CINNAMOMUM SAIGONICUM 193 



i68a. OLEUM CASSLE. OIL or CINNAMON. Contains at least 

 80 per cent, of cinnamic aldehyde. Both the Ceylon oil and that 

 derived from Cassia, and other cinnamon barks are found in com- 

 merce, and they are essentially the same. The oil of Ceylon cinna- 

 mon has a more delicate odor and flavor. All of the various oils of 

 cinnamon become darker and thicker by age and exposure to the air; 

 they have the characteristic odor of cinnamon, a sweetish, spicy, and 

 burning taste. 



CONSTITUENTS. Oil of cinnamon consists chiefly of cinnamic aldehyde, 

 with small quantities of hydrocarbon; when the oil is exposed to the 

 air for a time, the cinnamic aldehyde is oxidized into cinnamic acid, 

 two resins, and water, the oil becoming thicker and darker, and fre- 

 quently separating out a few crystals of the cinnamic acid. 



OFFICIAL PREPARATIONS. 



Aqua Cinnamomi (0.2 per cent.), Dose: J to i fl. oz. (15 to 30 Gm.). 



Spiritus Cinnamomi (10 per cent.),. . . 10 to 20 njj (0.6 to 1.3 mils). 



169. CINNAMOMUM SAIGONICUM. SAIGON CINNAMON 

 SAIGON CASSIA 



The dried bark of the stem and branches of an undetermined species of 



Cinnamo'mum 



DESCRIPTION OF DRUG. It takes its name from Saigon, the capital of 

 French Cochin-China, where it is collected and exported. It is in 

 large quills or broken pieces, i or 2 mm. (^5 to ^2 m -) thick; the 

 gray or grayish-brown bark, which is not removed, is more or less 

 rough and warty, longitudinally wrinkled and ridged, and covered 

 with whitish patches. Inner bark cinnamon-brown or dark brown, 

 with numerous white striae near the bark; fracture short, granular; 

 odor aromatic; taste aromatic and pungent. Ash, not exceeding 

 6 per cent. ; not exceeding 2 per cent, insoluble in HC1. 



COMPARISON OF THE CINNAMON BARKS. Color. There is quite a differ- 

 ence in the depth of the color of the three barks. The Ceylon is 

 the lightest, the Saigon is the darkest, and the Cassia intermediate. 

 This difference in shade is shown best in the powder. 



Thickness. The Ceylon is very thin and papery. The Saigon, 

 usually regarded as the thickest, is in the average about the same as 

 Cassia. 



Odor. The odor and taste of the Saigon is the strongest, the Cey- 

 lon is the most delicate, the Cassia weakest. 



Microscopical. To distinguish between the barks no difficulty is 

 experienced in cross- and longitudinal sections, which display the oil- 

 cells, stone cells, and other elements. In the powdered condition 

 13 



