Palpitations treated with TCM ramulus cinnamomi herb

What is ramulus cinnamomi herb(Gui Zhi, Cinnamon Twig)? It refers to the dry twig of Cinnamomum cassia Presl, a plant in the family Lauraceae. It is mainly produced in Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan. For better medicinal quality, it is usually harvested during spring and summer. After the harvest, remove the leaves, dry it in the sun or slice before drying, and use it raw.

Medicinally dry twigs are cylindrical, 15 to 100cm long, 0.8 to 1cm in diameter, and brown-red or purple-brown in color. Surface comes with branch marks, leaf scars, bud scars, longitudinal ridge, vertical lines and stripes. It is hard but brittle, easily broken, and with uneven cross section. It is brown on outside edge and darker in center. Cross section of thicker twigs is yellow-white. It has faint scent and sweet, slightly acrid taste. Medicinally the preferred one should be young, tender, brown-red, and fragrant.

Main chemical constituents are 0.69% volatile oil, in which the main component is 64.75% cinnamaldehyde. Besides, it also contains benzyl benzoate, cinnamyl acetate, β-cadinene, calamenene, and coumarin and so on.

Ramulus cinnamomi health benefits
Hailed as the "Medical Saint" by his descendants, Zhang Zhongjing included one hundred and thirteen prescriptions in his medical classic of Shang Han Lun (On Cold Damage), among which Cinnamon Twig Decoction is the first one. You You Ji Cheng (Collection of Works on Children’s Diseases) also praised it as "the first pediatric prescription." That’s to say, mastering its compatibility principle and uses can solve most pediatric diseases. As far as Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Coffer) are concerned, there are more than 20 varieties by tweaking this formula. Actually modern clinical studies have confirmed once again that Gui Zhi Tang deserves the reputations it enjoys. Now let’s take a look at its pharmacological actions.

Modern cinnamon twig pharmacology
1. Its decoction and cinnamic aldehyde have cooling and antipyretic effects;
2. Its decoction and ethanol extract have inhibition on Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus, Salmonella typhi, common pathogenic dermatophyte, Shigella, Salmonella enteritidis, Vibrio cholerae, influenza virus, and more;
3. Cinnamon oil and cinnamic aldehyde have inhibiting effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis;
4. Cinnamon oil can invigorate stomach, relieve gastrointestinal spasms, induce diuresis, keep the heart pumping, and other effects;
5. Cinnamic aldehyde has analgesic, sedative, and anticonvulsant effects;
6. Its Volatile oil has cough-relieving and expectorant effects.