Cinnamon is a warming herbal medicine derived from the dried bark of Cinnamomum cassia Presl, a plant in the genus Cinnamomum of the Lauraceae family.It has the effects of tonifying fire and assisting yang, directing fire back to the source, dispelling cold and relieving pain, and warming and unblocking the meridians. It is primarily used for impotence and uterine coldness, cold pain in the lower back and knees, shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency, floating yang due to deficiency, dizziness and red eyes, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea caused by deficiency-cold, abdominal pain from cold hernia, and dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a warming herbal medicine derived from the dried bark of Cinnamomum cassia Presl, a plant in the genus Cinnamomum of the Lauraceae family.It has the effects of tonifying fire and assisting yang, directing fire back to the source, dispelling cold and relieving pain, and warming and unblocking the meridians. It is primarily used for impotence and uterine coldness, cold pain in the lower back and knees, shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency, floating yang due to deficiency, dizziness and red eyes, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea caused by deficiency-cold, abdominal pain from cold hernia, and dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea.
Chinese Name : 肉桂
Latin Name : Cinnamomi Cortex
Aliases : Mu Gui, Zi Gui, Da Gui
Authentic Producing Area : Mainly produced in Guangdong and Guangxi
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Taste: pungent and sweet; Nature: extremely hot; Enters the Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and Liver meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
This herb has the effects of tonifying fire and assisting yang, guiding fire back to its source, dispelling cold and relieving pain, and warming and unblocking the meridians.
Indications
It is primarily used for impotence and uterine coldness; cold pain in the lower back and knees; shortness of breath due to kidney deficiency; floating yang due to deficiency; dizziness and red eyes; cold pain in the chest and abdomen; vomiting and diarrhea caused by deficiency-cold; abdominal pain due to cold hernia; and dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea.
Usage and Dosage
Decoct and take 1–5 g.
Precautions
1. Contraindications for Combining Traditional Chinese Medicines (1) Cinnamon should not be used in combination with bauxite, as the aluminum silicate in bauxite can absorb the active ingredients in cinnamon, thereby reducing its therapeutic efficacy. (2) It should not be used in combination with senna leaves. (3) Aconite may exacerbate the side effects of cassia bark, such as headaches and dizziness; caution should be exercised when using them together. 2. Contraindications for Combining Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines (1) When used in combination with sedatives, anesthetics, or antihypertensive drugs, the dosage should not be excessive. (2) Propranolol may inhibit cassia bark’s ability to enhance myocardial contractility and increase heart rate; therefore, they should not be used together. (3) Phentolamine can antagonize the blood pressure-raising effect of cinnamaldehyde; therefore, they should not be used together. (4) When cinnamon bark is used in combination with aspirin, the diaphoretic effect is enhanced, increasing the risk of toxic reactions; therefore, they should not be used together. (5) It can inhibit the activity of pancreatic enzymes, reducing their ability to digest proteins; therefore, they should not be used together.
Chemical Constituents
It contains 1.98%–2.06% essential oil (cinnamon oil), with cinnamaldehyde as the main component, accounting for 52.92%–61.20%. Other constituents include cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl acetate, cinnamic acid, phenylpropionic acid acetate, coumarin, mucilage, and tannins.
Pharmacological Actions
This product has anti-peptic ulcer, antidiarrheal, cholagogue, and analgesic effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Shennong Bencao Jing*: Treats shortness of breath and coughing with counterflow, stagnant qi causing throat obstruction and difficulty breathing, promotes joint mobility, and tonifies the middle burner to boost qi.
2. *The Supplementary Record*: Treats heart pain, flank wind, and flank pain; warms the tendons; unblocks the meridians; relieves restlessness and induces sweating. Warms the middle burner; promotes the flow of liver and lung qi; treats cold and heat in the chest and abdomen, cold-induced diseases, cholera with muscle cramps, headaches, and lower back pain; stops excessive salivation, coughing, and nasal congestion; can induce abortion; strengthens joints; unblocks blood vessels; regulates and alleviates deficiencies; facilitates the action of all medicines without any adverse interactions.
3. *Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances*: It treats nine types of heart pain, kills three types of parasites, breaks up blood stasis, regulates menstrual obstruction, treats weak legs, bi syndrome, and numbness, addresses retained placenta, eliminates coughing and retching, resolves stagnant qi and bi obstruction, stops cold qi in the abdomen causing unbearable pain, treats dysentery and nasal polyps, and neutralizes the toxicity of plants and trees.
