Cassia Bark

Diptarco Singha, Durjoy Ghosh & Hrishav Roychowdhury

B.PHARM, 2nd YEAR, 4th SEMESTER

Cassia bark is one of the oldest and most widely used natural supplements for reducing blood glucose.

Extracts from the bark of the cassia tree have also been used traditionally as medicine throughout the world.

Cassia bark,Chinese cinnamon,Cassia lignea,Cassia aromaticum, Canton Cassia. 

COMMON NAMES:-

Biological Source:-

This is dried stem bark of the plant Cinnamomum cassia, belonging to the family lauraceae.

Colour:- Dirty Brown on both surfaces;

Odour:- Characteristic, Sweet, Aromatic;

Taste:- Slightly Sweet, Aromatic;

Size:- 5-40mm in Length, 12-18mm in breadth & 1-3mm in width (approx.);

Shape:-Single quills;

Fracture:-Short Granular on Outer part, occasional greyish patches of cork;

Macroscopic Characters:-

The cork consists of thick walled & thin walled alternate layers of polygonal tubular cells;

Few cells of cork are lignified;

Phellogens are followed by scattered sclerides in cortical tissues;

Pericycle is made of continuous band of stone cells &Lignified pericyclic fibres are embedded in sheath of stone cells;

Oil glands, mucilage cells and bast-fibres are located in the phloem parenchyma;

Medullary rays are multiseriate in pericyclic region, while very narrow towards centre;

Abundant starch grains and acicular crystals of calcium oxalate are also present;

Microscopic Characters:-

Cassia bark contains 1-2 per cent of volatile oil & is known as cassia oil;

It also contains mucilage, starch, calcium oxalate & tannins;

Cassia oil contains not less than 85 per cent of cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamyl

acetate and minute amount of eugenol;

Cassia bark also contains Coumarin which is not found in cinnamon bark;

Chemical Constituents:-

Specifications of the Volatile oil:-

The volatile

oil.

Specific Gravity ranging

between 1.045-1.063.

Brown in colour.

Refractive Index varying

between 1.6020 to 1.6060.

Optical Rotation

ranges from -1º to +1º.

Uses of Cassia:-Uses of Cassia on the basis of health care are:-

1.Diabetes,2.Cancer,3.Anti-inflammatory,4. Anti-microbial.

Other Uses of Cassia Cinnamon are:-

It is commonly used as spices and Flavoring material.

It is used in the preparation of several chocolates.

It is used to make several dessert and cuisine recipes.

It is widely used in the preparation of alcohol beverages called Cinnamon liqueur, commonly known as Brandy in

western countries.

References:-

Trease & Evans;Pharmacognosy,Fifteenth edition;Page-256,531.

C.K Kokate & A.P Purohit; Pharmacognosy; 44th edition; Page-11.44-11.45;