chinese cinnamon

chinese cinnamon

(notes to the classic of Materia Medica)

[source] the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum fragrans, Cinnamomum fragrans, etc.

[plant morphology] 1. Tianzhugui (Haiyao materia medica), also known as Shangui and Yuegui (compendium), and Tu, Tu Guipi and yegui.

Evergreen trees, up to 17 meters high. The bark is ochre black and fragrant. Single leaf alternate, alternate and opposite near the branch tip; slightly leathery; long elliptic or elliptic, 9-12 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, apex obtuse, base acute, entire, dark green above, glossy below; with 3 veins from the base, central main vein at the upper part and 1-2 lateral veins; petiole smooth. There are 5-6 flowers in umbelliform, which grow in the axils of new branches; the flowers are small, tubular in base, 6-lobed perianth, 2-whorled, broadly elliptic or elliptic in shape, 3-long in inner whorl; there are 9 stamens, arranged in 3 whorls, anthers in outer 2 whorls are introverted, anthers in the third whorl are extroverted, anthers in the third whorl are 2-glandular in base, and there is 1-whorl staminode on the innermost surface; pistil is 1, ovary is superior, style is small. Berry globose, dark purple, base with persistent calyx tube, entire. The flowering period is June. The fruit ripens in December.

Born in the wild or cultivated in the garden. Distributed in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and other places.

The fruit of this plant (cinnamon) is also used for medicine. See special section for details.

② Yinxiang (Lingnan medicine collection record), see "Yinxiang Pi" for details.

③ Osmanthus fragrans

Tall evergreen trees. Bark gray; branchlets densely sericeous. Leaves opposite new branches, alternate on old branches, leathery, ovate elliptic to lanceolate, 4-14 cm long and 1-6 cm wide, apex long acuminate, base cuneate, entire, green on top, silky pubescent on bottom, 3-veined off base, conspicuously raised on back. Panicles axillary; pedicels and pedicels densely white pubescent; flowers pale yellow, perianth 6-lobed, base tubular; stamens and pistils similar to the former species. Berry elliptic, base with persistent calyx tube, entire. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruit period is from June to December.

It grows in mountains and forests. Distributed in Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and other places.

④ Sichuan osmanthus, also known as chaigui, smelly horse osmanthus.

Tall evergreen trees. Branches purple gray brown, smooth. Simple leaves alternate, nearly opposite; leathery; ovate to long ovate, 8-15 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, apex acuminate and apex obtuse, base wedge-shaped or obtuse, entire, green above, glabrous below, powdery below, white silky hair when young, glabrescent later; 3-veined from base, not raised below. The flowers are small, white, in panicles or umbels; the pedicel is slender, 1-6cm long, smooth or hairy; the pedicel is filiform, the apex is coarsening, with fine hairs; the perianth is 6-lobed, with sparse silky hairs inside and outside; the stamens and pistils are similar to the former species. Berry base with truncate persistent calyx, simple, entire. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruit period is from July to October.

It grows on slopes and forests in mountainous areas. It is distributed in Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

[collection] the bark was taken in winter and dried in the shade.

[medicinal material] the dried bark is curved or semicircular or irregular, about 30-60 cm long, 9 cm wide and 1-9 mm thick. The outer skin is black brown to black brown, with gray white spots, and the surface is corky or scaly, falling off and showing turtle like concave spots. The inner surface is dark reddish brown to dark brown. The outer layer of the section is grayish brown, the inner layer is reddish brown, and there are yellowish brown rays between them. The gas is fragrant and cool, and the taste is slightly sweet and pungent. It is better to have thin skin, roll shape and strong aroma.

It is mainly produced in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places. In addition, it is also produced in Yunnan and Anhui.

The dried bark of Cinnamomum camphora is still used as cinnamon in Shaanxi, Sichuan and Yunnan.

[chemical constituents] the bark of Cinnamomum cassia contains about 1% volatile oil, including oenanthine, oleanol and methyl eugenol. The leaves contain about 1% volatile oil, 60% safrole, 3% eugenol, 1,8-folin, etc.

The bark contains about 1% volatile oil and 12.8% tannin. The leaves contain about 1% volatile oil. The seed contains 40% fat oil.

[pharmacological action] the pharmacological actions of Cinnamaldehyde and eugenol contained in cinnamon are shown in "cinnamon" and "clove".

The results showed that cinnamon, which was not specified in one variety, had different degrees of inhibitory effect on a variety of pathogenic fungi, such as Xanthomonas schrenkiani and its Mongolian variety, Trichophyton commune, etc. in vitro. The effect of water extract was stronger than that of decoction, and that of ether and alcohol extract was stronger than that of water extract. Therefore, it is not reported whether it is eugenol or not.

[flavor] pungent, warm.

① Kaibao materia medica: "it is pungent, warm and non-toxic. "

② Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine annals: "it is hot in nature, sweet in taste, and has little poison. "

[Guijing] records of Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine: "four meridians of heart, liver, spleen and kidney. "

Functions and indications: warming spleen and stomach, dispersing wind and cold, and activating blood vessels. Treatment of abdominal cold, chest fullness, vomiting, choking diaphragm, rheumatic arthralgia, falling loss, blood stasis, blood dysentery, intestinal wind.

① "Materia medica collection": "it can cure all kinds of coldness in the abdomen and distending pain of blood gas. "

② Haiyao materia medica: "it can warm the waist and feet, evil blood after bankruptcy, cure blood dysentery and intestinal wind, and has the same skill as Guixin. "

③ Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine annals: "it can benefit liver and kidney, dredge channels, disperse wind and cold, remove dampness, warm waist and knee, and stop vomiting. It is used to treat the pain of muscles and bones, abdominal pain due to cold discharge, cholera vomiting, choking diaphragm, chest fullness, cold hernia of bladder, cold in waist and knee, rheumatic arthralgia, falling damage and blood stasis. "

[usage and dosage] oral administration: decoction, 1-2 yuan; or into pills, powder.

[taboo] records of Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine: "those with Yin deficiency and fire should not take it. "

[clinical application] treatment of Candida albicans

Take 100 g of cinnamon (unspecified variety) and 500 ml of ether, soak for 24 hours, filter, evaporate in warm water tank, remove ether, add 100 ml of distilled water, heat and vibrate, filter with filter paper, the filtrate is colorless and transparent, adjust pH to neutral, and sterilize in ampoules under high pressure, that is cinnamon injection. A total of 37 cases of various types of candidiasis albicans were treated, all of which were confirmed by clinical examination and fungal culture. Adults were injected intramuscularly twice a day, with a total volume of 4-10 ml, and children were given less. Results 27 cases were cured (clinical symptoms disappeared completely, culture turned negative), 6 cases were significantly improved (clinical symptoms disappeared basically, culture positive, but colony decreased significantly), 4 cases were improved (clinical symptoms improved significantly, culture positive, colony decreased). Among them, visceral candidiasis has better curative effect, generally the body temperature drops to normal after 2-5 days of medication, the symptoms improve and the culture turns negative; the curative effect of skin and mucous membrane infection is slow, generally the symptoms begin to improve after 3-7 days of medication, the shortest treatment is 12 days, the longest treatment is 119 days (once interrupted treatment). It should be noted that cinnamon combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics may prevent Candida albicans infection caused by dysbacteriosis of normal flora caused by antibiotics.

Chinese PinYin : Gui Pi