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    Gate-of-Vitality Fortifying & Primal Yang Restoring Sovereign (补火助阳 / 引火归元散寒止痛温通经脉要药)

    肉桂 / 官桂 / 桂皮 / 玉桂 — Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J.Presl (and Cinnamomum verum J.Presl)

    Pinyin: Ròuguì / Guānguì · Malay: Kayu Manis / Kayu Manis Padang · Family: Lauraceae (樟科)

    Botanical Illustration

    Energetics

    Pure Hot (大热 / 纯阳)

    Flavor

    Pungent, sweet, intensely aromatic (辛、甘、大热)

    Meridians

    Kidney (肾), Spleen (脾), Heart (心), Liver (肝)

    Traditional Edict

    Supplements Gate of Vitality fire, guides floating fire back to Kidney source (Yin Huo Gui Yuan), dispels deep interior cold, unblocks vessels. Sovereign monarch drug for Yang collapse and cold colic.

    Cautions & Contraindications

    • PURE HOT NATURE; prolonged boiling destroys cinnamaldehyde. STRICTLY CONTRAINDICATED in pregnancy (potent emmenagogue abortifacient risk) and Yin deficiency with effulgent fire.

    Clinical Applications

    • Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (insulin receptor sensitization), cold-type chronic heart failure, amenorrhea, Raynaud's syndrome, and menopausal upper-heat lower-cold flushing.

    Quality Markers

    Cinnamaldehyde (桂皮醛) >= 1.50% via HPLC (Chinese Pharmacopoeia / MHM standard)

    Mechanism & Phytochemistry

    1. Cinnamaldehyde (>= 1.50%) stimulates insulin receptor kinase, activating IRS-1/PI3K/GLUT4 glucose uptake. 2. Induces peripheral vasodilation via voltage-gated calcium blockade and eNOS stimulation. 3. Downregulates NF-kB, TNF-a, and COX-2.

    Preparation & Dosage

    Sliced thick oily bark. Added during final 3-5 minutes of boiling (Hou Xia / 后下) or steeped covered as an infusion: 1-5 g daily. Swallowed as powder: 0.5-1.5 g.

    Appended Prescriptions

    • 1. You Gui Wan (右归丸) with Prepared Rehmannia, Aconite (Fu Zi), and Cornus for complete Kidney Yang collapse. 2. Jiao Tai Wan (交泰丸) with Coptis chinensis (Huang Lian) for Heart-Kidney disharmony insomnia.

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    Yemama Apothecary · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia · For educational and clinical reference only