Wind-Cold at the surface
The textbook picture: chilly, a little clammy, a dislike of draughts.
Traditional Chinese herbal formula
Gui Zhi Tang
桂枝汤 · Cinnamon Twig Decoction · also known as
Page one of the Shang Han Lun, near enough. Gui Zhi Tang is the first formula in Zhang Zhongjing's great book, and herbalists have used it for around eighteen hundred years when Wind-Cold was said to be sitting at the surface. You know the feeling. Shivery, a bit clammy, wanting a jumper.
Just five kitchen-cupboard herbs: cinnamon twig, white peony, liquorice, jujube dates and fresh ginger. Made into 5:1 tablets. Four a day, so a bottle lasts fifteen days. Explore the formula
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- 5:1 strength
- DaoDi herbs
- Vegan & gluten-free
- GMP certified
- Free UK delivery £40+
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A short history of Gui Zhi Tang
Zhang Zhongjing wrote the Shang Han Lun (the 'Treatise on Cold Damage') around 200 AD, at the end of the Han dynasty. In his preface he says that more than two thirds of his large family had died within ten years, most of them from what he called cold damage. That's what drove him to write it.
Gui Zhi Tang is the first formula he gives. It's for the earliest stage of his scheme, when the trouble is still on the outside of the body. His instructions are oddly homely, too. Drink it warm, follow it with a bowl of hot thin rice porridge, wrap up, and aim for a light all-over sweat. Not a drenching one.
Later scholars called it the 'first formula of all formulas', and a huge family of recipes grows out of it. Add or swap a herb or two and you get dozens of relatives. In Japan it's known as Keishito and sits at the heart of Kampo training.
In Chinese medicine
How herbalists understand it
Chinese medicine pictures two layers guarding the surface of the body. Wei Qi is the defensive layer on the very outside, and Ying Qi is the nourishing layer just beneath. When they're working together, the pores open and close as they should.
When Wind-Cold gets in, the theory goes, these two fall out of step. Wei Qi rushes outwards, Ying can't hold on, and you get that odd mix of feeling chilly while being slightly sweaty, with a stiff neck and a dislike of draughts. Zhang called this 'Taiyang wind strike'. A bit of a mouthful.
Cinnamon twig warms the outer layer and pushes outwards. White peony holds the inner layer in. One opens, one gathers, and between them they're meant to bring the two back into balance. Ginger, jujube and liquorice look after the Stomach, which in this system is where the Qi for all that comes from.
The Five Elements
A Metal element formula
The Lung sits under Metal, and in Chinese medicine the Lung governs the skin and that defensive Wei Qi. Gui Zhi Tang works right at the surface, so it's Metal country.
Autumn
Season
When the weather turns and the first chilly winds come in. Peak Gui Zhi Tang time, traditionally.
Lung
Organ
Said to spread Wei Qi across the skin like a protective coat.
White
Colour
Metal's colour. Think frost on the grass in October.
Pungent
Taste
Cinnamon twig and fresh ginger are both pungent, the taste herbalists linked with pushing outwards.
Grief
Emotion
Metal's emotion. A reminder that this system never quite separates body and feeling.
Traditional use
How it has traditionally been used
This is how herbalists have used it over the centuries. We're describing tradition here, not making medical claims.
Out of balance on the outside
Chosen when the surface layers feel 'out of step', sweating without warming up.
The weather turning
A traditional pick in autumn and early spring, when the wind has a bite to it.
A base to build on
Herbalists often start from Gui Zhi Tang and adjust, which says a lot about how it's regarded.
This section describes traditional use in Chinese herbal practice. Gui Zhi Tang is a food supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Inside the formula · Ingredients
Five herbs, perfectly paired
A tiny formula, but a very deliberate one. Each herb has a partner. Amounts are per daily serving of 4 tablets.
Chief
Cinnamon Twig (Gui Zhi)
Neolitsea cassia628mg
Neolitsea cassia628mg
Cinnamon twig warms the channels and nudges the surface open. It's the herb the formula's named after. Herb Glossary
Minister
White Peony Root (Bai Shao)
Paeonia lactiflora628mg
Paeonia lactiflora628mg
White peony is the counterweight, holding the inner Ying layer steady while cinnamon works outwards. Herb Glossary
Assistants
Fresh Ginger (Sheng Jiang)
Zingiber officinale136mg
Zingiber officinale136mg
Jujube Date (Da Zao)
Ziziphus jujuba426mg
Ziziphus jujuba426mg
Fresh ginger backs up the cinnamon, and jujube backs up the peony. They also settle the Stomach. Herb Glossary
Envoy
Liquorice Root (Gan Cao)
Glycyrrhiza glabra426mg
Glycyrrhiza glabra426mg
Liquorice brings everything into harmony. There's quite a lot of it here, which matters (see the FAQs). Herb Glossary
Inactive ingredients: Cassava starch, Hypromellose, Magnesium stearate, Polyethylene glycol, Talc.
These are used in very small amounts to form and coat the tablets. They don't add to the formula itself.
How to take
A simple daily ritual
2In the morning
Tablets with water.
2In the evening
Tablets with water.
WeeksSteady use
Most people take a formula for several weeks.
Always follow the label. If you take any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, please speak to your GP or pharmacist before use.
Choosing between them
Gui Zhi Tang or Yu Ping Feng San?
| Compare | Gui Zhi Tang | Yu Ping Feng San |
|---|---|---|
| First recorded | Han dynasty, around 200 AD | Song to Yuan era (sources differ) |
| The idea | Rebalance the two surface layers | Build up the outer defences |
| Herbs | 5, led by cinnamon twig and white peony | 3: astragalus, white atractylodes and siler |
| Character | Warming and gently outward | Steadying and strengthening |
| Often chosen when | Wind-Cold is already at the door | The 'windscreen' feels a bit thin |
What is Gui Zhi Tang traditionally used for?
In Chinese medicine terms, for Wind-Cold at the surface with Ying and Wei out of step. In plain English, that chilly, slightly clammy feeling when the weather turns. It's a food supplement, though, not a medicine.
Is it just cinnamon?
No. It's cinnamon twig, which is the young branch rather than the bark you bake with, plus white peony, ginger, jujube and liquorice. The pairing of cinnamon and peony is the clever bit.
Why does the original say to eat porridge afterwards?
Zhang Zhongjing told people to follow it with hot thin rice porridge to warm the Stomach and encourage a light sweat. We can't promise you'll want porridge, but it's a lovely bit of history.
How many do I take?
Two in the morning and two in the evening, so four a day. A bottle of 60 lasts fifteen days.
Is it safe for everyone?
Please check with your GP first if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or on any medication. There's a fair amount of liquorice in it, and liquorice can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, so take extra care if you have high blood pressure or take blood pressure medicine, diuretics or heart medication.
Is it related to Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan?
They share a name and Zhang Zhongjing wrote both, but they're quite different. Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan comes from his other book and is built around moving the Blood, not the surface.
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Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Keep out of reach of children.