Phytochemical and chemotaxonomic studies on the twigs of Cinnamomum cassia (Lauraceae)

A phytochemical investigation on the twigs of Cinnamomum cassia led to the isolation of 39 compounds, including 12 flavonoid glycosides (1−12), three cinnamic acid amides (13-15), 12 lignans (16-27), five sesquiterpenoids (28-32), three cinnamaldehyde derivatives (33-35), two phenols (36 and 37), and two indole derivatives (38 and 39). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data as well as by comparison with the reported spectroscopic data. Among them, 32 compounds (1-17, 19, 21, 24-29, 31, 32, and 35-39) are reported from this plant for the first time, while 23 compounds (1-8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 25-27, 29, 31, 32, and 35-39) and ten compounds (2-6, 8, 26, 27, 32, and 38) were isolated from the genus Cinnamomum and the family Lauraceae for the first time, respectively. The chemotaxonomic significance of these compounds was summarized.