What is Cinnamon

China's traditional Chinese medicine and ingredients are inseparable in many cases, there are many Chinese medicines are the most commonly used ingredients in life, cinnamon is one of them, so what is this cinnamon?

What is cinnamon

Cinnamon, also known as jade cinnamon, peony cinnamon, jade tree, big cinnamon, spicy cinnamon, peace tree, Chinese cinnamon bark, is the dried bark of cinnamon plant of camphor family. Cinnamon contains a special aromatic odor, which can make more special spices.

Is cinnamon edible?

Cinnamon is certainly edible. Cinnamon tastes similar to cinnamon from Sri Lanka, but is spicier, less tasty than cinnamon, and thicker than cinnamon. Cinnamon is an essential condiment for stewing meat and stir-fry in ordinary families, and in the West people even use cinnamon powdered into coffee and milk tea to taste.

Is cinnamon poisonous?

Cinnamon is slightly poisonous. In traditional Chinese medicine, there is a clear limit on the amount of cinnamon used, too much will be acute poisoning symptoms, in ordinary seasonings because the amount of cinnamon used is relatively small, can not reach the threshold of toxicity, therefore, can be used with confidence. Acute poisoning symptoms of cinnamon: dizziness, dizziness, eye swelling, eye astringency, dry mouth, body pain, irritability, etc. after consuming large amount of cinnamon.

Composition of cinnamon

Cinnamon contains volatile oil 1.98%-2.06%, its main component is cinnamaldehyde, accounting for 52.92%-61.20%, and cinnamyl acetate, ethyl cinnamate, benzyl benzoate, benzaldehyde, coumarin, β-wickerberry ene, calamus ene, β-elemene, protocatechuic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, etc.

Efficacy and effects of cinnamon

Effects on the central nervous system

Cinnamaldehyde by gavage at 250-500mg/kg can reduce the spontaneous activity of mice and counteract the excessive activity produced by amphetamine; cinnamaldehyde can also counteract the motor excitation of apomorphine and mephedrone, causing a decrease in body temperature, but counteracting the decrease in body temperature caused by reserpine; the analgesic effect of cinnamaldehyde was shown by tail pressure method or intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid twist method in mice; it is believed that the central effect of cinnamaldehyde is related to the central monoaminergic neurogenic activity.

Effects on cardiovascular system

Cinnamon aqueous extract and volatile oil have certain antagonistic and protective effects on platelet aggregation and myocardial injury caused by increased secretion of endogenous catecholamines in rats under ice-water stress; cinnamon decoction can increase coronary and cerebral blood flow and decrease vascular resistance in anesthetized dogs; cinnamon decoction, cinnamaldehyde and coumarin have inhibitory effects on ADP-induced platelet aggregation in rats.

Anti-ulcer effect

Cinnamon aqueous extract can prevent stress ulcers in rats when injected intraperitoneally. Gavage or intraperitoneal injection can also inhibit 5-hydroxytryptamine-induced gastric ulcers in rats, and the anti-ulcer effect is not only due to the inhibition of gastric juice secretion, but also promote the blood flow of gastric mucosa.

Anti-allergic reaction

Cinnamon aqueous extract has anti-metabolic effect, and it has significant inhibitory effect on complement-dependent reactions such as type II reverse skin allergy (RCA), Forsman's skin vasculitis (FCV) and type III Arthus reaction. The ether and ethanol extracts of cinnamon have antibacterial effects on Gram-positive bacteria and fungi.