Warm the interior and expel cold (wen li, qu han)

Herbs that warm the interior and expel cold (wen li, qu han) are mostly acrid, bitter and warm or hot herbs, such as wu zhu yu (Evodia fruit, Evodia rutecarpa), hua jiao (Szechuan pepper, Zanthoxylum schinifolium), ding xiang (clove, Syzygium aromaticum) and xiao hui xiang (fennel, Foeniculum vulagare), that can expel cold that has penetrated to the interior and affected the organs, causing epigastric and abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, with cold limbs and aversion to cold.

Some, such as fu zi (aconite, Aconitum carmichaeli), can revive yang that is under threat of collapse with palpitations, profuse sweating and a faint, thread-like pulse. Sweet ones, like rou gui (Cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia) and gan jiang (ginger, Zingiber officinalis), may act as yang tonics too.