CASSIA
Product No. P03101
Also known as Cassia Seed, Cassia Bark, Canel, Canton Cassia, Bastard Cinnamon, Chinese Cinnamon, Chakunda, Chakra Marda, and Tramboon Cassia.
The product of this evergreen tree is usually regarded as a substitute for that of the Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) of Ceylon, which Cassia closely resembles. Cassia is native to Burma and grown in China, Indo-China, the East and West Indies and Central America. Cassia is a slender evergreen tree that likes hot, wet tropical climates, and grows up to 20 metres tall (65 feet) with thick, leathery leaves and small white flowers. The flowers are followed by single-seeded berries the size of small olives. The primary chemical constituents of Cassia include cinnamaldehyde, gum, tannins, mannitol, coumarins, and essential oils (aldehydes, eugeno and pinene).
Cassia is called "kwei" in the earliest Chinese herbal writings (by Shen-nung, 2700 B.C.), and was used extensively in Chinese medicine. It is an Ayurvedic herb. It reached Europe during classical times with Arabian and Phoenician traders, and the buds were well known in Europe in the Middle Ages.
Cassia bark is widely used to flavour curries, and is used in baked foods, sweets and soft drinks. The stems are cut when the bark is mature (about 6 years) - the branches are cut off and freed from small twigs and leaves and longitudinal and transverse incisions are then made, and the bark stripped off in pieces about 40cm long. The pieces are planed on the convex side, to remove most of the cork and part of the cortex, then tied up into bundles and packed.
The bark occurs in single quills or channelled pieces from 5 - 40 centimetres long, 12 - 18 millimetres in diameter, and 1 - 3 millimetres in thickness. The outer surface is rough and greyish brown, while the inside bark is smoother and reddish-brown, and the fracture is short and granular. The odour resembles that of cinnamon, but is less delicate, and much stronger, and the taste is more mucilaginous and astringent. Cassia bark is darker, thicker and coarser than Cinnamon.
Cassia oil has a pungent, warm smell. The oil is extracted from the leaves, bark, twigs and stalks by process of steam distillation. The main chemical components are; cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, benzaldehyde, linalool and chavicol. Cassia oil should not be used on the skin as it is a dermal irritant and sensitiser, and is a mucus membrane irritant.
Cassia oil is therapeutic because of its carminative effect, and because it has anti-diarrhoea, anti-microbial and anti-emetic properties.
The properties of Cassia are similar to those of Cinnamon, and due largely to the cinnamaldehyde present. Cassia is a tonic, carminative and stimulant, and is used to effectively treat nausea and flatulence, as well as other digestive complaints.
Cassia has also been used for a number of other conditions, including impotence, coldness or pain in the loins & knees, arthritis, rheumatism, dizziness, inflammation of the eyes, and sore throats, colds and fevers. This herb is reputed to be especially good for eye conditions, and is said to brighten them and relieve pain, congestion, itchiness, redness, or sensitivity to light caused by extreme conditions. It has been shown to be effective in lowering cholesterol and reducing blood pressure.
The seeds and leaves are used topically for various skin condition and can ease itches and eruptions. As a poultice, the warmed leaves of Cassia reduce gout, sciatica, and joint pains. The seeds can also be used as a substitute for tea and coffee.
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