Common Name:

General Information

Cinnamomum bejolghota is an evergreen tree that can vary in size from 5 - 25 metres tall. The bole is up to 30cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a condiment, medicine and source of essential oil and wood. The condiment is popular and is traded locally.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam.

Habitat

Sparse or dense forestson mountain slopes and in valleys; at elevations from 600 - 1,800 metres in southern China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus generally prefer an acidic soil with ample moisture in the growing season and a position with some shade[].
Species in this genus are generally able to resprout from basal wood if the top is damaged, and will soon recover from any damage[].
All parts of the plant are aromatic[].

Edible Uses

The bark powder is the source of an important spice, used especially by local people in Hainan[].
The bark is used as a spice in curries in Assam[].

The leaves are used for preparation of a special kind of rice-beer known as Apong in Assam[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the fresh bark is used as a treatment for stomach disorders[]. The bark is also used to treat fevers and urinary stones[]. The bark and its infusions have local medicinal use for the treatment of coughs, colds, toothaches, liver complaints and gall stones[].
The bark is broken up, then heated and used as a dressing to treat bone fractures and to aid wound healing[]. A paste made from the bark is applied to the forehead to treat headache and dizziness[].
The bark of this species is one of the three ingredietns of a popular Thai rejuvenative and blood tonic known as 'TriSuraPhon'. The other two ingredients are the woods of Cimmamomum parthenoxylon and Aquilaria crassna. The tonic is said to have a wide range of beneficial effects upon the general health, the individual components having been credited with diverse beneficial properties including antioxidant, anti-ischemic, antimicrobial, anticancer, hypoglycaemic, and hypolipidemic[]. Trials have shown that this tonic can help to normalize lipid levels in overweight individuals, also reducing highly atherogenic LDLC levels and increasing beneficial HDL-C levels[].

A slurry made from the woody part of the plant is used as lotion to treat muscle stiffness and pain, tingling and numbness, skin rashes and skin diseases and arthritis[].

The plant (part not specified) is used in traditional folklore medicine for the treatment of diarrhoea and liver troubles[].

An essential oil obtained from the fresh stem bark has shown strong antimicrobial activity against a range of bacteria, being highly effective against the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus and Streptococcus[].
A methanol extract of the bark has shown significant anthelmintic activity[].

Preliminary phytochemical tests showed that a methanolic extract of the plant has a greater amount of phyto-constituents compared to extractions using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate or chloroform[].

Other Uses

An essential oil is derived from the leafy branchlets, roots, and bark by steam distillation[]. It has medicinal uses and is also used as a mouth freshener.

The wood is finely grained, somewhat soft, and used for house construction[].

Propagation

Seed - the seed of species in this genus generally has a short viability and is best sown as soon in containers as it is ripe[]. Remove the fruit pulp since this can inhibit germination[]. Soaking the seeds for 24 hours in lukewarm water hastens germination[], which can take 1 - 6 months at 20°c[]. The germination rate of fresh seed is about 50%, falling to 25% for seed 6 months old, and zero for those 1 year old[]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible in containers[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions when 10cm or more tall.
Cuttings of semi-ripe side shoots, 7cm with a heel, in a frame with bottom heat[].

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