Herbs That Warm the Interior and Expel Cold herbs traditional chinese medicine Chuan Jiao Szechuan Pepper Ding Xiang Clove Flower Bud Fu Zi Prepared Aconite Root Gan Jiang Dried Ginger Root Gao Liang Jiang Galangal Rhizome Rou Gui Dried Cinammon Bark Wu Zhu Yu Evodia Fruit Xiao Hui Xiang Fennel Seed

Herbs That Warm the Interior and Expel Cold

Function Overview

  • Used to treat internal cold - either internally generated or from an opportunistic infection (OPI).
  • Cold from deficiency patterns - cold limbs, fear of cold, pallid complexion, lack of thirst but desire for hot drinks, loose stools, white tongue coat, slow pulse; In serious cases - profuse sweating, watery stools, minute and deep pulse.
  • Invasion of cold usually attacks the spleen and stomach - nausea, vomiting, belching, diarrhea.

Summary & Key Herbs

  • Gan Jiang, Fu Zi - rescue devastated yang from collapse.
    • Gan Jiang - cold from spleen and stomach deficiency; long-lasting effect.
    • Fu Zi - warms and tonifies spleen and kidney yang; immediate actions.
  • Gan Jiang, Wu Zhu Yu, Liang Jiang - disperse cold from the middle warmer and treats pain and coldness in the epigastrium.
    • Gan Jiang - also warms lungs and transforms phlegm and stops coughing.
    • Wu Zhu Yu - warms lower jiao and treats cold hernial disorders or diarrhea due to cold int he lower burner; belching and vomiting with more liver involvement.
    • Gao Liang Jiang - warms the stomach and treats epigastric pain and coldness with belching or vomiting.
  • Fu Zi, Rou Gui - warms and tonify the fire at the gate of vitality (ming men) and are used in treating yang deficiency and cold from deficiency of the lower burner.
    • Rou Gui - milder in action, treats lower burner disorders, leads fire to its source, and is diaphoretic; not used to rescue the yang from collape.

8 herbs in this functional category.

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