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Cinnamon (Rou Gui) is the dried bark of the plant Cinnamomum cassia Presl, belonging to the Lauraceae family. It is harvested in autumn and dried in the shade.
Cinnamon Plant
【Characteristics】 The product is channel-shaped or rolled, measuring 30-40 cm in length, with a width or diameter of 3-10 cm and a thickness of 0.2-0.8 cm. The outer surface is gray-brown, slightly rough, with irregular fine wrinkles and transverse raised pores, and some may show gray-white spots; the inner surface is reddish-brown, slightly flat, with fine longitudinal lines, and shows oil marks when scratched. It is hard and brittle, easily broken, with an uneven fracture surface; the outer layer is brown and rough, while the inner layer is reddish-brown and oily, with a yellow-brown line pattern between the two layers. It has a strong aroma and a sweet, spicy taste.
Cinnamon Medicinal Material
Cinnamon
Cinnamon Identification
True Cinnamon
The appearance is channel-shaped or rolled, with a thickness of 0.2-0.8 cm; the outer surface has transverse raised pores, and scratching reveals significant oil marks, indicating high oil content; when broken, the fracture surface is granular, with a yellow-brown line pattern between the inner and outer layers of cork; it has a strong aroma and a sweet, slightly spicy taste.
False Cinnamon (Yin Xiang): This is the bark of the plant Cinnamomum bur-manni (Nees) Blume.
The shape is often plate-like or semi-tubular, with a thickness of about 0.6-1.5 cm, thicker than the genuine product, with round raised skin and gray-white lichen spots. Sometimes the outer skin is partially scraped off, revealing recessed pore marks; the inner surface is brown and smooth; it is hard, with an uneven fracture surface, and the inner and outer layers are not clearly defined, with a thicker outer layer. The cut surface has numerous slightly shiny yellow-white spots, while the inner layer is thinner and dark brown, with strong oiliness. It has a camphor-like aroma, with a spicy, astringent, and slightly sweet taste.
False Cinnamon (Yin Xiang)
False Cassia Cinnamon: This is the bark of the plant Cinnamomum ta-mala (Buck-Ham.) Nees et Eberm.
The product is channel-shaped, semi-tubular, or irregular blocks, with a thickness of 0.4-1.5 cm. The outer surface is gray-brown and rough, sometimes showing gray-white spots. The inner surface is dark reddish-brown, with indistinct oil marks when scratched. It is hard and not easily broken, with an uneven fracture surface, and the inner and outer layers are not clearly defined, with a thicker outer layer. The cut surface has numerous slightly shiny yellow-white spots, while the inner layer is thinner and dark brown, with strong oiliness. It has a camphor-like aroma, with a spicy and slightly sweet taste.
False Cassia Cinnamon
False San Zuan Feng: This is the bark of the plants Lindera obtusiloba L. and Lindera umbellata Thunb.
The product is channel-shaped or semi-rolled, with a thickness of 0.2-0.4 cm. The outer surface is gray-brown, with irregular fine wrinkles, occasionally showing transverse grooves and white spots. The inner surface is dark reddish-brown, slightly smooth, with indistinct fine longitudinal lines. It is hard and brittle, easily broken, with an uneven fracture surface; the outer layer is light yellow-brown, while the inner layer is reddish-brown and oily. It has a faint aroma and a mild scent.
False San Zuan Feng
Confusable Product: Cassia
Confusable Product: Cassia
Chemical Composition
Cinnamon contains various nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, riboflavin, thiamine, and carotene. The bark contains volatile oil (known as cinnamon oil) at 1-2%, with the main component being cinnamaldehyde at 75-90%, along with small amounts of cinnamyl acetate and phenylpropyl acetate. This product does not contain eugenol and also contains mucilage and tannins.
