ChinaHerb – Exterior Cold (Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Pian)

Size

60 tablets

Ingredients

Each tablet contains:

• Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix (Qiang Huo) – notopterygium rhizome and root – 225mg
• Saposhnikoviae Radix (Fang Feng) – saposhnikovia root – 330mg
• Atractylodis Rhizoma (Cang Zhu) – atractylodes rhizome – 135mg
• Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuan Xiong) – Sichuan lovage rhizome – 225mg
• Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Bai Zhi) – dahurian angelica root – 225mg
• Rehmanniae Radix (Sheng Di Huang) – fresh/raw rehmannia root – 135mg
• Scutellariae Radix (Huang Qin) – Chinese skullcap root – 135mg
• Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gan Cao) – liquorice root and rhizome – 45mg
• Asari Radix et Rhizoma (Xi Xin) – Chinese wild ginger root and rhizome – 45mg

Directions to use

Adults: Take 2 tablets twice daily, 30 minutes before or after meals.

Warning

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, taking medication or have an existing medical condition, consult an appropriate healthcare professional before use.

Seek appropriate medical advice if symptoms are severe, persistent or worsening.

Keep out of reach of children.

• No animal by-products
• No preservatives
• No sugar
• Nine-herb Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation

Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach

The name Exterior Cold describes the traditional pattern at the heart of this formula.

TCM uses the concept of Exterior and Interior to help describe where a pattern occurs. An Exterior pattern generally represents an early or relatively superficial stage in the traditional framework.

Meanwhile, Wind, Cold and Dampness describe different traditional pathogenic influences.

Cold has qualities of contraction and restriction. Dampness has qualities of heaviness and sluggishness. Wind, on the other hand, relates to movement and change.

When these influences combine at the Exterior, TCM may describe a Wind-Cold-Damp pattern. Traditionally, this can present with chills, body aches, stiffness, headache, heaviness and nasal congestion.

Jiu Wei Qiang Huo consequently combines herbs that release the Exterior and disperse Wind-Cold with herbs that address Dampness. At the same time, other ingredients help balance the warming nature of the formula.

These terms belong specifically to Traditional Chinese Medicine and do not describe modern infectious or respiratory diagnoses.

Our Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine: Qi, Blood, Yin & Yang and TCM Patterns Knowledge article explains Wind, Cold, Dampness and other TCM concepts in greater detail.

A Closer Look at the Herbs

Qiang Huo – Notopterygium Rhizome and Root

Qiang Huo (Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix) gives this classical formula part of its name.

In TCM, Qiang Huo traditionally releases the Exterior, disperses Wind-Cold and addresses Wind-Dampness. Practitioners particularly associate it with patterns involving discomfort in the upper body.

Its warming and dispersing character makes Qiang Huo one of the principal herbs in the formula.

Fang Feng – Saposhnikovia Root

Fang Feng (Saposhnikoviae Radix) is saposhnikovia root.

Its Chinese name is particularly memorable because Fang Feng can be understood as “guard against Wind.”

TCM traditionally uses Fang Feng to dispel Wind and release the Exterior. It often appears alongside other Wind-dispersing herbs.

Cang Zhu – Atractylodes Rhizome

Cang Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma) is an aromatic rhizome used extensively in Chinese materia medica.

TCM traditionally uses Cang Zhu to dry Dampness and dispel Wind-Dampness. Therefore, it contributes particularly to the formula’s traditional focus on heaviness and stiffness associated with Dampness.

Chuan Xiong – Sichuan Lovage Rhizome

Chuan Xiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma) is Sichuan lovage rhizome.

In TCM, Chuan Xiong traditionally invigorates Blood and promotes the movement of Qi. Practitioners also use it extensively in traditional formulae involving different headache patterns.

We recently encountered Chuan Xiong as the defining herb in ChinaHerb Expel Wind (Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San). Its appearance in both formulae provides a useful opportunity to see how one herb can perform a role within very different combinations.

Bai Zhi – Dahurian Angelica Root

Bai Zhi (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix) comes from the root of an Angelica species.

TCM traditionally uses Bai Zhi to disperse Wind-Cold and open the nasal passages. Practitioners particularly associate it with patterns affecting the forehead, nose and face.

Sheng Di Huang – Rehmannia Root

Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix) provides an interesting contrast to the formula’s warming herbs.

In TCM, Sheng Di Huang traditionally clears Heat and nourishes Yin. Its cooler nature helps balance the strongly warming and dispersing ingredients.

