Cinnamon (Ròuguì), also known as Mu Gui (牡桂), Zǐ Guì (紫桂), and Dà Guì (大桂), is the dried bark of the Cinnamomum plant from the Lauraceae family. It is used in medicine for its ability to tonify fire and assist yang, return fire to the source, disperse cold and alleviate pain, and warm and unblock the meridians. It is effective in treating conditions such as impotence due to cold in the womb, cold pain in the lower back and knees, cough due to kidney deficiency, floating yang, dizziness with red eyes, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, cold-induced vomiting and diarrhea, cold hernia abdominal pain, and dysmenorrhea. Let’s take a closer look at the efficacy and functions of cinnamon!The Medicinal Efficacy of Cinnamon【Properties】Pungent, sweet, and very warm.【Meridians Entered】Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and Liver meridians.【Functions】Tonifies fire and assists yang, returns fire to the source, disperses cold and alleviates pain, warms and unblocks the meridians. It is indicated for impotence due to cold in the womb, cold pain in the lower back and knees, cough due to kidney deficiency, floating yang, dizziness with red eyes, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, cold-induced vomiting and diarrhea, cold hernia abdominal pain, and dysmenorrhea.Related Discussions on Cinnamon1. Shennong Bencao Jing (神农本草经):Indicated for cough due to qi deficiency, throat obstruction, benefits the joints, and tonifies the middle and boosts qi.2. Yao Xing Lun (药性论):Indicated for nine types of heart pain, kills three types of parasites, breaks blood stasis, regulates menstruation, treats soft feet, numbness, retained placenta, relieves cough, qi obstruction, and abdominal cold pain, and treats diarrhea and nasal polyps.Kills plant toxins.3. Rihua Zi Bencao (日华子本草):Treats all types of wind conditions, tonifies the five fatigues and seven injuries, opens the nine orifices, benefits the joints, nourishes essence, brightens the eyes, warms the lower back and knees, breaks phlegm and masses, dispels blood stasis, treats wind bi syndrome with joint contraction, and promotes muscle and bone regeneration.4. Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目):Treats cold bi syndrome, wind obstruction, excessive yin leading to blood loss, diarrhea, and convulsions due to yang deficiency and blood loss, internal abscesses, and can draw blood to transform sweat and pus, and detoxifies snake venom.Pharmacological Effects of Cinnamon1. Sedative Effect:The compound cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon has a significant sedative effect on mice, demonstrated by reduced spontaneous activity, counteracting excessive activity induced by methamphetamine, motor coordination impairment in the rotarod test, and prolonging the anesthetic time of cyclohexobarbital.It has been proven to have analgesic effects using tail pressure stimulation or intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid to observe twisting movements.2. Antipyretic Effect:Cinnamon has a cooling effect on normal body temperature in mice and on artificial fever induced by typhoid and paratyphoid mixed vaccines.In rabbits with fever induced by thermal stimulation, both cinnamaldehyde and sodium cinnamate exhibit antipyretic effects.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 seizures induced by picrotoxin.3. Hypotensive Effect:A compound of Fuzi (附子) and cinnamon has a hypotensive effect on rats with adrenal cortical hypertension (model created by burning one side of the adrenal gland), but has no effect on renal hypertension rats (model created by ligating the kidney in a figure-eight shape).This effect may be due to the promotion of reduced adrenal activity by Fuzi and cinnamon, returning it to normal.4. Anticoagulant Effect:Cinnamon shows significant inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation in rats in both in vitro and in vivo tests. In vitro tests show that cinnamon decoction and methanol extract have strong anticoagulant effects.The isolated compounds from cinnamon, such as cinnamic acid and coumarin, do not exhibit significant anticoagulant effects.In vivo tests of cinnamon decoction also show no anticoagulant effect and do not affect rabbit fibrinolytic activity.5. Menstrual Regulation:Large amounts of cinnamon oil can cause uterine congestion, demonstrating a menstrual regulation effect, providing experimental evidence for the ancient herbal texts that mention its potential to induce miscarriage.6. Antimicrobial Effect:Cinnamon oil has strong antimicrobial properties, being more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative ones. Due to its irritant nature, it is rarely used as an antimicrobial drug, but external application can treat stomach pain and gastrointestinal bloating.Medicinal Formulas with Cinnamon1. Shiquan Dabu Tang (十全大补汤):Tonifies qi and blood, nourishes the heart and calms the spirit, indicated for deficiency due to overwork, shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations, and dry throat.2. Ren Shen Yang Ying Tang (人参养营汤):Warms and tonifies qi and blood, indicated for qi and blood deficiency, chronic cough, poor appetite, nocturnal emissions, weakness in the legs and knees, non-healing sores, and women’s excessive bleeding.3. Wujisan (五积散):Regulates qi and transforms phlegm, invigorates blood and resolves accumulation, indicated for exterior wind-cold, internal cold injury, fever without sweating, headache, body aches, stiff neck, fullness in the chest, poor appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, and women’s blood qi disharmony, abdominal pain, and irregular menstruation due to cold.4. Shaoyao Tang (芍药汤):Harmonizes qi and blood, clears heat and detoxifies, indicated for damp-heat dysentery.5. Suzi Jiangqi Tang (苏子降气汤):Descends qi and relieves wheezing, expels phlegm and stops cough, used for excess above and deficiency below, phlegm and fluid obstruction in wheezing and coughing.Methods of Consuming Cinnamon1. Lamb Cinnamon Soup:6 grams of cinnamon added to about 500 grams of stewed lamb, after cooking, both the meat and soup can warm the stomach, strengthen the spleen, warm the lower back and knees, and treat abdominal cold and bloating.2. Cinnamon Powder:3 grams of cinnamon ground into fine powder, taken twice a day with warm water, can treat stomach bloating and cold pain. Adding cinnamon powder to dishes can help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.3. Cinnamon Brown Sugar Tea:3-6 grams of cinnamon and 12 grams of brown sugar, decocted in water and taken warm in two doses.It can treat postpartum abdominal pain in women: before menstruation, use 3 grams of cinnamon, 9 grams of hawthorn fruit, and 30 grams of brown sugar, decoct in appropriate water for three to five minutes, and take in two doses.It can also treat abdominal bloating and pain during menstruation.4. Cinnamon Paste:6 grams of cinnamon and 6 grams of clove, ground into fine powder, placed in a plaster and applied to the navel of children, can treat diarrhea in children.5. Cinnamon Fuzi Egg Soup:3 grams of cinnamon, 9 grams of fuzi, and 1 egg, decoct cinnamon and fuzi, strain, then add the egg, cook, and consume the egg and broth twice a day.It can treat excessive vaginal discharge.6. Cinnamon Honey Drink:30 minutes before breakfast and before bed, mix two spoons of honey and one spoon of cinnamon powder in a cup of hot water and drink.Regular consumption can prevent the body from accumulating fat even when consuming high-calorie foods.You may also like:
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