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Cinnamon, also known as Guo Gui, Zi Gui, Da Gui, Tong Gui, La Gui, and Yu Gui, is first recorded in the “Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic”. The name Cinnamon first appeared in the “Tang Herbal”, and it has been discussed in various herbal texts throughout history.
Its properties are pungent, sweet, and very warm, entering the Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and Liver meridians. It has the effects of warming the Yang, guiding fire back to its source, dispelling cold and alleviating pain, and invigorating blood circulation. It can be used to treat impotence, cold uterus, abdominal pain due to cold hernia, and floating Yang deficiency. The “Medical Origins” states that it can: “Supplement the deficiency of the lower burner, treat cold shoulder and spontaneous sweating due to deficiency.”
Its processed forms include: peeled cinnamon, boiled cinnamon, wine cinnamon, fried cinnamon, ginger cinnamon, charred cinnamon, roasted cinnamon, and cinnamon processed with children’s urine. Modern processing usually removes impurities, scrapes off the rough skin, and crushes it into small pieces.
Cinnamon promotes blood circulation and is an excellent remedy for heart pain, as well as stopping sweating.
Do not only see cinnamon as a remedy for heart pain, why? Because the heart governs blood vessels, and wherever the blood vessels reach, in simple terms, it is the entire cardiovascular system. If there is pain due to cold obstruction in these areas, cinnamon can be used; it is not limited to just heart or chest pain.
If you experience stomach pain, abdominal pain, lower back pain, or leg pain due to consuming cold foods, if you understand the principle of analogy, you can also use cinnamon. All the functions of cinnamon revolve around warming the blood vessels and supplementing Yang.
Why do I say this?
Look, cinnamon is red like fire, pungent and very warm, good at supplementing Yang, directly entering the heart and kidneys, warming the meridians, dispelling cold, and alleviating pain. This herb is not only found in pharmacies but can also often be seen in many households’ kitchens. It can be used as a culinary ingredient.
In folk soup-making, adding some will make it fragrant, and consuming it will warm you up, especially in cold places or during cold seasons, or for elderly individuals with weak bodies who are afraid of cold due to stomach cold; they often understand to use ingredients like cinnamon and ginger to supplement Yang and disperse cold.
How can we prove that cinnamon can warm the blood vessels and alleviate pain?
There is a TCM enthusiast who, on the day her menstruation arrived, ate some raw cold fruits and immediately felt severe abdominal pain. She thought that every time she had abdominal pain, she would make some ginger date tea or take Fuzi Lizhong Pill, and it would help. This time, she decided to try something different.
The herbal texts say that Guo Gui is good at regulating cold Qi. This Guo Gui refers to high-quality cinnamon, which was previously offered to emperors and officials. Since cinnamon excels at regulating various cold Qi pains in the body, why not try it to see if it is a good remedy? It is a matter of testing it out.
Since I have already identified myself as having a cold-deficient constitution, and consuming raw cold foods worsens my abdominal pain, according to the TCM principle of warming cold with heat, I crushed the cinnamon into fine powder and took it with warm wine. Why add warm wine? Because wine can help the medicinal properties circulate in the blood vessels and can also dispel cold and alleviate pain.
Strangely, as soon as this medicine entered my stomach, I immediately felt a warm sensation rising. Just moments ago, my stomach was in pain, and my hands and feet were cold; now the pain quickly eased, and my hands and feet gradually warmed up. After passing some gas, the stomach pain was resolved. Using cinnamon to treat abdominal cold pain is sufficient to prove that cinnamon is good at regulating cold Qi.
This experience quickly became a small wisdom that everyone should know at home, a little tip for life. Because it is inevitable to catch a cold or drink cold things, leading to cold pain. In fact, using cinnamon to treat abdominal cold pain has long been recorded in ancient texts.
In the “Zhou Hou Fang” from a thousand years ago, it mentions treating postpartum abdominal cold pain or when blood stasis is not cleared, causing blockage and pain, using cinnamon powdered and taken with warm wine, a small spoonful, three times a day.
