Ròu Guì (肉桂) — Cinnamon bark

On this page

1. Overview
2. Properties
3. Actions and indications
4. Key formulas
5. Modern research
6. Cautions and contraindications
7. Treatment at my clinic

1. Overview

Ròu Guì (肉桂) — Cinnamomum cassia — is known in English as Cinnamon bark. It belongs to the category of Herbs that warm the Interior in the Chinese Materia Medica and is one of the important herbs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is used in Chinese herbal medicine as a component of classical herbal formulas and in tailored prescriptions.

I prescribe Ròu Guì as part of bespoke herbal formulas from pharmaceutical-grade granules sourced from Sun Ten in Taiwan. Herbs are always combined with other herbs selected to match the patient’s individual TCM pattern. Online consultations are available for patients who cannot attend my clinic in person.

2. Properties

3. Actions and indications

Principal actions

1. Warms the Kidney and strengthens the Ming Men fire — the most powerful Yang warming herb
2. Disperses Cold, warms the channels and relieves pain
3. Promotes the generation of Qi and Blood
4. Encourages floating Yang to return to its source
5. Leads Fire back to the Kidney (in large formulas)

Indications

1. Kidney Yang deficiency — cold extremities, impotence, infertility and lower back pain from Cold
2. Cold uterus with infertility — the principal herb for Cold patterns in fertility
3. Dysmenorrhoea and amenorrhoea from Cold Blood stasis
4. Abdominal pain and diarrhoea from Spleen and Kidney Yang deficiency
5. Cardiovascular disease from Yang deficiency with Cold
6. Oedema from Kidney Yang failure to transform water

4. Key formulas containing Ròu Guì

Ròu Guì appears in the following key formulas:

• You Gui Wan
• Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan

See the full Chinese herbal medicine formula directory for detailed information on all 70 classical formulas.

5. Modern research

Cinnamomum cassia bark (Rou Gui) — distinct from cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi) — is one of the hottest and most powerfully Yang-warming herbs in the Materia Medica. Key bioactive constituents include cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, procyanidins, coumarin and essential oils. Research confirms significant antidiabetic effects (improving insulin sensitivity — relevant to PCOS), antihypertensive activity, antimicrobial properties, anti-inflammatory effects and vasodilatory action. Cinnamon bark has been shown in clinical trials to reduce fasting blood glucose and HbA1c in type 2 diabetes. The combination Rou Gui + Fu Zi (in formulas like You Gui Wan) represents the most powerful Yang-tonifying combination in TCM.

6. Cautions and contraindications

Contraindicated in Yin deficiency with Empty Heat, pregnancy (in large doses — avoid as a single herb), haemorrhagic conditions and excess Fire patterns. The hot, drying nature is powerful — use only when Kidney Yang deficiency with Cold is clearly established. Do not confuse with Gui Zhi (cinnamon twig), which has a milder action.

Important: Chinese herbs should always be prescribed by a fully qualified herbalist who is a member of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM). Never self-prescribe or self-administer Chinese herbs without professional guidance. Dr (TCM) Attilio D’Alberto is a member of the RCHM with over 25 years of clinical experience.

7. Treatment at my clinic

I prescribe Ròu Guì as part of tailored herbal formulas for a range of conditions including Fertility, Luteal phase defect, Male infertility, Back pain. Every prescription is individually formulated following a full TCM assessment and adjusted throughout treatment as the pattern responds.

I see patients in person at my clinic in Wokingham, Berkshire. Online Chinese herbal medicine consultations are available throughout the UK and internationally. Visit the prices page for consultation fees.

Return to the Chinese herb directory or the Chinese herbal medicine main page.