Cinnamon Spotlight Winter: Time of Water
The three months of winter,
They denote securing and storing.
The water is frozen and the earth cleaves open.Do not disturb the yang qi.
Go to rest early and rise late,
Waiting for the sun to shine.Let the mind enter a state as if hidden,
As if you had secret goals;
As if you have already fulfilled them.Avoid cold and seek warmth
And be mindful of sweating excessively.
This would cause the qi to flow away.This is correspondence with the qi of winter and
is the way of nourishing storage.Nei Jing Su Wen: Chapter 2
-Adapted from the Unschuld and Tessenow translation
On December twenty-first we will cross the solstitial boundary, flowing into the time of Winter. This is the season of stillness, quiescence, contemplation, and gathering of resource. Warmth is deep within the earth: a movement of gestational breath, an opportune respite for conceiving a restored version of ourselves– an intuitive prescience which will sprout in Spring. A season also imbued with great mirth, celebration, and renewed vision through the cultivation of healthy and grounded New Year’s Resolutions.
The English word winter originally meant the time of water in Old Germanic. The wintry atmosphere resonates with the Water phase (水) in traditional Chinese philosophy. Water manifests within the Kidney system: the root and source of life. Polar counterpart to Water is Fire (火), which manifests within the Heart system. The Heart and Kidney have an intimate connection, mutually supporting and regulating one another. These two biological systems are the source of primal yin and yang within the body. Yīn-yáng (陰陽) underpin all aspects of Chinese medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine relies on the yin-yang attributes of herbal agents for formula composition and therapeutic effect. The yang aspect is called temperature (四氣): cold, cool, neutral, warm, and hot. The yin aspect is named flavor (五味): bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and acrid. An informational tool, these therapeutic herbal properties describe the physiological actions of all Chinese herbal formulations in succinct and pragmatic terms. Although simplistic in sound, it is immediately apparent in practice the potency of the strategy.
Within the veritable ocean of herbal formulae, an elegant jewel scintillates: the ‘monarch’ formula of Chinese Herbal Medicine as synthesized by Zhang Zhongjing: Cinnamon Twig Decoction.
The flagship emissary of classical Chinese herbalism, Cinnamon Twig Decoction (Gui Zhi Tang) is a safe, effective, and versatile formulation.
Promulgated through history by its eminent inclusion within the roughly 1,800 year-old canonical text Shanghan Lun, it is the basis for over 20 formulations in this classic alone, greatly influencing Chinese medicine for millennia. Composed of essentially food substances, it is primarily harmonizing in function. The formulary chief is Cinnamon Twig, an herbal which, due to its acrid and warm nature, assists the chief of the body, the Heart yang (and zōng qì), in promoting the vital substance, sweat, to function in a homeostatic and healthy way. Cinnamon Twig Decoction tends to be considered for a narrow band of uses by English-speaking practitioners, primarily Wind-Cold invasion with Wind predominant, which manifests with a floating and lax pulse, tight and stiff neck, and spontaneous sweating which does not relieve the symptoms. The true range of health patterns which Cinnamon Twig Decoction may be helpful for are far more vast.
Returning to the principle of yin-yang, a brief primer on TCM physiology follows: the pores of the skin are viewed within the domain of the nourishment system (called construction or yíng qì) and defensive system (called wèi qì). These two types of qi are also a yin-yang pair, just like water and fire, cold and heat. Together the construction and defensive systems protect the body from external pathogens, while regulating the nourishment of tissues within through the vehicle of blood and body fluids. When a strong environmental influence strikes, such as the cold wind of winter, the defensive and construction qi are mobilized to resist the pathogen. The defensive qi battles, while the construction qi nourishes and provides resources for the fight. If this process becomes dysregulated, perhaps through exhaustion following overwork or poor dietary choices, then illness may result. This is especially true during the winter season.
Winter is the period when the Cold pathogenic influence arises. Cinnamon Twig Decoction directly harmonizes the construction and defensive qi through the two herbals Cinnamon Twig (guì zhī) and White Peony Root (bái sháo). It can not only address Wind-Cold invasion in a constitutionally deficient patient, but may also be used as a preemptive aid during the winter months to keep the body defended and resourced. It is tasty too– very similar to a steamy and delicious cup of Masala Chai!
Cold and heat, water and fire, yin-yang, construction and defense: the body-mind is viewed as a microcosm of the earth and sky– the progenitor couplet of the seasons. These rhythms manifest not only in our external environment, but in our own hearts and physiology. Under professional guidance and care, herbal medicine can offer its helpful hand in the direction of more ease and peace while we attune to the Winter shift, and ready ourselves for the fresh-green burgeoning of Spring.
With warmth and a cup of tea,
Dr. Skylar Stumpf DTCM, LAc