorice, Ophiopogon, rhubarb, and Scutellaria.”
② “Yao Dui”: “Avoids stone resin.”
③ “Bencao Jing Shu”: “Avoids blood collapse, blood lin, blood in urine, Yin deficiency with vomiting blood, nasal bleeding, tooth bleeding, sweating blood, urinary issues due to heat, constipation due to heat, lung heat cough, excessive blood loss postpartum, and postpartum blood deficiency fever, blood deficiency with cold heat postpartum, and blood deficiency with alternating cold and heat, bitter mouth and dry tongue. Women with blood heat during menstruation, men and women with Yin deficiency, internal heat with external cold, heat stroke, diarrhea, and blood heat, all contraindicated.”
④ “Bencao Tong Xuan”: “Avoids fire exposure.”
⑤ “De Pei Bencao”: “Avoids phlegm cough, throat pain, blood deficiency with internal dryness, pregnancy, and postpartum blood heat, all contraindicated.”
⑥ “Bencao Qiuzhen”: “Avoids deficiency of essence and blood, and excessive liver fire.”
Formulas ① For treating kidney Qi deficiency, lower jiao cold, abdominal pain, frequent urination at night, weak knees, fatigue, dark complexion, loss of appetite; foot Qi rising, numbness in the lower abdomen; deficiency of labor, thirst, heavy low back pain, tightness in the lower abdomen, urinary issues; male diabetes with frequent urination; female menstrual issues: 3 liang of peony root, 3 liang of white poria, 3 liang of alisma, 8 liang of cooked rehmannia, 4 liang of cornel, 4 liang of Chinese yam, 2 liang of prepared aconite (peeled and pitted), and 2 liang of cinnamon (peeled). Grind into powder, mix with honey to form pills the size of a wutong seed. Take 15-25 pills with warm wine before meals, twice daily. (This is the Eight Flavor Pill from “Jinkui Shenqi Wan”).
② For treating insufficient Yang, declining Mingmen fire, cold spleen and stomach, reduced appetite, or nausea and bloating; or stomach upset, or fear of cold, or abdominal pain, or frequent diarrhea, or urinary incontinence, or cold invading the valleys causing joint pain, or cold in the lower jiao causing water retention, and true Yang deficiency fatigue, palpitations, and weakness: 8 liang of cooked rehmannia, 4 liang of Chinese yam (stir-fried), 3 liang of cornel (slightly stir-fried), 4 liang of goji berries (slightly stir-fried), 4 liang of deer antler glue (stir-fried), 4 liang of dodder (processed), 4 liang of eucommia (stir-fried with ginger soup), 3 liang of angelica (do not use if loose stools), and 2 liang of cinnamon (can gradually increase to 4 liang), and 2 liang of prepared aconite (can gradually increase to 5-6 liang). First, steam the cooked rehmannia until soft, then grind into a paste, mix with honey to form pills the size of a ball. Chew 2-3 pills with warm white soup. (This is the Right Return Pill from “Jingyue Quanshu”).
③ For treating summer heat and hidden heat, excessive drinking, dampness affecting the spleen and stomach, mixing clear and turbid, reverse Qi of Yin and Yang, cholera, vomiting, and disordered organs: 30 jin of licorice (chopped, 1 foot long), 4 jin of dried ginger (stir-fried), 4 jin and 4 liang of apricot kernels (peeled and roasted), and 4 jin of cinnamon (peeled and roasted). First, stir-fry the licorice with white sand until 80% yellow, then add the dried ginger and stir-fry until the ginger cracks, then add the apricot kernels and stir-fry until they stop making noise, then sift and grind the cinnamon into powder. Take 2 qian, decoct until 70% remains, remove dregs, and take warm. If restless, can be adjusted with well water, or taken with boiling soup. (This is the Big Foot Powder from “Jukang Fang”).
④ For treating cold Qi attacking the heart and abdomen, excessive vomiting, and loss of appetite: 1 liang of Guì Xīn, 1 liang of high-quality ginger (chopped), 1 liang of angelica (chopped, slightly stir-fried), 1.5 liang of cardamom (peeled), and 2 liang of magnolia bark (peeled, coated with ginger juice and stir-fried until fragrant). Grind the above ingredients into powder, take 3 qian with 1 cup of water, decoct until 60% remains, remove dregs, and take warm. (This is the Guì Xīn Powder from “Sheng Hui Fang”).
⑤ For treating chronic cold accumulation, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and self-sweating: 4 jin of pepper, 4 jin of cinnamon, 6 jin of dried ginger (stir-fried), and 6 jin of high-quality ginger. Grind into fine powder, boil with water to make pills the size of a wutong seed. Take 20 pills with rice soup before meals. (This is the Big Cold Pill from “Jukang Fang”).
⑥ For treating nine types of heart pain and obstruction: 0.5 liang of Guì Xīn. Grind into powder, take with 1 cup of wine, decoct until half a cup remains, remove dregs, and take warm. (This is from “Sheng Hui Fang”).
⑦ For treating persistent diarrhea: 1 liang of cinnamon (peeled), 1 liang of prepared aconite (peeled), 1 liang of dried ginger (stir-fried), and 1 liang of red stone resin. Grind the four ingredients into powder, mix with honey to form pills the size of a wutong seed. Take 20 pills with rice soup before meals, three times a day. (This is the Guì Fù Pill from “Sheng Ji Zong Lu”).