Importantly, Sheng Di Huang differs from Shu Di Huang, the prepared rehmannia root found in some of our other ChinaHerb formulae. Processing changes how TCM classifies and traditionally uses the herb.

Huang Qin – Chinese Skullcap Root

Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix) is Chinese skullcap root.

Unlike the formula’s warming herbs, TCM traditionally uses Huang Qin to clear Heat and dry Dampness.

Its inclusion demonstrates that Jiu Wei Qiang Huo does not simply warm and disperse. Instead, the classical formulation incorporates herbs with contrasting properties to create balance.

Gan Cao – Liquorice Root

Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) is liquorice root and rhizome.

TCM traditionally uses Gan Cao to support Qi and harmonise herbal formulae. It frequently appears in classical prescriptions alongside herbs with stronger actions.

Xi Xin – Chinese Wild Ginger

Xi Xin (Asari Radix et Rhizoma) is the root and rhizome of specific Asarum species used in Chinese materia medica.

TCM traditionally uses Xi Xin to disperse Wind-Cold and warm Cold patterns.

The correct species, plant part and professional quality control are particularly important with Asarum. Therefore, medicinal Xi Xin should not be confused with unidentified or self-collected wild ginger plants.

Why Does Exterior Cold Contain Cooling Herbs?

At first glance, a formula called Exterior Cold might seem as though it should contain only warming herbs.

However, Jiu Wei Qiang Huo is more sophisticated than that.

Qiang Huo, Fang Feng, Cang Zhu, Bai Zhi and Xi Xin provide much of the formula’s warming, dispersing and Dampness-addressing character. Chuan Xiong promotes movement.

However, Huang Qin and Sheng Di Huang provide cooler traditional properties.

Their presence helps balance the warming herbs. Moreover, classical TCM theory recognises that patterns can change or contain several characteristics at the same time.

This combination demonstrates an important principle of Chinese herbal medicine: the formula matters more than simply categorising each ingredient in isolation.

How Is Exterior Cold Different from Expel Wind?

Exterior Cold and ChinaHerb Expel Wind (Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San) share several herbs, including Qiang Huo, Fang Feng, Chuan Xiong, Bai Zhi, Gan Cao and Xi Xin.

So why are they separate formulae?

Their traditional emphasis differs.

Expel Wind (Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San) focuses strongly on Wind affecting the head, which explains its traditional association with different headache and head-congestion patterns.

Exterior Cold (Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Pian) has a broader focus on an Exterior Wind-Cold-Damp pattern, particularly when body aches, stiffness, chills and heaviness accompany head and nasal signs.

The comparison beautifully demonstrates why TCM does not simply select herbs according to one symptom. Instead, it considers the overall pattern and relationship between signs.

Traditional Use and Modern Research

Jiu Wei Qiang Huo and its individual herbs have attracted modern scientific research.

Researchers have investigated areas including inflammatory signalling, immune responses and respiratory infections, while laboratory studies continue to explore naturally occurring compounds within its individual herbs.

However, much of this research remains preclinical or requires stronger clinical evidence. Research methods and formulations can also vary between studies.

Therefore, we do not interpret these findings as evidence that Exterior Cold prevents, treats or cures colds, influenza or viral respiratory infections.

Instead, we distinguish between the formula’s traditional use within the TCM framework and ongoing contemporary research into its ingredients and biological activities.

Did You Know?

Jiu Wei Qiang Huo means “Nine-Herb Qiang Huo” formula, an appropriately straightforward name for a preparation containing nine herbal ingredients with Qiang Huo at its centre.

The formula dates back more than 700 years.

It appears in Ci Shi Nan Zhi, commonly translated as Hard-Won Knowledge, a medical work associated with the physician Wang Haogu during China’s Yuan Dynasty.

The formula also reflects an important development in Chinese Medicine. Rather than treating every externally contracted pattern in the same way, physicians increasingly differentiated between individual patterns and constitutions.

That principle remains central to TCM today:

Similar symptoms do not necessarily mean the same traditional pattern.

Why Choose ChinaHerb Exterior Cold?

• Classical nine-herb Traditional Chinese Medicine formula
• Traditionally formulated around an Exterior Wind-Cold-Damp pattern
• Contains Qiang Huo, Fang Feng, Cang Zhu, Chuan Xiong and Bai Zhi
• No animal by-products
• No preservatives
• No sugar
• Convenient tablet format
• Supplied by ChinaHerb, a South African TCM company established in 1997

Disclaimer: This unregistered medicine has not been evaluated by the SAHPRA for its quality, safety or intended use.