Cinnamomum cassia.  Cinnamon  Family: Lauraceae             
     
桂 枝 Guì zhī   Cinnamon twigs/sticks         
Nature: Warm    FLAVOR: Pungent, acrid and sweet, pleasant  CHANNEL: Bladder, Heart, Lung
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Exterior Clearing- Warming
1. Dispelling pathogenic factors from the exterior of the body by diaphoresis.[7] Diaphoretic antipyretic, however warming channels.[6] Adjusts the nutritive and protective Qi levels to defend against Exteror Cold.[5]
2. Warms channels and disperses Cold: for Wind-Cold-Damp Bi in joints and limbs, especially the shoulders.[5] Warms channels and opens them externally, to produce or prevent perspiration, relaxes muscles.[1] Warms upper body.[7] Warms and clears channels and collaterals.[1] Regulate Blood flow.[6] Promotes hydrosis.[1]
3. Reinforce Yang to promote the flow of Qi: for edema due to accumulation of Cold Phlegm or weak movement of the Yang Qi.[5]
4. Warms and facilitates the flow of Yang Qi in the chest: for palpitations due to either stagnation or deficiency.[5]
INDICATIONS
1. Exopathogen Wind Cold.[1,5,6] Wind Cold Dampness.
2. Wind Cold Dampness causing arthralgia. Aches and pains in joints and extremities.[1] Pains in muscles and joints. Pain in the back and shoulder, chest pain.[7] Aching joints of the shoulders and limbs.
3. Blood stasis due to pathogenic Cold in the Blood of women:[6] Amenorrhoeal abdominal cramps.[1] Suppression of menses, abdominal pain.  Menopause.[7] Irregular menstruation. Amenorrhea.[1]
4. Cold in middle Heater: Vague pain in the epigastric region which can be ameliorated by warmth and pressing. Warms up body.[6]
5. Stagnation of Yang Qi and retention of water in the body due to deficiency of the Heart and Spleen with manifestations of cold feeling in the back, hypochondriac distension, cough, dyspnea and vertigo.
6. Obstruction of Qi in the chest and chest pain.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Exopathic Wind Heat with Yin Deficiency.[5]  Internal Fire. Bleeding of any kind.[2] Wind Heat and penetrating Heat diseases, with symptoms of high fever, no perspiration and flooding pulse. If victims of internal fire take even a gram of Gui zhi they will develop symptoms of dry mouth and tongue, epistaxis or hematemesis.[6] Alcoholism.[7] Hot symptoms, including dry lips, thirst sore throat, vomiting of blood, fever, ulcers.[7] Menstrual disorder caused by excessive Heat.[6] Use with caution during pregnancy or excessive menstruation.[5]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
REMARKS
Cinnamon twigs are branches from the cinnamon tree. For that reason, the twigs are most effective for arthritis involving the joints of the 4 limbs, because tree branches are comparable to a person's 4 limbs. Cinnamon twigs are particularly effective for the symptoms of the limbs and fingers, because the fingertips are considered the most remote areas in the body, beyond the reach of many other herbs.[6]
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Dry twigs  3-9 g.[2,4,5,6]  Good quality is fragrant and has a brownish red color. Harvested in Spring and Summer.
For inducing diaphoresis, it should be used unprepared and for hemostatic, stir baked to charcoal.[4]
Decoction 1.5-6 g.[1]
- Numbness of the fingers, skin, and muscles- Boil 3 g cinnamon twigs in water over low heat. Drink it like tea  just before bedtime.
