"Dr. Li, my hands and feet are as cold as iron in winter—even wearing three layers of cotton pants doesn't help. Whenever I take yang-tonifying supplements, I get a sore throat and mouth ulcers. When will this suffering ever end?"

People ask this question every day in the clinic! Don’t worry—tonifying yang isn’t like "blasting the body with a strong fire." When used correctly, cinnamon can warm your entire body without causing dryness, and it’s even more effective than wearing a down jacket!

The "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica" long ago hailed cinnamon as a superior herb, describing it as "pungent and warm in nature, effective in treating numerous ailments, and beneficial for tonifying the middle and supplementing qi." It is no ordinary yang-tonifying medicine—it specifically targets the four meridians of the kidneys, spleen, and more, directly addressing kidney yang, the "core source of warmth" in the body, much like installing a "constant-temperature boiler." Once kidney yang is invigorated, spleen yang and heart yang are also stimulated, warming the upper, middle, and lower jiao instantly—hands and feet no longer feel cold, chest tightness subsides, and even the waist and knees radiate warmth. The chill and fatigue of autumn and winter completely vanish!

"I've tried cinnamon, but why do I get internal heat as soon as I consume it?" This is the most common question! The issue often lies in not pairing it with the right "partners." Cinnamon has potent warming properties, and consuming it alone is akin to heating an empty iron pot. Pairing it with other herbs allows the "warming effect to be controlled."

Here are two highly effective clinical pairing strategies: For cases of upper heat and lower cold (oral ulcers combined with cold hands and feet), cinnamon paired with coptis chinensis is particularly suitable. The combination of warmth and coldness balances each other, reducing excess heat while tonifying yang, often clearing ulcers faster than medication. For cases of dual deficiency of kidney yin and yang (lower back soreness with frequent nocturia), cinnamon paired with rehmannia glutinosa (shudi) is a classic combination, simultaneously nourishing yin and tonifying yang, providing warmth without dryness, and boosting energy levels significantly!

You don’t need to brew complex decoctions—simple pairings can warm the spleen and kidneys so effectively they practically radiate heat.