⑧ For treating cold hernia causing abdominal pain: 4 liang of Guì Xīn, 3 liang of fresh ginger, and 2 liang of Wu Zhu Yu. Chop the three ingredients, soak in 1 large sheng of wine, decoct until 3 cups remain, remove dregs, and divide into three warm doses. Take after walking 6-7 li. Avoid raw scallions. (This is the Zhu Xīn Soup from “Yao Seng Tan’s Collection of Proven Recipes”).
⑨ For treating floating hernia and abdominal masses: 5 qian of cinnamon, 5 qian of dried ginger, and 5 qian of fennel, 2 qian of peony root, 2 qian of wood fragrance, 2 qian of betel nut, and 5 fen of licorice; decoct and take. (This is from “Fang Mai Zheng Zong”).
⑩ For treating true cold low back pain, with tight pulses, blue tongue, contracted scrotum, and shivering: 3 qian of internal cinnamon, 3-4 qian of aconite (use fresh if urgent), and 2 qian of eucommia. Take warm. (This is the Guì Fù Du Zhong Soup from “Hui Yue Yi Jing”).
⑪ For treating postpartum abdominal masses: cinnamon powder, take with warm wine, 1 tablespoon, three times a day. (This is from “Zhou Hou Fang”).
⑫ For treating postpartum residual cold, diarrhea with pus and blood, frequent bowel movements, and abdominal pain with blood: 2 liang of Guì Xīn, 2 liang of licorice, 1 sheng of white honey, 2 liang of dried ginger, 3 liang of angelica, and 10 liang of red stone resin (wrapped in cotton). Boil the seven ingredients in 6 sheng of water until 3 sheng remains, add honey, boil again, and divide into three doses. (This is the Guì Xīn Soup from “Qian Jin Yi Fang”).
⑬ For treating children’s diarrhea with red and white: equal parts of Guì Xīn and Huang Lian. Grind into powder, make small pills the size of a bean, take 30 pills with rice soup. (This is the Guì Lián Pill from “Pu Ji Fang”).
⑭ For treating children’s nocturnal enuresis: Guān Guì (ground), and one rooster liver, equal parts. Mash and form pills the size of green beans, take with warm soup, three times a day. (This is the Guì Gān Pill from “Wan Bing Huo Chun”).
⑮ For treating wind-heel pain, bone sores, and all yin sores: 1 liang of cooked rehmannia, 1 qian of cinnamon (peeled and ground), 5 fen of ephedra, 3 qian of deer antler glue, 2 qian of white mustard seed, 5 fen of ginger carbon, and 1 qian of sweet licorice. Decoct and take. (This is the Yang He Soup from “Wai Ke Quan Sheng Ji”).
⑯ For treating bruises and abdominal stasis: 2 liang of Guì Xīn and 2 liang of angelica, and 1 sheng of pollen. Grind the three ingredients, take with wine, 1 tablespoon, three times a day. (This is from “Qian Jin Fang”).
⑰ For treating psoriasis: 5 fen each of Guān Guì, ginger, and xixin, and 10 pieces of blister beetle (crushed). Soak in 3 liang of white wine for seven days, shaking once a day to extract effective components, filter to obtain clear juice, and mix with 30 ml of glycerin to reduce local irritation. Wash the affected area with warm water, then apply the medicinal liquid once a day or every other day. Avoid alcohol and spicy foods. (This is from “Zhong Yao Tong Bao” 1:10, 1957).
⑱ For treating throat pain and throat obstruction due to Yin deficiency and fire: 5 fen each of cinnamon, dried ginger, and licorice. Grind finely, steep in boiling water, and use a bowl to steep in boiling water, then slowly swallow. First, dip a goose feather in tung oil, insert it into the throat to remove phlegm, and then take the medicine for better effect. (This is from “Wai Ke Quan Sheng Ji” Du Jiang Soup).
Clinical Applications Treatment of bronchial asthma: Take 1 gram of cinnamon powder, add 10 ml of anhydrous alcohol, let it sit for 10 hours, then take 0.15-0.3 ml of the supernatant and mix with 2% procaine to make 2 ml, and inject into both sides of the lung Shu points, 1 ml per point. In a study of 21 cases, except for 1 case with no effect and 1 case with reduced symptoms, the rest all achieved control of asthma attacks. Among them, 1 case did not have an asthma attack after only 2 injections. Follow-up after one month showed that 5 cases had not relapsed. For those with cough and phlegm due to bronchitis, some expectorants such as Platycodon, Fritillaria, Aster, and White Peony Root were given. No serious reactions were observed during the treatment, and generally, after injection, only a feeling of warmth in the lung Shu area and chest was reported, or dryness in the throat, occasionally with a slight cinnamon taste in breathing, or slight pain radiating to the back, with some local injection sites showing small raised lumps with slight tenderness, which generally disappeared after about a week. As a precaution, it is contraindicated for asthma patients with advanced pulmonary tuberculosis, or those with cardiac insufficiency and severe weakness.
Notes “Shennong’s Classic” mentions Mǔ Guì and Jūn Guì, while “Ming Yi Bielu” also has a separate entry for “Guì”. “Bencao Gangmu” considers Guì to be Mǔ Guì and combines the two into one entry. It also states: “Guì is Ròu Guì,” indicating that Mǔ Guì and Ròu Guì are the same. As for Jūn Guì, Tao Hongjing describes it as “perfectly round like bamboo,” while “Tujing” states: “The bark is green-yellow, thinly rolled like a scroll, also known as Tǒng Guì.” Therefore, Jūn Guì is the same as Guān Guì today.
Excerpted from “Traditional Chinese Medicine Dictionary”