Chemical components and pharmacological action for Cinnamomum cassia and predictive analysis on Q-marker / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Cinnamomum cassia, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, is mainly distributed in tropical areas. Its genuine producing areas contain Guangdong Province, Guangxi Province and parts of Vietnam. The chemical composition is rich in C. cassia, including volatile oil, flavanol, terpenoids, ligans, phenolic acids, polysaccharides, etc. Traditionally, cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid from volatile oil are its main effective components. In this paper, the resource, chemical composition and main pharmacological activities of C. cassia were summarized. And on this basis, the relationship between chemical components and drug efficacy, including the volatile oil, polyphenols, flavanol, and diterpenoids, as well as the relationships between biogenetic ways, traditional efficacy, modern pharmacological effects and chemical composition were analyzed. It is suggested that identification and quantification of volatile oil, polyphenols, flavanol and diterpenoids should be carried out and the further research of the chemical group of polyphenols and terpenoids from C. cassia should be focused, which could provide basis for clarifying the quality marker (Q-marker) and establishing scientific quality standards of C. cassia.