Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch.-Ham.) Sweet (= C. obtusifolium (Roxb.) Nees)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 102-103

Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch.-Ham.) Sweet (= C. obtusifolium (Roxb.) Nees)

Names.

Myanmar: na-lin-gyaw, maza (Kachin), nakzik (Chin), hman-thein, lulin-gyaw, tauku-ywe, thit-kyabo. English: wild cassia.

Range.

Tropical and temperate Asia. Grows naturally throughout Myanmar, with the exception of the hot zone; especially found in Bago, Mandalay, and Sagaing.

Uses.

Note: The interaction of the bark powder with jaggery can be fatal. Use of the bark powder for any treatment requires avoiding consumption of jaggery and all other sweet foods. Bark: Both the tree and root bark "open up vapors" and have cooling properties with activity against toxins. The ground bark is mixed with water and a small amount of salt to make a paste applied topically to deliver vapors of the medicine to alleviate scorpion stings and spider bites, aching body parts, areas of inflammation, and itchy patches. The paste is also applied externally or taken orally for other conditions, including exposure to detrimental cooking fumes, illnesses caused by persistent sores, and high fever with delirium. The paste with added salt is ingested for constipation. Bark, formed into balls with cooked rice, is toasted and soaked in water; the water from soaking is then used to make bark paste, which is taken for stomach bloating and distension, as well as for diarrhea. Bark paste made with water is given as a treatment for diphtheria, dengue hemorrhagic fever, severe diarrhea, female malaise, weakness, and fatigue. Bark paste made with commercially available menthol balm is applied topically or taken orally for problems experienced by those over the age of 50, including limb heaviness, aches and pains, tingling of the knees from excessive movement, pins and needles from sitting too long, and fatigue from exertion. Liquid from boiled bark is used as a wash for to accelerate healing of sores caused by threadworm infections. The paste is applied topically, in a circle around the eyes, as a remedy for aching eyes and dimming vision. A mixture of the powder and lemongrass powder is applied topically to alleviate soreness of breasts and taken orally to heal inflammation in the liver, lungs, and intestines. Bark powder is also inhaled to clear stuffy noses and sinus infections. A mixture of bark powder and water reserved from washing rice is used as a remedy for gonorrhea, intestinal and urinary infections, heart irregularities, dry lips, and dry throat.

Note.

The medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991).

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).