If your joints get stiff, achey, and swollen as soon as the cold and rainy winter weather starts, you've experienced firsthand what Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) calls "Bi Syndrome."

Bi Syndrome translates to "painful obstruction syndrome" and includes many different Traditional Chinese Medicine patterns like Qi and Blood stagnation, Wind invasion, and usually some element of Damp, Cold, or Heat involved.†

Simply put, if your joint pain gets worse with cold and damp weather, you may have "Cold-Damp Bi." This is the most common type of Bi Syndrome, and arguably the most frustrating. People with this type of Bi Syndrome say they can predict the upcoming storm before their weather app can. 

Appropriate and useful herbs for Cold-Damp Bi have properties that are the opposite. In the yin-yang theory that much of TCM is based on, we want to balance the body by introducing the opposite of the main properties of the syndrome.

 

Joint pain that worsens in cold, rainy weather is called Cold-Damp Bi Syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

 

In this case, to balance Cold-Damp Bi, we want to introduce "Hot and Dry" herbs. In Western medicine terminology, this generally means herbs that stimulate circulation (to "drain" the dampness).

Multiple different Chinese and Western herbs can help Cold-Damp Bi, but a simple and generally effective recipe combines just two: wild lettuce and ginger root. 

Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) is commonly used to support healthy joints

 

Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) isn't a Chinese herb so it doesn't have the temperature properties associated with it, but it's historically used to support a calm state of mind and a relaxed body.* Wild lettuce was once commonly referred to as "lettuce opium," as it was a valuable herb to encourage a sound night's sleep.* 

Ginger root (Zingiber officinale), also known as Gan Jiang in TCM, "drains dampness" in RCM terminology, and has a hot temperature (invigorating to help support circulation). Coupled with it's pleasant taste and very safe nature makes it a perfect herb to use for promoting joint health during the cold and rainy winter months.

 

A tea made from wild lettuce and ginger root is perfect for Cold-Damp Bi Syndrome

Cold-Damp Bi Tea

1 - 2 tsps. wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa)

2 tsp. ginger root (Zingiber officinale)

Pour 1 cup boiling water over loose herbs. Steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. If desired, add stevia to sweeten. Although honey is often used as a popular sweetener for bitter tea (as wild lettuce has a bitter flavor), we do not recommend honey for Cold-Damp Bi as honey has "Damp" properties in TCM.

Can drink 1 cup up to 3x per day.

Our wild lettuce is organically sourced from Croatia. Our ginger root is organically sourced from India. All of our bulk herbs are packaged in non-BPA packaging.

† Words like Qi, Blood, Wind, Cold, Heat, and Damp are capitalized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to show that they are the "TCM" versions of these concepts. Although they closely translate to the Western ideas of these concepts, they are not always exactly the same. For example, "Blood" in TCM generally encompasses not only the Western definition of blood, but lymphatic fluid and sometimes specific other body fluids as well. 

The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a health care professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult his or her personal physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader's situation.