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Cura x Cura

Gan Jiang干姜

Zingiberis Rhizoma · Dried Ginger Rhizome

Herbs that Warm the Interior 温里药《神农本草经》

Overview

Dried ginger rhizome: acrid, hot and steady, it warms the middle burner from the inside rather than pushing outward at the surface the way fresh Sheng Jiang does. It restores yang alongside Fu Zi, dries cold thin mucus in the Lung, and settles the cold, cramping stomach. Charred into Pao Jiang 炮姜 it loses much of its dispersing edge and turns toward warming the channels to stop bleeding.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Hot

Channels

Spleen · Stomach · Kidney · Heart · Lung

Typical Dosage

3–10 g in decoction
干姜Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Warms the middle, dispels coldCold epigastric and abdominal pain relieved by warmth, vomiting of clear fluid, watery diarrhea and poor appetite in Spleen-Stomach cold.
  • Restores yang, unblocks the vesselsPaired with Fu Zi in yang collapse, where it also tempers aconite and steadies its effect.
  • Warms the Lung, transforms thin mucusCough and wheeze with copious clear, watery, foamy sputum — as in Xiao Qing Long Tang with Xi Xin and Wu Wei Zi.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Gan Jiang

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Cold epigastric pain, vomiting and watery diarrhea
    - Yang collapse with cold limbs (with Fu Zi)
    - Chronic cough with clear watery sputum
    - Cold-type poor appetite and abdominal fullness

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Functional dyspepsiaChronic diarrheaChronic bronchitisNausea

Contraindications

Cautions

Hot and drying: not for yin deficiency with heat signs, for bleeding driven by heat, or for interior heat patterns. Keep the dose conservative when other hot herbs are already in the prescription, and reduce it if dryness, thirst or restlessness appear.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Use with caution in pregnancy — hot and drying, and best limited to small doses under practitioner supervision.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

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.