Rou Gui - 肉桂 - Cortex Cinnamomi - Cinnamon Bark
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Cortex Cinnamomi |
| Common English: | Cassia Cinnamon Bark Cinnamon Bark |
Category
Herbs that Warm the Interior and Expel ColdProperties
| 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 And Indications
| 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 |
Alleviates pain, Disperses deep Cold, Unblocks the channels and vessels, Warms the channels | 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, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
|
| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
|
| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata | Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata | Rz. Alpiniae Officinarum |
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 | Rx. Astragali |
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 | Cx. Phellodendri |
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. |
Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata | Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum | Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
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. |
Notes
- Its nature has a descending quality, enabling it to lead Kidney Fire back to its source.
- It is the principal herb for upward-floating of Deficient Yang.
- It is seldom decocted, since its volatile oils are lost in the process.
- Though not toxic, a large overdose may cause respiratory changes, dilation of the auricular blood vessels and convulsions.
- It is among the most warming herbs in the Chinese materia medica.
- Used alone, it treats coldness and pain of the epigastrium and abdomen.
- It opens the channels of the abdomen.
- This herb and Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi both warm and tonify the Ming Men Fire and treat Yang Deficiency Cold of the Lower Jiao; Rou Gui is the milder of the two and more specific for Lower Jiao disorders. It leads Ming Men Fire back to its source and has some dispersing properties, so it is not used for Collapse of Yang. The two are frequently combined for low back and 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 acrid, harsh, hot and drying, acting strongly and quickly to warm the Interior, expel Cold and help tonify Yang. Lu Rong is sweet, warm, soft and moistening, and acts gradually, tonifying Yang while moistening Jing and Blood. All three treat Kidney Yang Deficiency, but Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui suit only Kidney Yang Deficiency with Excess Internal Cold and are inappropriate when Jing or Blood is deficient. Lu Rong is unsuitable for expelling Internal Cold, but it is the best choice for Yang Deficiency with insufficiency of Jing, Blood and marrow.
- Rou Gui and Ram. Cinnamomi Gui Zhi come from the same plant: Rou Gui is the bark, while Gui Zhi is the twig. Each warms Ying Qi and Blood, assists Qi transformation and disperses Cold. Rou Gui is the better choice for warming the Interior and stopping pain; it enters the Lower Jiao to tonify Kidney Yang and restore Ming Men Fire. Gui Zhi is the better choice for dispersing pathogenic Cold from the Exterior, moving mainly upward to warm and unblock the channels and collaterals.
- Official Cinnamon Guan Gui contains less oil and is considered drier. It warms the Middle Jiao and dries Dampness, but is a weaker Yang tonic. Its dosage is 4.5-9g.
- Cinnamon Heart Rou Gui Xin is less drying than other kinds of Cinnamon Bark and is best for supporting Heart Yang and aiding communication between the Heart and Kidneys.
From Class
- Rou Gui & Gui Zhi (Kidney → Heart), Ren Shen & Dang Gui: Agitation can harass the child's heart in pregnancy; strengthen the Kidneys supporting the Heart with small amounts of Rou Gui/Gui Zhi; Ren Shen/Dang Gui tonify qi and blood. (Lewis)
- Rou Gui (cinnamon bark): Example for establishing kidney-heart communication in the separation phase while restraining yang from escaping. (Yuen)
- Warming the interior: Rou Dou Kou (nutmeg), Rou Gui, Xiao Hui Xiang: Warm middle heater (separation), lower (transition), upper (deliverance) so yang can hold yin. (Yuen)
- Ancient warming poultice: Chuan Jiao, Rou Gui (cinnamon heart), dried ginger: The earliest poultices used Sichuan pepper, inner cinnamon bark and dried ginger — hot, spicy herbs that stimulate Wei qi — as sinew adjuncts. (Yuen)
- Ren Shen Dang Gui Tang (Ginseng-Angelica Decoction): Ren Shen, Dang Gui, Bai Shao, Shu Di, Mai Men Dong and a small 'spark' of Rou Gui promote qi/blood generation; reduce Rou Gui for yin deficiency. (Maciocia)
- Phenol oils (eugenol) — clove, bay laurel, cinnamon: Phenols (e.g., eugenol) stimulate methylation; found in clove, bay laurel and cinnamon (leaf or bark). Cinnamon bark oil is much more powerful than the herb Rou Gui used for Kidney yang. (Yuen)