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Photo of Cinnamon Twig

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.

How to take it

Drink

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

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

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.