Cinnamon Twig
桂枝 · Guì Zhī
Warms early colds and chilly painful periods
Properties
WarmingWarming botanicalPungent, Sweet
What it does
Cinnamon twig warms early colds with chills, chilly painful periods, and cold-pattern joint pain. In TCM, it induces sweating, warms the channels, and reinforces yang. It's the lead herb in Guì Zhī Tāng, the very first formula in Zhang Zhongjing's 2,000-year-old Shāng Hán Lùn. Distinct from cinnamon bark (Ròu Guì), which is hotter and goes deeper. Cinnamon twig is the gentler surface-warmer.
Safety
- Skip with high fever, hot patterns, or yin-deficient heat
- Skip during pregnancy without practitioner guidance
- May affect blood thinners and blood-sugar medications
- Limit to short courses for acute cold-pattern conditions
- Talk to your doctor before starting, especially if you take medication
How to take it
Decoct 3–9g of cinnamon twigs in 4 cups water for 25 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 1–2x daily during early colds with chills. Common in Gui Zhi Tang with peony and ginger.
Try a Gui Zhi Tang formula at the first chill of a cold with sweating
Formulas it's in
Cinnamon Twig & Poria
桂枝茯苓丸 · guì zhī fú líng wán
A classical TCM formula for period pain and blood stagnation in the lower abdomen.
Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria
五苓散 · wǔ líng sǎn
For puffiness, bloating, and trouble peeing when fluid isn't moving through.
Warm the Menses
溫經湯 · wēn jīng tāng
A TCM formula for cold in the uterus with irregular periods, lower belly chill, and a mix of cold and heat signs.
Where it comes from
Cinnamon twig comes from the same Cinnamomum cassia tree that gives us the bark (Ròu Guì), but the small twigs and branches are harvested separately for a milder, surface-acting herb. It's the lead herb in Guì Zhī Tāng (Cinnamon Twig Decoction), the opening formula in Zhang Zhongjing's Shāng Hán Lùn (Treatise on Cold Damage), one of the most influential medical texts in Chinese history. Modern Japanese Kampo medicine still uses Guì Zhī Tāng heavily.