Cinnamon cassia

Cinnamon cassia
	Cinnamon cassia ( Cinnamomum cassia ), illustration
Systematics
Class :	Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
	Magnoliids
Order :	Laurels (Laurales)
Family :	Laurel family (Lauraceae)
Genre :	Cinnamomum
Type :	Cinnamon cassia
Scientific name
	Cinnamomum cassia
	( L. ) D.Don

The cinnamon cassia ( Cinnamomum cassia ), also known as the Chinese cinnamon tree , is a species of the genus Cinnamomum within the laurel family (Lauraceae). The original distribution area is southern China and there it is called 肉桂 , rou gui . It supplies the so-called cassia cinnamon , also called spice bark , which is often referred to as an inferior variety of cinnamon . Despite this confusion, cassia is not real cinnamon, but its own spice .

description

Simple foliage leaves

bark

Cassia cinnamon sticks; In contrast to Ceylon cinnamon, you can see a single, thick layer of bark that rolls up at both ends and therefore does not form a closed stick.

Appearance, bark and leaf

The cinnamon cassia grows as an evergreen , medium-sized tree and reaches heights of about 12 m. The bark, twigs and leaves have a very strong scent.

The gray-brown bark is fully developed up to 13 mm thick. One year old, stem-round twigs have dark brown bark that is striped lengthways and slightly downy and hairy. This year's more or less square twigs have a yellow-brown bark that is striped lengthways and densely grayish-yellow tomentose hair ( indument ). The terminal buds are relatively small with a size of about 3 mm. The roof-tile-like overlapping bud scales are broadly egg-shaped with a pointed upper end and densely grayish-yellow tomentose hair.

The alternate up almost constantly against arranged on the branches leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The strong, 1.2 to 2 cm long petiole is hairy yellow tomentose ( trichomes ) and flat on the upper side or slightly furrowed in the lower area. The simple, leathery leaf blade is usually 8 to 16, rarely up to 34 cm and a width of 4 to 5.5, rarely up to 9.5 cm narrow-elliptical to almost lanceolate with a pointed blade base and slightly pointed upper end. The leaf margin is free from chlorophyll and curled upwards. The underside of the leaf is dull greenish with yellow tomentose hairs and the upper side is shiny green and bare. There are three main leaf veins . The central vein and in the lower area also the two other main veins are clearly raised on the underside of the leaf and clearly sunk on the top. The two lateral main arteries arise 5 to 10 mm above the base of the spade and initially run almost in opposite directions, ascend in an arc and then disappear below the tip of the spade. Outside the two lateral main arteries there are many lateral arteries that are connected in an arc. The transverse leaf veins are wavy and almost parallel at a distance of 3 to 4 mm; they are clearly raised on the underside of the leaf and hardly recognizable on the upper side and they are connected with small leaf veins that are only recognizable on the underside of the leaf. There are no stipules .

Inflorescence and flower

The flowering period in China extends from June to August. The yellow tomentose hairy inflorescence stem is about half as long as the inflorescence. The lateral to almost terminal total inflorescence is 8 to 16 cm long and triple branched, with the top branch consisting of a three-flowered, zymous partial inflorescence. The inflorescence axis ( Rhachis ) is hairy yellow tomentose. The 3 to 6 mm long peduncle has yellowish-brown tomentose hairs.

The hermaphrodite flowers are radial symmetry and threefold. There are four circles with three stamens each. There are two circles each with three almost identical bracts . The approximately 4.5 mm long, white bracts are hairy yellowish-brown on the inside and outside. The bracts are short over a length of about 2 mm to form an inverted-conical perianth tube. The free areas of the almost identical bracts are about 2.5 mm long and about 1.5 mm wide and oval-elongated with a blunt to almost pointed upper end. All nine stamens of the first three circles are fertile. The egg-shaped, elongated anthers consist of two counters with two pollen sacks each. The stamens of the first and second circles are about 2.3 mm long; they have no glands on the approximately 1.4 mm long stamens , are flattened and broadened in the upper third and the anthers consist of two introrsen counters. In the approximately 2.7 mm long stamens of the third circle, the approximately 1.9 mm long stamens each have two circular kidney-shaped glands on their upper third and their anthers have extrorse bars on the side. The stamens of the fourth circle are transformed into staminodes . The staminodes, which are about 2 mm long with their stalk, are neat-shaped triangular at the top and their slender, flattened stalk is about 1.3 mm long and shaggy. The bald, top permanent, unilocular ovary is at a length of about 1.7 mm oval. The ovary contains only one pendulous, anatropic ovule . The slender style is about as long as the ovary and ends in an inconspicuous, relatively small scar.

Fruit and seeds

The long-lasting bloom cladding sheets are fused to the fruit at a height of about 4 mm in the shape of a flat cup with a truncated or slightly serrated upper end, which has a diameter of up to 7 mm. The bald, fleshy stone fruit , black-purple when ripe, is about 10 mm long and 7 to 8 mm wide, rarely up to 9 mm, ellipsoidal and contains only one seed. The fruits ripen in China between October and December. The seed contains a relatively large, straight embryo , and there is no endosperm present.

