Cassia Twig

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Releases the exterior and harmonizes the nutritive and defensive Qi - Gui Zhi is the classic warm, acrid twig for Wind-Cold patterns with spontaneous sweating, aversion to wind, stiff neck, and disharmony between Ying and Wei, especially as expressed in the Gui Zhi Tang pattern.
• Warms and unblocks the channels and collaterals - it is used for cold-damp joint pain, numbness, cold-constrained menstruation, and channel obstruction where warming circulation is needed without the deeper, stronger interior heat of Rou Gui.
• Warms Yang and assists Qi transformation - Gui Zhi is classically applied when the Bladder's transforming function is impaired by cold or Yang weakness, leading to edema, poor fluid movement, or chest and epigastric fullness from constrained Yang.
• Unblocks Heart Yang and moves chest Qi - its light but penetrating warmth makes it useful in chest Bi presentations, palpitations, or cold-type chest discomfort when Yang obstruction and phlegm coexist.

Secondary Actions

• Gui Zhi is frequently paired with Bai Shao to regulate the relationship between defensive and nutritive Qi rather than simply pushing sweat or heat outward.
• Although it comes from the same tree as Rou Gui, Gui Zhi acts more superficially and at the channel level, while Rou Gui penetrates more deeply to restore Ming Men fire and severe interior cold.

Classic Formulas

• Gui Zhi Tang (桂枝汤) - foundational Shang Han Lun formula for Wind-Cold with spontaneous sweating and Ying-Wei disharmony, with Gui Zhi as the chief exterior-releasing and harmonizing herb.
• Dang Gui Si Ni Tang (当归四逆汤) - classic formula for cold in the channels with cold hands and feet, where Gui Zhi warms and unblocks the vessels so Blood can circulate to the extremities.
• Wen Jing Tang (温经汤) - gynecologic classic for cold in the Chong and Ren with irregular menstruation, infertility, or abdominal pain, using Gui Zhi to warm the channels and dispel congealed cold.
• Zhi Shi Xie Bai Gui Zhi Tang (枳实薤白桂枝汤) - Jin Gui Yao Lue formula for chest Bi, where Gui Zhi helps open Yang and move constrained cold-phlegm in the chest.

Classical References

• Me and Qi describes Gui Zhi as warm, acrid, and sweet, entering the Heart, Lung, and Bladder channels and especially suited to releasing Wind-Cold while warming channels and assisting fluid transformation.
• Classical formula tradition consistently distinguishes Gui Zhi from Rou Gui by medicinal part and clinical depth: twig for surface and channel harmonizing, bark for deeper Yang restoration.
• Quality-control discussions in modern materia medica note that true Gui Zhi should be slender young twigs and not old dark branches or leaf-stalk-heavy adulterated material.