Pharmacological Effects
1. Pharmacological effects related to efficacy and indications
(1) Effects on the cardiovascular system: ① Positive inotropic effect: Cinnamaldehyde can enhance the contractility of isolated guinea pig hearts and increase heart rate. ② Effects on blood vessels and blood pressure: Cinnamon and cinnamaldehyde can dilate peripheral blood vessels in animals, increasing coronary and cerebral blood flow, leading to decreased blood pressure. ③ Improvement of myocardial blood supply: Cinnamon aqueous extract and cinnamon oil can significantly improve myocardial blood supply in rats, increasing left ventricular diastolic pressure and coronary pressure, promoting collateral circulation in the myocardium.
(2) Effects on the digestive system: ① Anti-ulcer: Cinnamon has inhibitory effects on stress-induced ulcers, inflammatory pain, acetic acid, serotonin, and pyloric ligation ulcers in rats. Its anti-ulcer mechanisms include inhibiting gastric juice secretion and pepsin activity, increasing the content of amino hexose in gastric mucosa, and promoting blood flow in gastric mucosa; ② Stomach tonic and carminative: Cinnamon oil has a direct soothing stimulating effect on gastric mucosa, increasing digestive secretions and enhancing digestive function, aiding in the expulsion of gas from the digestive tract.
(3) Effects on the endocrine system: Cinnamon can cause thymic atrophy in young mice and decrease vitamin C levels in the adrenal glands, reducing cholesterol levels in the adrenal glands of yang deficiency model mice, indicating a significant promoting effect on adrenal cortex function. Cinnamon aqueous decoction has a function of improving sexual function, increasing plasma testosterone levels and decreasing plasma triiodothyronine (T3) levels.
(4) Anti-platelet aggregation and anticoagulation: Cinnamon extracts and cinnamaldehyde have inhibitory effects on ADP-induced platelet aggregation in rats both in vivo and in vitro. Cinnamon aqueous decoction and water-soluble methanol fractions can also prolong plasma recalcification time in rats, exhibiting anticoagulant effects.
(5) Anti-inflammatory effects: Cinnamon extracts significantly inhibit swelling in rat paws induced by carrageenan, swelling in mouse auricles induced by xylene, and granulation tissue proliferation induced by cotton balls in rats.
(6) Analgesic effects: Cinnamon aqueous decoction inhibits pain responses in animals induced by thermal, chemical, and pressure tail stimuli.
2. Other pharmacological effects
(1) Effects on the central nervous system: Cinnamon oil, sodium cinnamate, and cinnamaldehyde have sedative and anticonvulsant effects. Cinnamaldehyde reduces spontaneous activity in animals, synergizing with the anesthetic effects of sodium pentobarbital, counteracting excessive activity induced by amphetamine and delaying the onset of tonic seizures and death induced by strychnine.
(2) Antimicrobial effects: Cinnamaldehyde exhibits antimicrobial activity against 31 strains of 22 species of opportunistic pathogenic fungi, characterized by a broad spectrum and low toxicity. Cinnamon decoction and alcoholic and ether extracts of cinnamon also significantly inhibit and kill various pathogenic skin fungi such as Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans. Cinnamon oil also has inhibitory effects on Gram-positive bacteria. Cinnamon alcohol extracts can significantly inhibit the adhesion of Streptococcus mutans cells to glass surfaces, suggesting a preventive effect against dental caries.
Flavor and Meridian Affinity
Spicy, sweet, and very warm. It enters the Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and Liver meridians.
Functions and Indications
Tonifies fire and assists yang, directs fire back to the source, disperses cold and alleviates pain, warms and unblocks the meridians. Used for impotence due to cold in the uterus, cold pain in the lower back and knees, shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency, floating yang, dizziness with red eyes, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea due to cold, cold hernia abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, and amenorrhea.
Dosage and Administration
1-5 g.
Precautions
Use with caution in individuals with bleeding tendencies and pregnant women; should not be used with red stone fat.
Storage
Store in a cool, dry place.
Note: This article is for reference only; specific treatment and medication should follow medical advice! This public account is only for academic exchange.