Objective To explore the formulation rules of health products containing Cinnamomi Cortex based on data mining, and to investigate the potential mechanism by which Cinnamomi Cortex exerts its health functions using network pharmacology.

Methods Information on Cinnamomi Cortex-containing health-care products as of October 20, 2025 was collected from the Special Food Information Query Platform of the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Drug Intelligence Network, and the herbal compositions and their formulation patterns were analyzed. The active components of Cinnamomi Cortex were retrieved from TCMSP and SymMap databases, and imported into the SwissTargetPrediction platform for potential target prediction. Targets associated with Cinnamomi Cortex-mediated alleviation of physical fatigue were obtained from the GeneCards database. STRING database and Cytoscape 3.10 software were adopted to perform protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and screen core targets. Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes KEGG pathway enrichment analyses of the common targets between Cinnamomi Cortex and alleviation of physical fatigue were carried out via the DAVID database. Molecular docking was further applied to explore its mechanism of action.

Results A total of 134 Cinnamomi Cortex-containing health products meeting the screening criteria were collected. The most common Chinese medicinal ingredients were those for tonifying deficiency and interior-warming medicinals. The predominant properties were neutral and warm; the predominant flavors were sweet and pungent; and the primary meridian affinity was the kidney meridian. The main health function was relieving physical fatigue, and the main dosage form was medicated wine. A total of 59 active components of Cinnamomi Cortex and 316 corresponding targets were identified, along with 926 potential targets related to relieving physical fatigue. Screening of intersecting targets between Cinnamomi Cortex and alleviation of physical fatigue yielded 60 key targets and 6 core targets, including tumor protein 53 (TP53), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), histone acetyltransferase p300 (EP300), estrogen receptor α (ESR1), and Src proto-oncogene (SRC). Cinnamomi Cortex exerts the effect of alleviating physical fatigue via signaling pathways such as cancer pathways, proteoglycans in cancer, and bladder cancer pathway. Molecular docking results showed that cinnzeylanin in Cinnamomi Cortex stably binds to MAPK1 and EP300, while coumarin and cinnamic acid stably bind to EP300.

Conclusion Cinnamomi Cortex-containing health products are mainly formulated by pairing Cinnamomi Cortex with medicinals that warm and tonify the kidney for alleviating physical fatigue. The active ingredients including cinnzeylanin, coumarin and cinnamic acid in Cinnamomi Cortex act on core targets such as MAPK1 and EP300, and synergistically exert anti-fatigue effects through multiple pathways.

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