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For patients who are habitual wine drinkers (Jiu Ke, individuals with a history of chronic alcohol consumption), Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) should not be administered; if taken, it will induce vomiting because these patients generally dislike sweet flavors.
Dazao (Jujube Fruit, Ziziphus Jujuba) and Gancao (Licorice Root, Glycyrrhiza uralensis) possess sweet properties and tend to provoke vomiting.

In general, those who vomit after taking Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) will subsequently expectorate pus and blood.
Generally speaking, immediate vomiting after ingesting Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) indicates damp-heat stagnation and obstruction in the chest and diaphragm. The acrid-warm nature of Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) exacerbates heat in the diaphragm; upon swallowing, immediate vomiting occurs due to rebellious Stomach Qi, epigastric fullness and obstruction, and Lung Qi stagnation generating heat with no pathway for downward diffusion. The acrid-warm property of Guizhi reaches the chest but cannot enter the Stomach Fu organ or circulate through the meridians, thus causing vomiting. Subsequently, damp-heat stasis steaming and fermenting will inevitably lead to expectoration of pus and blood. In such cases, cooling, acrid, and draining agents are appropriate, whereas acrid-warm substances are contraindicated.

Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) is originally intended to release the muscle layer (Ji Biao). If the patient presents with a floating-tight pulse, fever, and absence of sweating, Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) must not be given. This principle must always be kept in mind to avoid error.
Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) naturally releases the exterior to disperse wind pathogens. However, if the pulse is floating and tight, accompanied by fever and anhidrosis, this indicates cold damaging the Ying Blood (Nutritive Blood). Damage to Ying constrains the Wei Qi (Defensive Qi). In this scenario, Shaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Alba/Rubra) should be removed to prevent draining Ying, and Mahuang (Herba Ephedrae) should be used to vent Wei Qi. Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) is contraindicated. Administering it fails to resolve the exterior cold and instead increases heat in the meridians, constituting a therapeutic error. Wind-pathogen practitioners use Guizhi without aggravating meridian heat because the skin pores are not closed by cold, and Ma Huang is unnecessary for releasing the exterior. They rely on the sour-cold nature of Shaoyao to drain Ying and the acrid-warm nature of Guizhi to unblock meridians, allowing blood heat to dissipate outward. If Guizhi is taken for Cold Damage (Shang Han), Wei Qi remains stagnant and cannot vent, increasing meridian heat and aiding the pathogen.

Cold is the qi of heaven and earth's closure and storage. When the skin pores are not yet closed, cold qi enters internally, damaging Ying Yin (Yin aspect of Nutritive Level). Consequently, the couli (pores) close, and Ying becomes obstructed. Since Ying has a rising and diffusing nature, it seeks to vent but is blocked by cold. Unable to vent, it attacks the Yang positions externally and constrains Wei Qi, resulting in disease.

Taiyang Disease (Disease of the Taiyang Channel) may present with fever already established or not yet established, but it invariably involves aversion to cold, body pain, vomiting and regurgitation, and a pulse that is tight at both cun and chi positions. This pattern is named Shang Han (Cold Damage).
Yang qi stagnation leads to fever; external constraint by Yin qi causes aversion to cold. Cold closing the skin pores prevents Jing Qi (Meridian Qi) from circulating freely, leading to congestion and pain. Meridian stagnation and blockage cause Wei Qi to be suppressed, forcing turbid Yin to rebel upward, resulting in vomiting and regurgitation. Constriction of the meridians prevents free expression, causing the pulse to be tight at both the cun (inch) and chi (cubit) positions.

The Liver stores Ying Blood. Cold injuring the Ying level enforces its storing function, preventing the circulation of Ying Blood, hence the absence of sweating. As Ying becomes more obstructed, it attempts to vent; however, lack of smooth flow causes Wei Qi to stagnate and generate cold. Mahuang Tang (Ephedra Decoction) opens the skin pores and vents Wei Qi stagnation.