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(From *Haiyao Bencao*)

[Collected Explanations] Su Song stated: The bark of Cinnamomum cassia (Tianzhu Gui) is identical to that of Cinnamomum cassia var. pubescens (Mugui), but thinner.
Li Shizhen stated: This is the cinnamon tree found in the mountains of Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang today. It is most abundant in Tianzhu, Taizhou, hence its name. The large trees have abundant flowers, and the fruits resemble lotus seeds. Buddhist monks from Tianzhu correctly call it Moon Cinnamon. See details under "Moon Cinnamon".

[Bitterness and Temperature] Pungent, warm, non-toxic.

[Indications] Various cold syndromes within the abdomen, distension and pain due to blood and qi stagnation (Chen Zangqi). Treatment for lochia retention after childbirth, treatment for bloody dysentery and intestinal wind; the heart-nourishing effect is the same, but physicians rarely use it [missing citation].

(From *Xinxiu Bencao Shiyi*)

[Collected Explanations] Chen Zangqi stated: In various places in Jiangdong, after the fourth and fifth months, specifically on the last day of the lunar month, one can often find Moon Cinnamon seeds on roadsides. They are larger than bean seeds, pungent and fragrant when broken open. Ancient people passed down the belief that they fell from the moon. A monk at Lingyin Temple in Yuhang planted one tree, and modern poets have discussed it frequently. *Dongming Ji* states: There is a bird called Yuanfei Ji that flies far away in the morning and returns in the evening, often carrying cinnamon fruits back to the southern lands. The southern land is the path of the moon, therefore there are none in the north. Mountain cinnamon can still be used as medicine, let alone Moon Cinnamon.

Li Shizhen stated: The legend of Wu Gang chopping the Moon Cinnamon originated in novels from the Sui and Tang dynasties. The legend of Moon Cinnamon seeds falling originated during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. It is said that a Sanskrit monk flew from Mount Vulture Peak in Tianzhu, so cinnamon seeds often fall in Tianzhu in August. *Book of Tang* also states: In the third month of the fourth year of Chuigong era, Moon Cinnamon seeds descended in Taizhou, lasting for more than ten days. On the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Dingmao year of Tiansheng era during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, the moon was bright and clear. Moon Cinnamon seeds descended at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, abundant like rain, large as beans, round as pearls, with colors including white, yellow, and black. The shells resembled those of Euryale ferox seeds, with a pungent taste. They were collected and presented to the court. Monks at the temple planted them, obtaining twenty-five trees, which were recorded in an序 by Master Ciyun Shi. Zhang Junfang stayed at Yuelun Temple in Qiantang and also saw cinnamon seeds swirling like smoke, forming clusters, falling like Pharbitis seeds, intermixed with yellow and white, having no taste when chewed. Based on this, it seems there truly might be a tree in the moon. I hypothesize that the moon is the Yin soul, and the dancing shadows within are merely the reflections of mountains and rivers. Since there is no cinnamon tree in the moon, what exactly is falling from the sky? Reviewing various histories, there are many records of rains consisting of dust, sand, soil, and stones; gold, lead, coins, and mercury; cotton, silk, grains, and millet; plants, flowers, and herbs; hair, blood, meat, and fish. Thus, rain of cinnamon seeds is also caused by monsters or anomalies, not because there is a cinnamon tree in the moon. Cinnamon grows in the south, so it is only found in the south. *Song History* states: In the sixth month of the third year of Yuanfeng era, several acres of "wood seeds" rained in Raozhou. They resembled sweet potato seeds, with a pungent and fragrant taste.

[Bitterness and Temperature] Pungent, warm, non-toxic.

[Indications] Ulcers behind the ears in children known as "moon erosion sores," applied externally after grinding into powder (Chen Zangqi).