Gui Zhi is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine in daily life. It is widely used in various traditional medicinal recipes, and its medicinal effects are diverse. When combined with different types of Chinese herbs, it also has different therapeutic effects. Let's learn more about the compatibility and usage of Gui Zhi!
1. Combination with Bai Shao (Paeonia lactiflora)
Gui Zhi is pungent, sweet, and warm. When it disperses on the surface, it is pungent and warm, and when it enters the interior, it is sweet and warm, nourishing deficiencies. Bai Shao is bitter, sour, and slightly cold. It clears heat with its bitter and sour properties and constricts Yin with its sour and cold properties. The combination of Gui Zhi and Bai Shao enhances the dispersing and ascending of Yang Qi with pungency and warmth, while constricting and nourishing the Ying Yin with sourness and coldness. With one being firm and the other soft, one being Yang and the other Yin, one being dispersing and the other constricting, they complement each other. When used for external conditions, they relieve muscle tension and regulate Qi and Wei (defensive) energy; when used for internal conditions, they regulate Qi and Yin and harmonize Yin and Yang.
2. Combination with Da Huang (Rheum palmatum)
Da Huang is bitter, cold, sinking, and purgative. It is effective in clearing heat and moving stagnation in the intestines and stomach. It can be described as a "general" that doesn't stay in one place. It also has the function of promoting blood circulation and removing stasis. The combination of Gui Zhi and Da Huang allows them to each play their respective roles in the treatment of both cold and heat conditions.
3. Combination with Ma Huang (Ephedra sinica)
Ma Huang mainly acts on the Lung meridian, dispersing pungency and releasing exterior. It can cause sweating and dispel cold pathogens. Gui Zhi mainly acts on the Heart meridian, promoting warmth and circulation. It can relieve muscle tension and dispel wind pathogens. When these two herbs are combined, they not only enter the defensive (Wei) level but also enter the nutritive (Ying) level. They relieve muscle tension, promote the release of exterior conditions, and dispel wind and cold pathogens. This combination is used for wind-cold exterior conditions, promoting sweating and relieving symptoms.
4. Combination with Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis)
Gan Cao is sweet and neutral, tonifying the Spleen and harmonizing the middle, nourishing Yin and resolving stagnation. It can also harmonize the effects of other herbs. When Gui Zhi is combined with Gan Cao, it mainly acts on the nutritive (Ying) level and enters the interior. The pungency and warmth of Gui Zhi can be transformed by the sweetness of Gan Cao. This combination tonifies the Ying Qi, nourishes the Heart Qi, promotes the circulation of Heart Yang, and is effective in treating palpitations, pulse irregularities, and other symptoms.
5. Combination with Xi Xin (Asarum heterotropoides)
Gui Zhi acts on the Heart and Lung meridians, while Xi Xin acts on the Heart, Lung, Liver, and Kidney meridians. When these two herbs are combined, they enhance the warming and circulation of the meridians, and open the orifices of the Heart. In ancient times, it was believed that if the blood circulation is not smooth, the five organs will not be stable. Gui Zhi and Xi Xin both promote the circulation of Heart and Kidney, which can stabilize the five organs and promote the circulation of essence and Qi.
6. Combination with Fu Zi (Aconitum carmichaelii)
Fu Zi is extremely pungent, hot, and toxic. It is pure Yang and has the functions of reviving Yang, supplementing the original Yang, and dispelling cold. It can penetrate both the interior and exterior, and is effective in treating true cold conditions. When Gui Zhi is combined with Fu Zi, the two Yang properties are combined, which can warm the meridians, promote joint flexibility, dispel cold and dampness. It is used for wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, joint discomfort, difficulty in turning or flexing, and also for warming and promoting blood circulation, treating Yang deficiency and Yin stasis, irregular menstruation, and abdominal pain during menstruation. It can also promote the transformation of Yang Qi in case of Yang deficiency edema and assist Yang in releasing exterior conditions without the risk of excessive sweating and loss of Yang.
