To evaluate the quality of the crude drugs using three kinds of Cinnamomum Cortex (CC), Vietnamese CC (VCC, the stem bark of Cinnamomum obtusifolium), periderm-peeled Chinese CC (PPCC, periderm-peeled stem bark of C. cassia), Chinese CC (CCC, stem bark of C. cassia) and a Cinnamomi Ramulus (CR, the twig of C. cassia), the four essential oils were prepared by steam distillation method. Cinnamaldehdye (CAN) and an unknown substance tentatively named hydroxy-cinnamaldehdye(HCNA) were detected in the four essential oils by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the contents of which are significantly different one another. Vietnamese CC had the highest content of HCNA whereas CR had the highest CAN content and the lowest HCNA. Vietnamese CC exhibited the greatest cytotoxic activity against the cancer cell lines, A549, HepG-2, HL-60, P-388, U-937, and KB and CR the lowest cytotoxicity. Contents of CAN and HCNA in CCC and PPCC are positioned between VCC and CR. These results suggest that measurement of HCNA and cytotoxicity may determine the quality of CC and CR.