The genus Cinnamomum

178 Nguyen Kim Dao
Table 6.11 Composition of the commercial Chinese and Vietnamese cinnamon barks (% dry weight)
Bark grade Coumarin Cinnam- Cinnamic Cinnamyl Cinnamyl Eugenol
aldehyde acid alcohol acetate
Chinese cinnamon
Xijiang cassia barks
Qibian cassia bark 0.15 2.03 0.09 – – –
Peeled cassia bark 0.26 2.54 0.06 – – –
Flat cassia bark 0.01 2.03 0.07 – – –
Oily tube cassia bark
(1) tr 0.92 0.04 tr – –
(2) 0.03 1.68 0.07 tr – –
Non-pressed cassia
Bark-whole (1) 0.05 1.50 0.03 tr – –
(2) tr 2.65 0.06 tr – –
Pressed cassia
Bark-whole (1) 0.04 1.72 0.06 0.001 0.01 –
(2) 0.07 1.17 0.08 tr – –
(3) 0.08 1.66 0.11 0.02 0.05 –
(4) 0.09 2.82 0.15 tr tr –
Cassia branch (1) 0.03 0.69 0.05 – – –
(2) 0.03 0.30 0.07 – – –
Donxing cassia barks
Oily tube cassia bark 0.06 2.19 0.06 0.01 tr –
Non-pressed cassia
Bark-whole 0.02 3.23 0.13 – – –
Pressed cassia
Bark-whole (1) 0.03 1.72 0.16 – – –
(2) 0.49 2.55 0.10 0.01 tr –
Cassia bark-broken 0.04 1.61 0.30 – – –
Vietnamese cassia barks
Yen Bai (YB) cinnamon
YB I 0.58 3.70 0.13 0.03 0.01 tr
YB II 0.47 3.89 0.12 0.16 0.06 –
YB III 0.73 2.73 0.07 0.04 0.09 –
YB IV 0.40 2.70 0.06 0.02 0.01 –
YB V 0.32 2.70 0.08 0.05 0.06 –
YB Guiyisui 0.33 1.93 0.06 0.02 – –
Mien Nam (MN) cinnamon
MN I 0.57 3.57 0.05 0.23 0.34 0.01
MN II 0.53 4.08 0.07 0.08 0.15 0.03
MNK III 0.32 3.02 0.05 0.08 0.15 0.01
MN V 0.51 3.61 0.09 0.12 0.18 0.01
MN Guiyisui 0.51 3.52 0.10 0.09 0.28 0.02
Source: Kondou et al., 1999.
Note
tr: trace.
fractions obtained in the successive fractionation with n-hexane, butanol and acetone, the
butanol insoluble portion was shown to have the activities. In a detailed study on the
effect of Chinese prescriptions and crude drugs on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhyrazyl radical,
cinnamomi cortex ranked third (after Rhus and Rheum) in its inhibitory effect. Cinnamomi
cortex exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity, indicating that it was effective in