Aim: To Study macroscopic and microscopic characters of Cinnamon.

Requirements:

Crude drug, Microscope, glass slide, watch glass, brush, needle, cover slip, blade.

Staining Reagents:

 Phloroglucinol, conc. HCl (1:1), Ruthenium red, Iodine, Acetic acid Dil. HCl,
 Botanical Source: It consists of dried inner bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum belongs to the family: Lauraceae

Macroscopical Characters:

Colour             : Pale brown in colour, inner surface darker than the outer surface Odour          : Fragrant

Taste                : Warm, sweet and aromatic.

Extra Features : Bark is free of cork, single or double quills or single closely packed compound quill.

 

Microscopical Characters:

A transverse section shows Pericycle (stone cell layers). It contains light coloured wavy, longitudinal lines on the outside of the bark. Pericyclic Fibres (lignified) are present in groups of 6 to 15 occur at intervals. 3 – 4 layers of pitted sclerides are present. It contains thickened lignified walls, isodiametric and slightly elongated tangentially (U – shaped thickening) also contains Starch grains.

 

Secondary Phloem:

  •     Secondary phloem is made up of Parenchymatous cells. Among this Few cells contain acicular calcium oxalate crystals and starch grains (diameter up to 10 µ).
  •       It contains Medullary rays. Medullary rays are usually biseriate, narrow at inner side and wider in the scleride band side. It also contains starch, acicular raphides.
  •      It contains single, isolated and circular Phloem fibres.
  •   It contains Mucilage cells. Which can be identified after staining with Ruthenium red (shows pink / red colour).
  •     It also contains big and isolated oil cells.
  •  Cork and Cortex are absent.

 

 Powder characteristics

  1. Slender fibres
  2.    Stone cells with horse-shoe shaped thickening
  3.    Starch grains
  4.     Parenchyma 
  5. Acicular crystals of calcium oxalate

 

Microchemical Tests

   
REAGENTS   		    
OBSERVATION   		    
CHARACTERISTICS   

Phloroglucinol +conc.HCl (1:1).
Pink
Lignified cells : Pericyclic fibres, stone cells, cork cells

Ruthenium red
Pink
Mucilage cells

Iodine
Blue
Starch

Dil. Hcl
Soluble
Calcium oxalate crystals.

Acetic acid
Insoluble
Calcium oxalate crystals.

Important constituent

       Volatile oil; cinnamic aldehyde.

Identification tests 

  • Alcoholic extract of the drug treated with a drop of ferric chloride solution forms green colour.
  •  Chloroform extract of the drug treated with 10% azueous solution of phenyihydrazine shows red shaped crystals of hydrozone of cinnamaldehyde.

Chemical Constituents:

It contains 0.5-1% of Volatile oil. The volatile oil contains 55-65% of cinnamic aldehyde and 5- 10% of eugenol.

It also contains terpenes, mucilage, starch and calcium oxalate crystals.

Uses: 

  • It is used as Carminative, mild astringent and flavouring agent. It is also used as an aromatic and stomachic.
  •  It is used in spices.

 Report: Transverse section of Clove was prepared and Morphological characters and microscopic characters of Cinnamon Bark were studied.

 

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