Hot Pepper … Classic Formulas
La Jiao · Fructus Capsici
Primary Actions
- Warms the middle and disperses cold - La Jiao is used for cold-type abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and sluggish digestion when cold obstructs the middle burner.
- Moves qi downward and promotes digestion - it helps reduce food stagnation, chest or epigastric oppression, and poor appetite when cold and damp impede digestive movement.
- Warms the channels externally - topical or wash-style use appears in folk and regional practice for rheumatic pain, chilblains, and poor local circulation.
Classic Formulas
- La Jiao with Sheng Jiang or Gao Liang Jiang - warming-middle pairings used when abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea reflect cold rather than heat.
- Topical chili preparations or decoction washes - traditional external approach for cold-damp painful joints or frostbite-type lesions.
- Food-medicine use in warming soups or congees - a gentler strategy for cold digestion in people who tolerate pungent foods.
Classical Text References
- Chinese materia medica references describe La Jiao as acrid and hot, entering the Spleen and Stomach to warm the middle, scatter cold, direct qi downward, and aid digestion.
- Its standard indications center on cold stagnation and weak digestive fire, not on heat patterns.
- External use is also described for wind-damp pain and cold-injury lesions such as chilblains.