Gui Zhi Xin Jia Tang
Star桂枝加芍药生姜各一两人参三两新加汤 (Cinnamon Twig Decoction Newly Supplemented with One Liǎng Each of Peony and Fresh Ginger and Three Liǎng of Ginseng)
Source: Shang Han Lun — Zhang Zhong-Jing (Eastern Han, c. 220)
Last updated October 20, 2026
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Description
Gui Zhi Xin Jia Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction Newly Supplemented with One Liǎng Each of Peony and Fresh Ginger and Three Liǎng of Ginseng) is the formula given in Line 62 of the Shang Han Lun for generalized pain with a sunken, slow pulse after the promotion of sweating, from damage to qì and construction.
Source: Mitchell C, Feng Y, Wiseman N. Shang Han Lun: On Cold Damage, Translation & Commentaries. Paradigm Publications, 1999, p. 89.
Composition
Liquorice — estimated at the Chinese Pharmacopoeia's minimum content: about 313 mg of glycyrrhizic acid a day (zhi Gan Cao 31.25 g × 1.0 %). The EU Scientific Committee on Food considers 100 mg/day an upper limit for regular intake that protects most people. The estimate assumes all of it passes into what is taken, uses the pharmacopoeia's dry-weight minimum, and takes the amounts as one day's dose.
Sources
Sources: Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, 甘草 and 炙甘草, assay (glycyrrhizic acid not less than 1.8 % in the dispensed slices and 1.0 % in honey-fried liquorice, by dry weight). EU Scientific Committee on Food, Opinion on glycyrrhizinic acid and its ammonium salt, SCF/CS/ADD/EDUL/225 Final, 2003. The Committee notes this limit may not protect people with high blood pressure, electrolyte or fluid-balance disorders, slow gut transit, or reduced 11β-HSD2 activity.
- 《中华人民共和国药典》2020年版一部 — 甘草, 饮片 甘草片【含量测定】甘草酸 不得少于1.8%（按干燥品计算） (opens in a new tab)
- 《中华人民共和国药典》2020年版一部 — 炙甘草【含量测定】甘草酸 不得少于1.0%（按干燥品计算） (opens in a new tab)
- EU Scientific Committee on Food, Opinion on glycyrrhizinic acid and its ammonium salt, SCF/CS/ADD/EDUL/225 Final (10 April 2003) (opens in a new tab)
- EMA/HMPC/108399/2024 — European Union herbal monograph on Glycyrrhiza glabra L.; Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat.; Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., radix, §4.9 Overdose (opens in a new tab)
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gui Zhi
as printed: 桂枝三两（去皮） (3 liang, remove bark); 46.875 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
46.88g | 18.75% | — | |
|
Bai Shao
as printed: 芍药四两 (4 liang); 62.5 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64); printed as 芍药 shao yao (peony, white or red not specified), linked to Bai Shao as in the catalogue's other Shang Han Lun rows
|
62.5g | 25% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: 甘草二两（炙） (2 liang, mix-fried); 31.25 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
31.25g | 12.5% | — | |
|
Ren Shen
as printed: 人参三两 (3 liang); 46.875 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
46.88g | 18.75% | — | |
|
Da Zao
as printed: 大枣十二枚（擘） (12 pieces, broken)
|
12pieces | 100% | — | |
|
Sheng Jiang
as printed: 生姜四两 (4 liang; the pinyin and English add (cut)); 62.5 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
62.5g | 25% | — |
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net slightly warm (+0.38)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cool 25%, neutral 13%, warm 63%.
Pairs warm and cool. 63% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 25% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Taste
- pungent 34%
- sweet 31%
- sour 13%
- bitter 22%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 81%
- Lung 75%
- Heart 50%
- Stomach 38%
- Liver 25%
- Kidney 19%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
1 herb without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: Da Zao.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
Preparation
(1) [For] the above six ingredients use one dǒu and two shēng of water. Boil to get three shēng, remove the dregs and take one shēng, warm. (2) This is Cinnamon Twig Decoction (guì zhī tāng) with extra peony (sháo yào), fresh ginger (shēng jiāng), and ginseng (rén shēn). (Mitchell, Feng & Wiseman 1999, p. 89, Line 62)
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Formula family
Full equations
- This formula = Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang + Gui Zhi Jia Gui Tang + Sheng Jiang Gan Cao Tang. Relative doses differ by up to about 2× from the catalogue's Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang.
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
Formulas that share herbs with this one — the closer to the centre, the stronger the match. Click a node to explore.
Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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