Bai Hu Jia Gui Zhi Tang白虎加桂枝汤
White Tiger plus Cinnamon Twig Decoction
Ingredients5 herbs
Indications
Interior heat blazing with obstruction of the channels. Classically described as warm malaria— heat without a cold phase — and applied today to hot, painful joints occurring with systemic heat.
Clinical Manifestations
- Warm-type malarial fever: fever without chills, aching bones, occasional vomiting
- Wind-damp-heat joint pain with hot, swollen joints
- Febrile arthritis with thirst and a red tongue
- Heat pattern with body aches that clearing alone does not relieve
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Joint swelling with heavy dampness — add Yi Yi Ren 薏苡仁 and Cang Zhu 苍术
- Severe joint pain — add channel-freeing herbs such as Ji Xue Teng 鸡血藤 or Luo Shi Teng 络石藤
Contraindications
Not for cold-damp joint pain that improves with warmth, and not for an unresolved wind-cold exterior. The Gui Zhi is a guide, not a warming treatment — increasing it in a heat pattern defeats the formula.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Not suitable for self-directed use in pregnancy: the base is strongly cold and Gui Zhi moves the blood. Use only if a practitioner judges the heat pattern clear and monitors the course.
Related Formulas
References
Source Jin Gui Yao Lue 《金匮要略》 · Eastern Han
「温疟者，其脉如平，身无寒但热，骨节疼烦，时呕，白虎加桂枝汤主之。」
- Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— pattern analysis cross-checked.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.