INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Cortex Cinnamomi |
| Common English: | Cinnamon Bark Cassia Cinnamon Bark |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Acrid Sweet |
Hot (Very Hot) |
Heart Liver Kidney Spleen (Bladder) |
1.5-5g add near the end Powders: 1-2g Tincture: 0.25-2ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Warms the Kidneys, Spleen and Heart and strengthens Yang and Ming Men Fire |
Kidney Yang Deficiency and Deficiency of Ming-Men Fire with aversion to Cold, cold limbs, weak back, impotence and urinary frequency Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency with abdominal pain and Cold, reduced appetite and diarrhea Kidney Unable to Grasp Qi Heart Yang Deficiency, particularly with chest Bi |
Disperses deep Cold, warms the channels, unblocks the channels and vessels and alleviates pain |
Deep Cold causing Qi Stagnation or Blood Stasis with Cold in the Blood causing amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea, Cold-Damp Bi, Yin-type boils (chronic sores that are usually concave and ooze a clear fluid) and sores or abscesses that do not heal It enters the Blood aspect and, in small amounts, enhances the Blood moving action of other substances |
Leads the Fire back to its source |
Upward Floating of Deficient Yang (False Heat, True Cold or Heat Above and Cold Below) with flushed face, wheezing, severe sweating (the sweat pours out like oil), weak and cold lower extremities and a deficient and rootless pulse Any condition with Heat in the Upper body (dry mouth, sore throat, or teeth which is worse at night) and Cold in the Lower body (Lower back pain, cold lower extremities, diarrhea and weakness in the proximal portion of the pulse) |
Assists in the generation of Qi and Blood |
Chronic Qi and Blood Deficiency (auxiliary) |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Rz. Alpiniae Officinarum |
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Powerfully tonifies Kidney Yang, for Kidney Yang Deficiency with lower back pain and weakness in the legs and knees. Deficiency of Ming Men Fire with impotence or infertility. Overabundant Yin leading Yang to float outward. (separation of Yin and Yang) Damp-Cold Bi in the channels with generalized aches and pains and difficulty in rotating the trunk. Leads Fire back to its source for Kidney Yin Deficiency with Fire Blazing Upward (small dose of each, 1-2g, combined with Yin tonics. |
Cold, painful abdomen, anorexia and diarrhea due to Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency. |
Cold, painful abdomen, anorexia, and diarrhea due to Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency. |
Rx. Ginseng |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
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Palpitations and shortness of breath due to Deficiency of Heart and Kidneys. |
Yin-type localized swellings that blend into the surrounding tissues. |
Yin-type boils due to Qi and Blood Deficiency especially those that form but do not ulcerate. |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Fr. Evodiae |
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Dysmenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain or amenorrhea due to Deficiency Cold of the Chong and Ren channels. |
Cold hernial disorders with abdominal pain. |
Urinary retention and discomfort due to Kidney Deficiency. |
Rz. Coptidis |
Rz. and Rx. Rhei |
Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata |
Irritability, restlessness, coolness of the lower limbs and difficulty falling asleep due to Disharmony between the Heart and Kidneys. Chronic dysentery. |
Invigorates the Blood. |
Kidney Yang Deficiency. |
Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
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Asthma or wheezing. |
Impotence. |
Lack of libido. |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Rz. Zingiberis |
Rx. Curcumae |
Edema due to Kidney Yang Deficiency. |
Chronic diarrhea. |
Hypochondriac pain due to Liver Qi Stagnation. |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
External or traumatic injury with Blood Stasis. Feelings of oppression and pain in the abdomen. |
Cold-Damp Bi. |
Yin sores. |
- Its nature includes a descending action which means it can lead Kidney Fire back to its source.
- This is the principle herb for treating upward-floating of Deficient Yang.
- It is rarely decocted due to loss of volatile oils during decoction.
- It is not toxic but a large overdose can cause respiratory changes, dilation of the auricular blood vessels and convulsions.
- It is one of the most warming of Chinese herbs.
- It can be used alone for epigastric and abdominal coldness and pain.
- It opens channels in the abdomen.
- This herb and Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi warm and tonify the Ming Men Fire and treat Yang Deficiency Cold of the Lower Jiao, however Rou Gui is milder and more specific for Lower Jiao disorders. It is used to lead Ming Men Fire back to its source, has some dispersing properties and is therefore not used for Collapse of Yang. This combination is often used for low back an knee pain, arthralgia, frequent urination, chills, epigastric and abdominal chills, Cold-Damp Bi, Yin ulcers, Cold-type Blood Stagnation in the channels and amenorrhea.
- Rou Gui, Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum Lu Rong and Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi all warm the Kidneys and fortify Yang. Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui are both acrid, harsh, hot and drying with a strong, rapid effect of warming the Interior, expelling Cold, and assist in tonifying Yang. Lu Rong is sweet, warm, soft and moistening with a gradual effect that tonifies Yang while moistening Jing and Blood. They all treat Kidney Yang Deficiency, however Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui are only suitable for Kidney Yang Deficiency with Excess Internal Cold and are inappropriate if Jing or Blood is deficient. Lu Rong is not suited for expelling Internal Cold, but is most appropriate for Yang Deficiency with Jing, Blood and marrow insufficiency.
- Both Rou Gui and Ram. Cinnamomi Gui Zhi are from the same plant. Rou Gui is the bark and Gui Zhi is the twig. Both warm Ying Qi and Blood, assist Qi transformation and disperse Cold. Rou Gui is best for warming the Interior and stopping pain . It enters the Lower Jiao to tonify Kidney to tonify Kidney Yang and restore Ming Men Fire. Gui Zhi is best for dispersing pathogenic Cold in the Exterior, primarily moving upward to warm and unblock the channels and collaterals.
- Official Cinnamon Guan Gui has less oil and is thought to be drier. it warms the Middle Jiao and dries Dampness and is less of a Yang tonic. The dosage is 4.5-9g.
- Cinnamon Heart Rou Gui Xin is not as drying as other types of Cinnamon Bark and is best used to assist the Heart Yang and assist communication between the Heart and Kidneys.