Effects and functions of cinnamon twig and licorice

Guizhi Zhigancao is the name of a Chinese medicine prescription, which comes from the classic book Treatise on Febrile Diseases. Its main function is to supplement the heart yang and has the effect of raising yang and transforming qi. It has a good therapeutic effect on excessive sweating and symptoms such as palpitations. The way to take it is also relatively simple. Add three liters of water and cook until 1/3 is left. Remove the residue and take it. For shortness of breath due to qi deficiency, you can also add ginseng or American ginseng.

Effects and functions of cinnamon twig and licorice

For those with qi deficiency and shortness of breath, add ginseng or American ginseng, and astragalus to replenish qi and tonify deficiency; for those with yang deficiency and aversion to cold, add dried ginger and aconite to warm yang and dispel cold; for those with blood deficiency and dizziness, add longan meat and angelica to nourish yin and blood; for those with palpitations, add polygala and jujube seeds to calm the mind and stabilize the spirit; for those with depressed heat and restlessness, add poria and anemarrhena to clear the heart, eliminate restlessness and calm the mind.

usage

Use three liters (600ml) of water, boil it and take out one liter (200ml), remove the residue and drink it all at once.

use

This prescription uses palpitations or chest tightness, sweating, or palpitations in the stomach, pale tongue, thin white tongue coating, and weak pulse as the key points for diagnosis. This prescription can be used to treat arrhythmia, bradycardia, myocardial ischemia, rheumatic heart disease, cor pulmonale, coronary heart disease, etc. in Western medicine clinical practice. As long as it meets the symptoms of the main pathological changes, it can be used with additions or subtractions as an auxiliary treatment for chronic gastritis, colitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, etc.

Identification between the parties involved

Guizhi Gancao Decoction and Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Decoction can both treat heart yang deficiency syndrome. The main symptom of Guizhi Gancao Decoction is palpitations caused by the loss of protection of heart qi; while the main symptom of Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Decoction is irritability caused by the loss of yang protection and restlessness. This is the difference between the two.

Abstracts of important literature

1. "Annotations on Treatise on Febrile Diseases": The pungent taste of cinnamon twig goes to the lungs and replenishes Qi; the sweet taste of licorice goes to the spleen and soothes the stomach. 2. "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" says: This is a strong medicine for nourishing the heart. Cinnamon twig is a medicine of the ying division. When combined with licorice, it can replenish the ying qi and nourish the blood, which is why it follows the sweet element. This prescription uses cinnamon twig as the main ingredient and licorice as the auxiliary ingredient to replenish the heart's yang, so that those who sweat excessively will not suffer from loss of yang. The pungent and dispersing properties of ginger and the sticky properties of jujube are not suitable. Peony is not used because its bitter and laxative properties are not desired. Sweet and warm complement each other, harmonizing Qi and alleviating palpitations. 3. Ancient and Modern Annotations: Guizhi and Gancao are pungent from sweet, and have yin within yang, so they are used to treat the loss of yang in the chest. Moreover, cinnamon twigs lightly move to the surface, while licorice lingers in the middle palace, returning the yang energy. It still implies the meaning of one surface and one interior, so it can stop sweating externally and eliminate restlessness internally.