Gan Jiang - 干姜 - Rhizoma Zingiberis - Dried Ginger Rhizome

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Rhizoma Zingiberis
Common English:	Dried Ginger Rhizome

Category

Herbs that Warm the Interior and Expel Cold

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Acrid	Hot (Warm)	Heart Lung Spleen Stomach (Kidney) (Large Intestine)	3-10g Tincture: 1-2ml

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Warms the Middle and expels Cold	External Cold affecting the Spleen and Stomach Spleen and Stomach Yang Deficiencies
Dispels Wind-Dampness seeping into the Lower Jiao	Lower Jiao Wind-Cold-Damp Bi
Rescues Devastated Yang and expels Interior Cold	Devastated Yang with a very weak pulse and cold limbs
Warms the Lungs and transforms thin mucus	Lung Cold with expectoration of thin, watery or white sputum
Warms the channels (unblocks the pulse) and stops bleeding	Hemorrhage due to Deficiency Cold, especially uterine bleeding (only if the bleeding is chronic and pale in color with cold limbs, ashen white face and a soggy thin pulse)

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu	Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen	Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi
Diarrhea due to Spleen Deficiency. Char both herbs for treating bloody stools and excessive uterine bleeding. Hematochezia.	Spleen Yang Deficiency with a cold abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea.	Debilitated Spleen and Kidney Yang with incessant diarrhea. Devastated Yang. Counteracts the Internal consequences of an External Wind-Cold attack. Overabundance of Yin fluids due to Deficiency Cold. Cold-Damp Bi. Warms the Spleen and Kidneys, benefits Yang and disperses Cold. Reduces the toxicity of Zhi Fu Zi (even better with Gan Cao).
Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian	Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Colla Corii Asini E Jiao	Rz. Pinelliae Zhi Ban Xia
Epigastric pain and distention, dysentery, indeterminate gnawing hunger, vague abdominal pain or discomfort, belching and nausea.	Chronic diarrhea with damage to the Yin leading to a condition with mixed Hot and Cold with Blood and pus in the stool.	Vomiting of saliva or dry heaves due to Cold-induced congested fluids.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Rz. Alpiniae Officinarum Gao Liang Jiang	Rz. Pinelliae Zhi Ban Xia Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
Epigastric pain and vomiting due to Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold.	Abdominal Cold and vomiting due to Stomach Cold.	Vomiting due to Deficiency Cold.
Poria Fu Ling Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu (Rx. Glycyrrhizae) (Gan Cao)	Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Hb. Asari Xi Xin (Hb. Ephedrae) (Ma Huang)	Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi Fr. Psoraliae Bu Gu Zhi
Cold-Dampness in the Lower Jiao leading to a sense of heaviness and Cold in the lower back.	Coughing and wheezing due to Cold congested Fluids blocking the descent of Lung Qi.	Continuous diarrhea due to Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency.
Fr. Gleditsiae Zao Jiao (Ram. Cinnamomi) (Gui Zhi)	Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po	Fol. Artemisiae Argyi Ai Ye Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu (Rx. Ginseng) (Ren Shen)
Rebellious Qi leading to coughing.	Epigastric distention and pain due to Cold-induced congested fluids.	Bleeding due to Deficiency Cold.

Notes

1. Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang excels at warming the Middle Jiao and expelling Interior Cold, whereas Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang induces sweating and disperses Exterior Cold.
2. Quick-fried Rz. Zingiberis Pao Jiang is prepared by frying the herb until its surface is slightly blackened. Bitter, astringent and warm, it enters the Liver and Spleen. It warms the interior less strongly but works well to stop bleeding linked to Deficiency Cold, and it may surpass Gan Jiang for lower abdominal problems such as diarrhea and cold menses.
3. For hematemesis from Deficiency Cold, charred Gan Jiang can be used alone, or it may be combined with children's urine for the same purpose.
4. Gan Jiang is chosen when Dampness and Cold are present. Most formulas include it, either to improve overall circulation or to normalize the flow of Qi in the Spleen/Stomach.
5. To restore Yang, it is commonly paired with Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi.
6. Indications include epigastric and abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, cold dyspnea and coughing.
7. Gan Jiang and Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi both treat Devastated Yang. Gan Jiang is directed more toward Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold and acts for a relatively long time, whereas Zhi Fu Zi warms and tonifies Kidney and Spleen Yang with effects that are less localized and more immediate.
8. Gan Jiang and Rz. Alpiniae Officinarum Gao Liang Jiang both disperse Cold from the Middle Jiao and treat Cold pain in the epigastrium. Gan Jiang additionally warms the Lungs, transforms Phlegm and stops cough, and it warms the Spleen to stop Cold pain and diarrhea. Gao Liang Jiang warms the Stomach and treats Cold epigastric pain accompanied by belching, nausea and vomiting.
9. Gan Jiang and Fr. Evodiae Wu Zhu Yu both warm the Middle and disperse Cold, and they are often combined for Middle Jiao Cold Stagnation with Cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen. Gan Jiang concentrates on warming the Upper Jiao and transforming thin mucus in the Lungs to stop coughs. Wu Zhu Yu warms the Lower Jiao, treating Cold Bulging Disorder and pain along the Liver channel, and it also warms the Womb to treat irregular menstruation and Cold pain in the Lower Jiao.
10. Gan Jiang is said to have four uses: unblocking and assisting Heart Yang; expelling stubborn, sunken Cold from the organs; dispersing Cold Qi in every channel; and treating abdominal pain from External Wind-Cold.
11. Dry-fried Chao Gan Jiang is the foremost herb for stopping bleeding when Deficient Yang cannot contain the Blood.
12. Ginger Root Skin Jiang Pi is acrid and cool and is used for edema and abdominal fullness. Dosage: 3-10g.