Pharmacological and pharmacognostical aspects of Cinnamomum tamala Nees & Eberm

This study emphasizes detailed information of the plant, Cinnamomum tamala, (Buch.-Ham.) Nees & Eberm (Lauraceae) which includes habitat, description, medicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological profile and safety aspects. The etymology is derived from the Greek word ‘kinnamomon’ (meaning spice). The Greeks borrowed the word from the Phoenicians, indicating that they traded with the East from early times. The specific epithet ‘tamala’ is after a local name of the plant in India. The plant grows wild in the tropical and subtropical Himalayas, the Khasi hills, the Nilgiri hills and at the foot of the Sikkim Himalayas. The bark of Cinnamomum tamala (C. tamala) is aromatic and used as stimulant, antigonorrhoeic, hypoglycaemic, stimulant, anti rheumatic and antidote for scorpion sting. In view of the above details collected, it can be inferred that the plant is very useful for the researchers to study in detail and to set their minds for approaching the efficacy and potency of herb. Keywords, Cinnamomum tamala, Lauraceae, Volatile Oil, Pharmacological profile, Phytochemistry, Safety issues. INTRODUCTION Cinnamomum tamala, (Buch.-Ham.) Nees & Eberm (Tejpat) belonging to family Lauraceae is widely distributed throughout tropical and sub-tropical Asia, Australia, the Pacific region and South America [1]. In India it is found along the north–western Himalayas, in Sikkim, Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya [2]. The tree is commercially known as Indian cassia. It has been used in traditional medicines as an astringent, stimulant, diuretic, carminative and in cardiac disorders [3]. The leaves of C. tamala have been used for flavouring food and as medicinal ingredient like in diabetes, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, hepatotoxicity, diarrhoea etc. The leaves are used as a spice and also as fodder. The essential oil from the leaves is also used as a flavouring agent. The leaf volatile oil has 81 components representing 94.1% of the total components present in the oil. The eugenol is the main component (66.1%) followed by spathulenol (4.8%), viridiflorene (2.4%) methyleugenol (1.9%), aromadenendrene (1.5%) with other constituents in minor amounts [4]. The bark has been used as a substitute for true cinnamon, Cinnamomum zelanicum Breyn [5]. Tejpat is generally harvested in dry and mild weather from October to December and in some places, the collection is continued till the month of March [6]. On an average, a tree produces 10-25 kg of dry leaves and its 0.20.4% oil can be extracted from leaves. Timely collection of leaf is important since early and late collection may result in poor quality of the leaves or essential oil [7]. It is known by various names in different languages e.g. Indian cassia lignea (English), Cinnamomum tamala (Latin), Tejpata (Bengali), Chai gui (Chienese), Tejpat (Dogri), Malabathron (Greek), Tamal part (Gujrati), Tej-patta (Hindi), Tamara-nikkei (Japanese), Patraka (Kannada), Patrak (Maithili), Tama patra (Marathi), Tejpatta (Nepali), Tejpatra (Oriya), Tezpatta (Punjabi), Tejpatra (Sanskrit), Patta akulu (Telgu), Tez pat (Urdu) etc [8]. The Sanskrit name tamalapattra means dark leaf, although that seems poorly motivated. Greek traders took that name to their own language, but falsely identified the Sanskrit word as a plural form with definite article, (ta) malabathra for which they back formed a singular (to) malabathron. This name was then taken by the Romans as malabathrum or malobathrum [8]. OTHER SPECIES OF CINNAMOMUM The genus contains over 300 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of North America, Central America, South America, Asia, Oceania and Australasia. All species tested so far are diploid, with the total number of chromosomes being 24. Some of the important species are C. acuminatifolium, C. acuminatissimum, C. acutatum, C. africanum, C. aggregatum, C. alainii, C. alatum, C. albiflorum, C. alcinii, C. alexei, C. alibertii, C. alternifolium, C. altissimum, C. ammannii, C. amoenum, C. amplexicaule, C. amplifolium, C. anacardium, C. andersonii, C. angustifolium, C. angustitepalum, C. antillarum, C. appelianum, C. arbusculum, C. archboldianum, C. areolatocostae, C. areolatum, C. arfakense, C. argenteum, C. aromaticum,C. arsenei, C. asa-grayi, C. assamicum, C. aubletii, C. aureo-fulvum, C. australe, C. austro-sinense, C. austro-yunnanense, C. bahianum, C. bahiense, C. baileyanum, C. baillonii, C. balansae, C. bamoense, C. barbatoaxillatum, C. barbeyanum, C. barlowii, C. bartheifolium, C. barthii, C. bazania, C. beccarii, C. bejolghota, C. bengalense, C. biafranum, C. bintulense, C. birmanicum, C. blumei, C. bodinieri, C. bonii, C. bonplandii, C. borneense, C. bourgeauvianum, C. boutonii, C. brachythyrsum, C. bractefoliaceum, C. burmannii, C. camphora, C. cassia, C. caudiferum, C. chartophyllum, C. citriodorum, C. contractum, C. filipes, C. glanduliferum, C. glaucescens, C. ilicioides, C. impressinervium, C. iners, C. japonicum, C. javanicum, C. jensenianum, C. kanehirae, C. kotoense, C. kwangtungense, C. liangii, C. longepaniculatum, C. longipetiolatum, C. loureiroi, C. mairei, C. micranthum, C. migao, C. mercadoi, C. mollifolium, C. oliveri, C. osmophloeum, C. parthenoxylon, C. parthenoxylon, C. pauciflorum, C. philippinense, C. pingbienense, C. pittosporoides, C. platyphyllum, C. porphyrium, C. porrectum, C. reticulatum, C. rigidissimum, C. saxatile, C. septentrionale, C. sintoc Blume, C. subavenium, C. tenuipilum, C. tonkinense, C. triplinerve, C. tsangii, C. tsoi, C. validinerve, C. verum, C. virens, C. wilsonii [9].