Occurrence

The original range of Cinnamomum cassia is southern China . The cinnamon cassia is mainly grown in China, India , Laos , Thailand , Vietnam , Malaysia and Indonesia .

Taxonomy

The first publication took place in 1753 under the name ( Basionym ) Laurus cassia by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , 1, p. 369. The new combination to Cinnamomum cassia (L.) D. Don was in 1825 by David Don in Prodromus Florae Nepalensis , p. 67 published. Synonyms are: Cinnamomum cassia Nees ex Blume 1826, Cinnamomum cassia Siebold 1830, Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl 1825. Other synonyms for Cinnamomum cassia (L.) D.Don are: Persea cassia (L.) Spreng. , Cinnamomum aromaticum Nees .

Naming

The common name cassia and the botanical epithet cassia has its origin in the Greek word κασία kasia . This Greek name is probably a borrowing from Semitic-speaking traders ( old Hebrew קציעה qetsiiah ). It is assumed that these names for this spice were adopted from its area of origin China. There could be a connection with the northeast Indian people of the Khasi , who settled in the Khasi mountains in Meghalaya and Assam as well as in Bangladesh , where it is first mentioned around 1500 AD. The name could also originally be derived from the Sumerian word gazi ( Akkadian kasû ), this word describes a spice whose translation is 'cinnamon', 'liquorice' or 'mustard'.

Trivial names in different languages

The other German-language trivial names exist or existed for the Zimtkassie : Kaneel and Chinese or English cinnamon. The names Cassianholzegeiss ( Middle High German ), Holzgatz, Holzkassie and Holzkatz ( Middle High German ) are also used for coarser pieces of bark .

Common names in different languages are for example:

Chinese (Cantonese): 官桂 , gùn gwai , 桂心 , gwai sàm , 牡桂 , máuh gwai , 肉桂 , yuhk gwai , 玉桂 , yúk gwai , 紫桂 , jih gwai
Chinese (Mandarin): 官桂 , guān guì , 桂心 , guì xīn , 牡桂 , mǔ guì , 肉桂 , ròu guì , 玉桂 , yù guì , 紫桂 , zǐ guì , 桂皮 , guì pí , 桂 , guì
English: Cassia, Chinese cassia, Bastard cinnamon, Chinese
French: Casse, Canéfice, Cannelle de Chine, Cannelle de Cochinchine, Cannellier casse, Cannelier de Chine, Cannelle bâtarde, Laurier casse
Spanish: Canela de la China, Canelero chino
Portuguese: Canela-da-china, Cássia, Cássia-aromática
Arabic: دارسين, Dâr sînî, Dâr sînî ed dûn, Dâr sûss, Salîkhah
Bengali: দাড়চিনি Darchini
Sanskrit: Chadana, Pattra, Sthula tvak, Tamaala patra, Tamaalaka, Tvakpatrakka, UtkaTa

illustration

use

The dried bark, called English, Indian, common cinnamon, mother cinnamon or cassia cinnamon, is used as a spice. Strongly aromatic, sweet and warm, but also a bit bitter and slimy. Compared to Ceylon cinnamon , cassia cinnamon lacks the "liveliness" of the cinnamon taste.

Cinnamon from the cinnamon cassia contains 1.5–4% essential oil of which 75–90% consists of cinnamaldehyde . He is unlike other types of cinnamon virtually free of eugenol , however, contains a small quantity salicylaldehyde , methylsalicylaldehyde , benzaldehyde , methyl o-cumaraldehyd , coumarin , Essigsäurezimtester , benzoic acid , cinnamic acid and higher fatty acids and other compounds.

The dried bark is also used as a drug and is called "Cinnamomi Cassiae Cortex", cassia lignea, cassiae cortex, ramulus cinnamomi. The bark is ground into cinnamon bark powder (name of the drug: Cinnamomi cassiae corticis pulvis). The medicinal effects are mainly motility promotion , antibacterial , fungistatic , lipid and blood sugar lowering. Applications are for loss of appetite , indigestion , flatulence and as a taste corrector . There have also been studies on its use in diabetes, but insufficient results are available.

"Cassia blossoms" or "cinnamon blossoms" (name of the drug: Cassiae flos) have been used as a spice since the Middle Ages; it is the stalked young fruit.

An oil called "Oleum Cinnamomi", Chinese cinnamon oil, cinnamon cassia oil or cassia oil is obtained from the leaves or perhaps also from the bark waste by steam distillation . The wood is odorless and is used as firewood.

In the cinnamon cassia, the barky bark is used directly as a spice (hence the German name "Gewürzrinde"). The six to seven year old branches are stripped. The bark is usually only superficially freed from the outer parts, the cork coat, and dried.

In order to obtain finer cassia qualities, the often lichen-covered, tannic bark is peeled off. This improves the taste, because the cinnamon tastes tart the more tannic it is.