- Arthritis- Boil 20 g cinnamon twigs with 30 g fresh Ginger in enough water to cover the spices; boil until the water is reduced by half. Drink a cupful each time, 3 times a day.[7]

肉 桂 Ròu guì   Bastard cinnamon, Dutch cinnamon        
Nature- extremely hot   FLAVOR: Acrid, pungent, sweet, pleasant   CHANNEL: Kidney, Spleen, Bladder, Heart, Liver
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Warm the Interior and Expel Cold
1. Warm and invigorate Spleen Yang and Kidney Yang.Warms the Kidney and supplements the body fire.[1] Warm the middle Heater.[6] Strengthen Stomach and promote secretion.[6]
2. Expel Cold and alleviate pain.[1] Clear Channels and Blood vessels.[6]
3. Promote circulation of Vital Energy and Blood.
INDICATIONS
1. Kidney Yang deficiency
   a. Kidney area and urinary pain with soreness and coldness of the loins and legs, impotence, emission, enuresis or  frequent micturition, dysuria and edema. Cold limbs.[7] Pain across the loins and knees.
   b. Dyspnea caused by Kidney not grabbing Qi- Difficulty breathing in due to Kidney hypofunction with dyspnea. Inadequate Yang in Kidney, chilled Lung and coughing and wheezing, lumbago.[1] Deficiency asthma.[6]
   c. Spleen Yang deficiency and Kidney Yang deficiency with cold pain of the abdomen, poor appetite, loose stools, or  diarrhea. Chronic diseases.[6]
2. Cold Damp  Manifesting as Lumbago, colic of Cold type dysmenorrhea and precoital pain due to stagnation of Cold. Cold visceral organs and chronic diarrhea, Cold and pain in Heart and abdomen.[1] Cold abdomen with pain.[7]
3. Gynecological: Period pain, suppression of menses. Cold pain in the lower abdomen. Late periods. Scanty periods. Cold Blood.[6]
4. Hot sensations in the upper region with cold sensations in the lower region.[7] Flaming up of deficiency Fire with toothache. Soreness in back and upper limbs.[6]
5. Insufficiency of Vital Energy and Blood. Low blood pressure.
PATENT COMBINATIONS
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Hot conditions: excessive menstrual flow, blood in urine, nosebleed, urination difficulty, discharge of dry stools, cough due to hot lungs, fever, loss of voice, hemorrhoids, common cold, pregnancy.[2,7]
COMPARISONS: For Collapsed conditions use Fu zi rather than Rou gui because Rou gui too dissipating.[6]
PREPARATIONS: Dried Bark- Dissolve 5 g of powder in water and drink 3 X/ day to cure cold symptoms (cold abdominal pain, cold abdominal swelling, cold stomach ache). Don't boil- crush herb into powder and add to other herbs to drink.[6] Cook individually or loses nature.[6]
 Decoction 1-3 g prepared as powder or thin pieces before decocting, only  cooked for a short time. Powder or pill 1-1.5 g.[3]  Decoction 1.2-3 g.[1,6] Dried bark 1-4.5 g.[2]
- Cold symptoms- including cold abdominal pain, cold abdominal swelling, and cold stomachache- Grind dry cinnamon bark into powder; dissolve 5 g of the powder in warm water, and drink each time, 3 times a day.[7]
- Abdominal pain in women after childbirth- Dissolve 5 g of the powder in rice wine, and drink each time, 3 X /day.[7]
- Excessive gastric acid and vomiting of acid- Dissolve 3 g bark powder in warm water.[7]
- Use Cinnamon bark as a seasoning in cooking to warm up the body.[7]

NOTES: As Cinnamon has a hot energy, it can treat almost any kind of cold symptoms, and can make the lower region warm (which is good for cold limbs). Some people are fond of cold drink and cold salads. As time goes on, they may suffer from digestive disorders due to excessive Cold Energies in the body, which may be treated by Cinnamon bark. People at advanced age (65 to 90 years) are usually weak in energy and blood. They have a tendency to develop numbness in their skin and Cold arthritis, which means the pain gets worse in cold weather. If this happens, cinnamon bark may be used to correct the condition.[7]
肉桂油 Ròu guì yóu   Essential Oil Do not injest as very concentrated and poisonous       
FUNCTIONS
1 . Expel Wind and strengthen Stomach.[2]
PREPARATIONS: Steamed oil extract.[2]
Similar plants
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents.