4. *Rihua Zi Bencao*: Treats all wind-related disorders; tonifies the five types of exhaustion and seven types of injury; opens the nine orifices; improves joint mobility; nourishes essence; improves vision; warms the lower back and knees; breaks up masses, nodules, and masses; dissipates stagnant blood; treats wind-induced arthralgia and joint contractures; mends tendons and bones; and regenerates muscle tissue.
5. *Zhenzhu Nang*: Expels wind-pathogens from the Wei layer; treats lower abdominal pain in autumn and winter.
6. *Yixue Qiyuan*: Tonifies deficiencies of the lower jiao; treats deep-seated cold and chronic chilliness, as well as spontaneous sweating due to exterior deficiency.
7. *Bencao Gangmu*: Treats cold-induced bi syndrome, wind-induced aphonia, blood loss due to yin excess, diarrhea and dysentery, and epilepsy; treats blood loss due to yang deficiency; supports the internal healing of abscesses, boils, and smallpox lesions; promotes blood circulation, induces sweating, and facilitates the discharge of pus; neutralizes the venom of snakes and vipers.
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. *Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang*: Shiquan Dabu Decoction—tonifies qi and nourishes blood; nourishes the heart and calms the spirit. Indicated for debility due to overwork and chronic deficiency, shortness of breath, labored breathing during movement, heart palpitations due to heart deficiency, and dry throat and lips.
2. *Formulas of the Taiping Huimin Huji Bureau*: Ginseng Nourishing the Nutritive Soup—Warmly tonifies qi and blood. Indicated for deficiency of qi and blood, consumptive cough, poor appetite, nocturnal emission, weakness in the legs and knees, non-healing sores and ulcers, and menorrhagia and metrorrhagia in women.
3. *Formulas of the Taiping Huimin Huji Bureau*: Five Accumulations Powder—Regulates qi and transforms phlegm; invigorates blood and eliminates accumulations. Indicated for external invasion by wind-cold, internal injury from raw and cold foods, fever without sweating, headache and body pain, stiffness in the neck and back, chest fullness and aversion to food, vomiting and abdominal pain, as well as conditions in women such as disharmony of blood and qi, pain in the heart and abdomen, and irregular menstruation—all of which are of a cold nature.
4. Peony Decoction from *The Collection of Disease Mechanisms, Qi Principles, and Life-Preserving Methods from the *Su Wen*: Harmonizes qi and blood, clears heat, and eliminates toxins; primarily treats damp-heat dysentery.
5. Perilla Seed Qi-Descending Decoction from *The Formulary of the Bureau of Compounded Medicines for the Welfare of the People*: Descends qi to relieve wheezing, expels phlegm, and stops coughing; used to treat wheezing and coughing caused by excess in the upper burner and deficiency in the lower burner, with excessive phlegm accumulation.
Related Compatibility
1. Cinnamon combined with Astragalus: Cinnamon excels at replenishing fire and assisting yang; Astragalus excels at tonifying qi. When used together, these two herbs have the effects of warming yang, tonifying qi, and promoting blood circulation. Suitable for qi deficiency, yang deficiency, insufficiency of qi and blood, and yin-type ulcers.
2. Cinnamon combined with Prepared Rehmannia: Cinnamon replenishes fire and assists yang; Prepared Rehmannia nourishes yin and blood.When used together, they nourish yin, support yang, and tonify the liver and kidneys. This combination is suitable for conditions such as kidney yang deficiency, decline of Mingmen fire, impotence, uterine cold, and cold pain in the lower back and knees.
3. Cinnamon Bark Combined with Dried Ginger: Cinnamon Bark excels at replenishing fire and supporting yang; Dried Ginger excels at warming the middle burner and dispelling cold. When used together, they enhance the effects of dispelling cold and relieving pain. This combination is suitable for chronic cold accumulation and pain in the chest and abdomen.
4. Cinnamon Bark paired with Aconite Root: Cinnamon Bark has a mild nature and can guide fire back to its source; Aconite Root has a potent nature and can restore yang and reverse collapse. When used together, they warm the kidneys, support yang, and guide fire back to its source. This combination is suitable for conditions such as weakness and soreness in the lower back and knees, aversion to cold and cold feet, impotence, and frequent urination resulting from deficiency of kidney yang and decline of Mingmen fire in the lower jiao.
5. Cinnamon Bark combined with Du Huo: Cinnamon Bark excels at warming and tonifying the liver and kidneys, as well as supplementing fire and assisting yang; Du Huo excels at dispelling wind and dampness and tonifying the liver and kidneys. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, as well as warming and tonifying the liver and kidneys. This combination is suitable for conditions involving wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, characterized by pain in the lower back and legs.
6. Cinnamon Bark combined with Evodia: Cinnamon Bark supplements fire, assists yang, dispels cold, and relieves pain;Eucommia is effective at regulating the liver, descending qi, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of warming the liver, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. This combination is suitable for individuals with abdominal pain caused by cold hernia.
7. Cinnamon Bark Combined with Atractylodes: Cinnamon Bark excels at tonifying the kidneys and supporting yang; Atractylodes excels at strengthening the spleen and drying dampness. When used together, these two herbs achieve the combined effect of tonifying the kidneys and strengthening the spleen. This combination is suitable for individuals with spleen-kidney yang deficiency presenting with vomiting and abdominal pain.
8. Cinnamon Bark combined with Angelica Root: Cinnamon Bark excels at warming yang, dispelling cold, and relieving pain; Angelica Root excels at nourishing blood, promoting the flow of stagnant blood, and relieving pain. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of warming yang, dispelling cold, invigorating blood circulation, regulating menstruation, and relieving pain caused by blood stasis. This combination is suitable for conditions such as deficiency-cold of the Chong and Ren meridians, cold menstruation with blood stasis, amenorrhea, and dysmenorrhea.
9. Cinnamon Bark combined with Myrrh: Cinnamon Bark excels at warming yang, dispelling cold, and invigorating blood to regulate menstruation; Myrrh excels at invigorating blood, resolving stasis, eliminating masses, and relieving pain. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of invigorating blood to regulate menstruation, eliminating masses, and relieving pain. This combination is suitable for conditions such as lower abdominal pain due to blood stasis, amenorrhea, and masses.
10. Cinnamon Bark Combined with Mulberry Parasite: Cinnamon Bark excels at dispelling cold and relieving pain; Mulberry Parasite excels at dispelling wind and removing dampness. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of dispelling wind, removing dampness, and relieving pain caused by cold. This combination is suitable for cold-induced bi syndrome with low back pain.
Medicinal Identification
1. Cinnamon Bark and Aconite Root: Both are purely yang, pungent, and hot herbs used to warm the interior. They are equally effective at tonifying fire and assisting yang to treat various conditions caused by kidney yang deficiency or spleen-kidney yang deficiency; they are also equally effective at dispelling cold and relieving pain to treat conditions such as direct invasion by cold pathogens, cold-damp bi pain, cold pain in chest bi, and jaundice due to yin deficiency.The difference lies in their properties: Aconite has potent toxicity and is used for severe cases of yang deficiency with internal cold; it is also effective at restoring yang and reversing collapse, treating conditions such as impending yang collapse, as well as yang deficiency with spontaneous sweating and yang deficiency due to external pathogens.Cinnamon Bark, on the other hand, is non-toxic and mild in action; although it cannot restore yang to reverse collapse, it excels at guiding fire back to the source, nourishing yang, and dispelling yin, treating various conditions caused by deficiency-cold in the lower jiao and the floating of deficient yang. It also enters the blood division, effectively warming the meridians and unblocking the vessels, treating menstrual pain due to cold in the meridians and blood stasis, amenorrhea, as well as abdominal pain from cold hernias and wandering abscesses.
2. Cassia Bark and Cassia Twig: Derived from the same plant, both are pungent, sweet, and warm in nature. Both can assist yang and dispel cold, warm the meridians and unblock the vessels, and relieve pain; both can treat cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, yang-deficiency edema, phlegm-fluid retention, chest bi syndrome, as well as dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea caused by cold in the meridians and blood stasis.The difference lies in their sources: Cinnamon Bark (Rou Gui) is derived from the bark of the tree trunk; it is potent and specifically targets the interior. It is also particularly effective at tonifying fire and assisting yang, as well as guiding fire back to its source, and is used to treat various conditions resulting from yang deficiency and fire decline, deficiency-cold in the lower jiao with floating yang, abdominal pain caused by cold hernia, and wandering abscesses. Cinnamon Twig (Gui Zhi) is derived from the tender branches of the tree; its action is milder and penetrates the interior. It is also particularly effective at inducing sweating and resolving exterior syndromes, and is used to treat wind-cold exterior syndromes with or without sweating.
Related Medicines
Compound Soapstone and Alum Pills, Heart Treasure Pills, Cinnamon Twig and Aconite with Rehmannia Pills (capsules, concentrated pills), Dysmenorrhea Relief Granules, Cinnamon Twig and Aconite with Li Zhong Pills.
Related Prescriptions
Rehmannia Decoction (from *Shengji Zonglu*), Yougui Pills (from *Jingyue Quanshu*), Yougui Decoction (from *Jingyue Quanshu*), Lower Abdomen Blood Stasis-Expelling Decoction (from *Yilin Gai Cuo*), and Baoyuan Decoction (from *Boaoxin Jian*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
A medicinal dish related to cinnamon is Cinnamon Congee.
1. Effects: Warms the middle burner and tonifies yang. Suitable for conditions such as uterine cold leading to infertility and cold-deficiency dysmenorrhea.
2. Ingredients: 1–2 g cinnamon powder, 100 g japonica rice, and an appropriate amount of sugar.
3. Preparation: Rinse the japonica rice, add sugar, and cook into porridge. Just before it is done, add the cinnamon powder, simmer over low heat, and remove from heat once the porridge thickens.
4. Usage: Consume warm on an empty stomach every night before bed.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with traditional Chinese medicine should first consult a licensed TCM hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
When the tree is over 10 years old and a layer of oil has accumulated in the phloem, the bark can be harvested and peeled. Peeling can be done in both spring and fall, though bark harvested in August–September is of superior quality. For ring-peeling, cut the bark slightly longer than the commercial specification (41 cm), peel off the cinnamon bark, and then cut it into strips slightly wider than the specified width (8–12 cm).Strip-by-strip peeling involves marking lines on the tree according to commercial specifications (slightly larger in length and width), peeling off each strip individually, and then processing them using either the earth pit oil-steaming method or the basket-covered steaming method. Bark harvested in April–May is called “spring cassia” and is of inferior quality, while that harvested in September is called “autumn cassia” and is of superior quality.After the bark is sun-dried, it is called cassia bark. Processed products include cassia sticks, cassia slabs, cassia chips, and oil cassia.
Processing Methods
Remove impurities and coarse bark. Crush before use.
Storage Methods
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
This product is groove-shaped or cylindrical, 30–40 cm long, 3–10 cm wide or in diameter, and 0.2–0.8 cm thick. The outer surface is grayish-brown, slightly rough, with irregular fine wrinkles and transversely protruding lenticels; some specimens may exhibit grayish-white streaks. The inner surface is reddish-brown, slightly flat, with fine longitudinal striations; when scratched, it reveals an oily streak.The texture is hard and brittle; it breaks easily. The fresh fracture surface is uneven, with the outer layer appearing brown and relatively coarse, while the inner layer is reddish-brown and oily. A yellowish-brown line runs between the two layers. It has a strong, fragrant odor and a sweet, pungent taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
The flesh consists of irregular fragments. For further details, see “Characteristics of Medicinal Materials.”
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Cinnamomum cassia, a plant of the genus Cinnamomum in the family Lauraceae.
Morphological Characteristics
An evergreen tree, 12–17 m tall, aromatic, with grayish-brown bark; branches covered with short, grayish-yellow soft hairs. Leaves are alternate or nearly opposite; petioles are 1.2–2 cm long, covered with short yellow downy hairs;leaf blades are oblong or nearly lanceolate, 8–34 cm long and 4–9.5 cm wide, with an acute or shortly acuminate apex, a cuneate base, and inrolled margins; the upper surface is green, glossy, and glabrous, while the lower surface is pale green and sparsely covered with short yellow tomentum; the veins are ternate from the base, with undulating transverse veins that are nearly parallel; the leaves are leathery.Panicles are axillary or nearly terminal, 8–16 cm long, covered with yellow tomentum; the tips of the inflorescence branches bear three flowers arranged in a cymose pattern.Flowers are bisexual, about 4.5 mm long, and white; pedicels are 3–6 mm long and covered with short yellowish-brown tomentum; the perianth tube is inversely conical, and the perianth segments are ovate, with blunt or acute apices;There are 9 fertile stamens; the filaments are pubescent. The stamens of the first and second whorls are about 2.5 mm long, with ovate-oblong anthers that are 4-celled, the upper two cells being smaller and splitting inwardly. The stamens of the third whorl are about 2.7 mm long, with ovate-oblong anthers that are 4-celled, the upper two cells being smaller and splitting outwardly, while the lower two cells split outwardly;3 sterile stamens, arrow-shaped, ca. 2 mm long including the pedicel, pedicel pubescent; ovary ovoid, ca. 1.7 mm long, glabrous; style as long as the ovary; stigma small, inconspicuous. Fruit elliptic, ca. 1 cm long, purplish, glabrous; receptacle shallowly cup-shaped, sometimes slightly lobed.Flowering period: June–August; fruiting period: October–December.
Distribution Area
It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, and Taiwan, with Guangxi being the most common cultivation area; most plantations are artificial pure stands.