Look, such a simple little TCM experience can help you through painful times, and this is something that is commonly found in the household, so it is essential to understand!
Using cinnamon correctly is not just about treating abdominal pain; cinnamon warms the Yang Qi of the heart and kidneys, allowing all internal organs to bask in a warm Yang fire, thus preventing cold from causing pain.
Cinnamon combinations: Xu Dachun in “Medical Source Theory” said, “Medicines have their unique strengths, and formulas have their harmonious uses.” Through the combination of medicines, the efficacy can be enhanced, treating complex diseases and reducing toxic side effects. Ancient physicians often based on traditional TCM theories, utilized the seven emotions of medicines to combine them, allowing cinnamon to better exert its effects.
Cinnamon combined with Fuzi. Both cinnamon and Fuzi are pungent, sweet, and very warm, both have the effects of supplementing Yang and dispelling cold and alleviating pain. Together, they supplement the fire of the Mingmen, used to warm and assist the Yang Qi of the whole body, thus addressing various symptoms of Yang deficiency, whether it is Kidney Yang deficiency, Heart Yang deficiency, Spleen Yang deficiency, or combinations thereof. They can also guide fire back to its source, preventing issues such as palpitations, toothaches, facial swelling, throat obstruction, ear swelling, facial redness, nasal congestion, and thirst due to floating Yang. Zhang Jingyue’s “Bencao Zheng” proposed that Fuzi can “greatly guide fire back to its source,” while Guo Peilan’s “Bencao Hui” stated that cinnamon can guide fire back to its source. However, Fuzi has the ability to revive Yang and rescue the reverse, while cinnamon does not.
Cinnamon combined with dried ginger. Both dried ginger and cinnamon are pungent and very warm, both can warm the interior and disperse cold. Dried ginger enters the Spleen, Stomach, Heart, and Lung meridians, while cinnamon enters the Liver, Kidney, Heart, and Spleen meridians. Dried ginger acts more on the upper middle, while cinnamon can warm the Kidney and the fire of the Mingmen. Cinnamon can supplement the Yang in the Kidney, achieving a balance of water and fire, thus assisting Heart Yang. “When Yang is deficient, external cold invades” (“Suwen: Regulation of Menstruation”), those with insufficient Yang Qi are more susceptible to invasion by Yin cold evils. Therefore, to dispel internal and external Yin cold evils, it is necessary to combine warming and supplementing Yang medicines. The combination of dried ginger and cinnamon complements each other.
Cinnamon combined with Huanglian. Cinnamon combined with Huanglian is part of the composition of Jiaotai Pill. When the fire of life is insufficient, it cannot stimulate the Kidney water to communicate with the Heart, leading to excessive Heart fire. Huanglian is bitter and cold, good at clearing Heart heat and draining Heart fire; cinnamon is warm and good at harmonizing Heart blood and supplementing life fire. The combination of these two medicines, with both cold and heat, complements each other, effectively draining the south and supplementing the north, facilitating the communication between Heart and Kidney. This combination can be used to treat palpitations, insomnia, and mouth sores caused by excessive Heart fire and insufficient Kidney Yang.
Cinnamon combined with Fuling. Cinnamon supplements Yang and dispels cold, while Fuling promotes water and drains dampness, strengthens the Spleen, and stops diarrhea. When Yang Qi is deficient, it can lead to water dampness; when water dampness accumulates, it obstructs Yang Qi. Water dampness is a Yin evil that needs Yang Qi to transform it; water dampness tends to descend and needs to be drained. Fuling promotes water and drains dampness, which can unblock Yang Qi; cinnamon warms Yang and transforms Qi, which can dispel water dampness. The combination of these two medicines is often used for Yang deficiency with water retention.
One Reminder:Due to individual differences in body conditions, the formulas provided in this article should be adjusted according to the situation, and it is recommended to seek guidance from a professional doctor.⊙The content of the article is for clinical thought reference only; non-TCM professionals should not try the medicines.
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