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Rou Gui (肉桂), cinnamon bark, warms and tonifies the Kidney yang and the Gate of Vitality (Mingmen) fire, disperses deep cold to relieve pain, warms and frees the channels, and leads ‘floating’ fire back down to its source.
Latin / Pharmaceutical Name
Cinnamomum cassia (Cortex Cinnamomi)
Common English Name
Cinnamon bark
Taste
Acrid, sweet
Temperature
Very hot
Channels Entered
Kidney, Spleen, Heart, Liver
Actions & Functions
- Warms and tonifies Kidney yang and the Mingmen fire
- Disperses cold and relieves pain
- Warms and unblocks the channels and the blood
- Leads floating yang/fire back to the source (Kidney)
Indications
Kidney yang deficiency with cold, weak lower back and impotence; cold painful obstruction and cold abdominal and menstrual pain; and floating yang with flushed face and cold lower body.
Dosage
1-4.5 g in decoction (add near the end), or 1-2 g as powder.
Common Combinations
With Fu Zi (Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan) to warm Kidney yang; with Huang Lian to reconnect Heart and Kidney.
Cautions & Contraindications
Contraindicated in pregnancy, yin deficiency with heat, and bleeding from heat. Classically incompatible with Chi Shi Zhi.
