CINNAMON AND DERIVATIVES.— Cinnamon is the inner bark of the shoots of the Cinnamomum eylandicum and C. aromaticum: beautiful evergreen trees twenty to thirty feet high and twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, cultivated in many portions of the East Indies. The bark comes in long, closely rolled quills, composed of eight or more layers; is of pale-yellowish-brown hue, the inner surface striated; fracture splintery; odor fragrant and warmly aro matic, and taste sweet. Some forms are more coarse in taste and odor. Cassia buds are the calyces surrounding the young germ. The term "cassia" is fre quently applied to Chinese and Saigon cinnamon, which is less expensive and more generally marketed in the United States than Ceylon cinnamon.
Preparations and Doses.—Cinnamon bark (powdered), ad libitum.
Cinnamon powder, compound, 10 to 30 grains.
Cinnamon- (cassia) oil, 1 to 3 minims. Cinnamon extract, fluid, 15 to 30 min ims.
Cinnamon infusion, 60 to 120 minims. Cinnamon tincture, 60 to 180 minims. Cinnamon tincture, compound, 30 to 120 minims.
Cinnamon spirit (essence), 10 to 30 minims.
Cinnamon syrup, 1 to 2 drachms. Cinnamon-water, ad libitum.
Cinnamic acid, '/, to 3/, grain. Cinnamic aldehyde, not employed medicinally.
Cinnamyl-acetate, not employed.
The compound, or aromatic, powder of cinnamon is made by adding 35 parts of ginger, 15 of cardamom, and 15 of nutmeg, to 35 parts of cinnamon.
Physiological Action.—Cinnamon is a warm aromatic, acting as a true sto machic by a gentle stimulating action on gastric mucous membrane, increasing its secretion and assisting digestion; hence its general employment as a condiment. It is also limmostatic, oxytocic, and slightly astringent. The oil and cin namic acid are also antiseptic, and the acid is claimed to be antituberculotic: a claim not altogether satisfactorily sub stantiated. By some, cinnamon is held to be contra-indicated in all inflam matory states of the gastro-intestinal tract.
Therapeutics.—The scope of the drug is not a very extended one, and it is chiefly employed to render mixtures more palatable.
The eclectics generally regard cinna mon a powerful specific styptic: a claim that appears to be fairly well substanti ated by general therapeutic literature.
It certainly has, ort many occasions, proved most efficacious in epistaxis, luernoptysis, lurmaturia, and uterine hfcmorrhage. In tedious labors depend ent upon atony of the uterus and in sufficiency of contractions, cinnamon proved quite efficacions in the hands of llursinna and Thomas Hawkes Tanner.
This drug specifically influences the uterus, controlling hremorrhage and stim ulating contraction of its muscular fibres. In small and repeated doses it is capable of producing abortion: hence it is in disputable that it exerts a powerful in fluence on the nutritive functions of the womb. It is possible that more study and experimentation will reveal the drug to be possessed of further remedial virt ues. Webster ("Dynam. Therap.," '93).
It acts upon the uterus like, though much less powerfully than, ergot, and probably also on the smooth muscular tissue in general—and as a styptic and astringent. It is employed, therefore, as an adjuvant to remedies for diarrlicea; in the second, non-febrile stage of acute intestinal catarrh; and in torpidity and slight limmorrhages of the uterus, usu ally in combination with ergot. Roth ("Mod. Mat. Med.," '95).
Though used as an aromatic, its chief use is to control uterine lmmorrhage, and it acts promptly by contracting the bleeding vessels; it is also of consider able value in sonte forms of diarrhcea. Locke ("Mat. Med. and Therap.," '95).
Thirty cases of dysentery were perma nently relieved by employing from one to six doses of the Persian remedy: a draclu» of powdered cinnamon made into a bolus with a few drops of water and swallowed with as little fluid as possible. Avetoom (Lancet, Lond.. vol. Mar., '95).
As AN ANTISEPTIC.—Cinnamon, cin namic acid, cinnamic aldehyde, and the oil of cinnamon doubtless possess anti septic power, and may be advantageously used in the treatment of purulent foci and necrotic processes. It is owing to this property that it has occasionally proved of some value in pulmonary tu berculosis.