The twig bark (Greek xylocassia ) of the cassia cinnamon is basically much thicker and coarser than that of the Ceylon cinnamon tree ( Cinnamomum verum ). In contrast to this, it rolls up cylindrically on both sides.

In the Middle Ages, the cinnamon bark ( cassia lignea ) was stretched by adding caper root bark .

Possible health risks

Cassiazimt, which is cheaper than Ceylon cinnamon, contains coumarin , which is harmful to health in high doses, in much higher doses. Particularly in the industrial production and use of cinnamon, the more expensive Ceylon cinnamon is repeatedly blended with cassia cinnamon, so that coumarin gets into the end products. The last time cinnamon products were discovered in Germany ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) in autumn 2006 contained 103 mg of coumarin per kilogram, while the maximum value of the Flavor Ordinance is only 2 mg / kg (until November 1, 2006, however, 67 mg / kg). According to earlier studies in North Rhine-Westphalia in January 2006, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) issued a warning in June 2006 against the consumption of large amounts of cinnamon and products containing cinnamon: Even when consuming 20 grams of the most highly contaminated cinnamon stars per day (this corresponds to many Brands three pieces) over a longer period of time, the maximum tolerable intake would be achieved in small children. A second statement by the BfR relates to cinnamon capsules that are sold for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus . Further controls were announced in October 2006 by the Ministry of Consumers . To this day, however, there is no clear evidence of the alleged dangerousness of coumarin in the normal use of spices containing coumarin. In all of the studies, adverse health effects only occurred after extreme overdoses in experiments on rats.

literature

Hermann Hager: AI . In: G. Frerichs, G. Arends, H. Zörnig (eds.): Hager's handbook of pharmaceutical practice: For pharmacists, drug manufacturers, druggists, doctors and medical officials. First volume. Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-49757-5 , p. 1575 ( Cinnamomum cassia from p. 1017 in the Google book search).
Xi-wen Li, Jie Li, Henk van der Werff: Cinnamomum. : Cinnamomum cassia , p. 186 - the same text online as the printed work , In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China , Volume 7 - Menispermaceae through Capparaceae , Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 2008. ISBN 978-1-930723-81-8 . (Sections Description and Distribution)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Cinnamomum aromaticum in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved May 3, 2015.

↑ ^a ^b ^c EOL data sheet.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Xi-wen Li, Jie Li, Henk van der Werff: Cinnamomum. : Cinnamomum cassia , p. 186 - the same text online as the printed work , In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China , Volume 7 - Menispermaceae through Capparaceae , Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 2008. ISBN 978-1-930723-81-8 .

↑ Carl von Linné: Caroli Linnaei… Species plantarum: exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas Holmiae: Impensis Laurentii Salvii , scanned in 1753 at biodiversitylibrary.org .

↑ Don 1825 scanned in at biodiversitylibrary.org .

^ Cinnamomum cassia at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed on May 3, 2015.

↑ ^a ^b ^c Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages .

^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 99 f. ( archive.org ).

↑ Michel H. Porcher: data sheet at Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database = MMPND.

↑ J. SCHORMÜLLER: Alkaloid- containing luxury foods, spices, table salt . Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-46225-2 , p. 461 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

^ KV Peter: Handbook of Herbs and Spices . Woodhead Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-1-84569-171-4 , pp. 192 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

↑ ^a ^b ^c Entries and data sheet at Henriette's Herbal Homepage .

↑ ^a ^b ^c Hermann Hager: AI . In: G. Frerichs, G. Arends, H. Zörnig (eds.): Hager's handbook of pharmaceutical practice: For pharmacists, drug manufacturers, druggists, doctors and medical officials. First volume. Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-49757-5 , p. 1575 ( Cinnamomum cassia pp. 1016-1019 in the Google book search).

↑ Varsha J Bansode: A review on pharmacological activities of Cinnamomum cassia Blume. , In: International Journal of Green Pharmacy , Volume 6, Issue 2, 2012, pp. 102-108. on-line. ( Memento of the original from June 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2
^ A. Khan, M. Safdar, MM Ali Khan, KN Khattak, RA Anderson: Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. In: Diabetes Care , Volume 26, 12, 2003, pp. 3215-3218 PMID 14633804 .
↑ Maud Grieve: A Modern Herbal , 1931: online.
↑ china-park.de
↑ Konrad Goehl : Observations and additions to the 'Circa instans'. In: Medical historical messages. Journal for the history of science and specialist prose research. Volume 34, 2015 (2016), pp. 69-77, here: p. 70.
↑ BfR: Consumers who consume a lot of cinnamon are currently exposed to too much coumarin . Health assessment by the BfR, No. 043/2006 of June 16, 2006. PDF.
↑ BfR: High daily intake of cinnamon: health risks cannot be excluded . Health assessment by the BfR, No. 044/2006 of August 18, 2006. PDF.

Web links

Commons : Zimtkassie ( Cinnamomum cassia ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files