Research.

Cassia has shown promising results as a radiation protective agent, increasing survival times and leukocyte and platelet counts in vivo experiments in China.[1]
References
Cinnamon and health.
Gruenwald J, Freder J, Armbruester N.
Abstract
Cinnamon has been used as a spice and as traditional herbal medicine for centuries. The available in vitro and animal in vivo evidence suggests that cinnamon has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor, cardiovascular, cholesterol-lowering, and immunomodulatory effects. In vitro studies have demonstrated that cinnamon may act as an insulin mimetic, to potentiate insulin activity or to stimulate cellular glucose metabolism. Furthermore, animal studies have demonstrated strong hypoglycemic properties. However, there are only very few well-controlled clinical studies, a fact that limits the conclusions that can be made about the potential health benefits of cinnamon for free-living humans. The use of cinnamon as an adjunct to the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most promising area, but further research is needed before definitive recommendations can be made. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2010 Oct;50(9):822-34. doi: 10.1080/10408390902773052. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Cinnamon use in type 2 diabetes: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
Allen RW, Schwartzman E, Baker WL, Coleman CI, Phung OJ.
Abstract
PURPOSE:
Cinnamon has been studied in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for its glycemic-lowering effects, but studies have been small and show conflicting results. A prior meta-analysis did not show significant results, but several RCTs have been published since then. We conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs evaluating cinnamon's effect on glycemia and lipid levels.
METHODS:
MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched through February 2012. Included RCTs evaluated cinnamon compared with control in patients with type 2 diabetes and reported at least one of the following: glycated hemoglobin (A1c), fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), or triglycerides. Weighted mean differences (with 95% confidence intervals) for endpoints were calculated using random-effects models.
RESULTS:
In a meta-analysis of 10 RCTs (n = 543 patients), cinnamon doses of 120 mg/d to 6 g/d for 4 to 18 weeks reduced levels of fasting plasma glucose (-24.59 mg/dL; 95% CI, -40.52 to -8.67 mg/dL), total cholesterol (-15.60 mg/dL; 95% CI, -29.76 to -1.44 mg/dL), LDL-C (-9.42 mg/dL; 95% CI, -17.21 to -1.63 mg/dL), and triglycerides (-29.59 mg/dL; 95% CI, -48.27 to -10.91 mg/dL). Cinnamon also increased levels of HDL-C (1.66 mg/dL; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.24 mg/dL). No significant effect on hemoglobin A1c levels (-0.16%; 95%, CI -0.39% to 0.02%) was seen. High degrees of heterogeneity were present for all analyses except HDL-C (I(2) ranging from 66.5% to 94.72%).
CONCLUSIONS:
The consumption of cinnamon is associated with a statistically significant decrease in levels of fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglyceride levels, and an increase in HDL-C levels; however, no significant effect on hemoglobin A1c was found. The high degree of heterogeneity may limit the ability to apply these results to patient care, because the preferred dose and duration of therapy are unclear. Ann Fam Med. 2013 Sep-Oct;11(5):452-9. doi: 10.1370/afm.1517. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Antidiabetic effect of Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum in vivo and in vitro.
Verspohl EJ, Bauer K, Neddermann E.
Abstract
Rats were given Cinnamomum cassia bark or extracts from Cinnamomum cassia and zeylanicum to evaluate blood glucose and plasma insulin levels in rats under various conditions. The cassia extract was superior to the zeylanicum extract. The cassia extract was slightly more efficacious than the equivalent amount of Cassia bark. A decrease in blood glucose levels was observed in a glucose tolerance test (GTT), whereas it was not obvious in rats that were not challenged by a glucose load. The elevation in plasma insulin was direct since a stimulatory in vitro effect of insulin release from INS-1 cells (an insulin secreting cell line) was observed. Thus the cassia extract has a direct antidiabetic potency.
PMID: 15934022 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.1643 Phytother Res. 2005 Mar;19(3):203-6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov