Source
The twig of Cinnamomum cassia Presl (Fam. Lauraceae).

Distribution
Mainly in Chinese provinces such as Guangxi, Guangdong and Fujian; also in Yunnan province and Hong Kong.

Harvest & Processing
Clip off twigs two years after field planting; remove foliage; dry twigs under the sun. Alternatively, collect branches clipped off or coppice shoots hacked off during trimming; dry under the sun.

Description
Long and cylindrical, ramose (with many branches); 30-70 cm long, 0.3-1 cm in diameter at the thick end. Outer surface brownish-red or reddish-brown, marked with fine wrinkles and small verruciform (wart-shaped) scars of leaves, branches and buds; lenticels punctiform (dot-like) or elliptical-punctiform. Hard and brittle, breaks easily. When broken, surface shows reddish-brown cortex; xylem yellowish-white to light yellowish-brown; pith somewhat quadrate (square-shaped). Odour: with a distinctive fragrance; taste: sweet and slightly acrid, cortex with a stronger taste.

Indications
1. Common cold, cough, dizziness
2. Palpitation, precordial pain
3. Arthralgia
4. Amenorrrhoea, dysmenorrhoea
5. Dysuria, oedema

Chemical Composition
Mainly contains essential oils with cinnamaldehyde as the main component.

Photos