In Chinese Medicine’s view, what can cause digestive issues?
- Heat accumulation: The habit of eating excessive greasy or heavily seasoned food causes heat accumulation which leads to stomach regurgitation.
Symptoms: acid reflux, bad breath, constipation, excessive appetite.
- Cold accumulation: The habit of eating or drinking cold and raw food and drinks causes cold accumulation leading to weak and slow digestion.
Symptoms: sensitive to coldness, loose stool, cold body temperature.
- Qi deficiency: Overwork, overstress, & eating on the run or at irregular times can lead to weakness in intestinal peristalsis.
Symptoms: gas and bloating, slow digestion, fatigue, lethargy after eating.
- Acute food stagnation: Excessive consumption of food and alcohol causes food stagnation (think holidays).
Symptoms: nausea and vomiting, bloating, acute purging, diarrhea or constipation.
- Qi stagnation: Unease of the nervous system while eating and digesting.
Symptoms: IBS, stress-related stomach cramps, upper gastric pain, rib cage tightness, distending pain.
How traditional Chinese herbs help improve digestive issues?
- Heat accumulation: using herbs with cooling and moistening nature to balance the excessive heat.
[Example herbs: Chinese skullcap root, coptis rhizome, ophiopogon japonicus, etc.]
- Cold accumulation: using herbs with warming and drying nature to balance the excessive coldness.
[Example herbs: dried ginger, fennel, nutmeg, Sichuan pepper, etc.]
- Qi deficiency : using herbs that strenthen the force of peristalsis.
[Example herbs: atractylodes, poria, ginseng, licorice, etc.]
- Acute food stagnation: using herbs that work like digestive enzymes and help break down the starch, protein, and fat in food.
[Example herbs: hawthorn, massa fermentata, rice sprouts, etc.]
- Qi stagnation: using herbs that move gas accumulation and relax the nervous system around the digestive tract.
[Example herbs: magnolia bark, immature bitter orange fruit, bupleuri radix, dried tangerine peel, etc.]
Most digestive issues for patients are the combinations of several patterns above. In clinic, we do a thorough intakes with pulse, abdominal palpation, tongue observation, and symptom inquiry, for accurate pattern diagnosis. And according to that, we prescribe personalized formulas that consists of different herbs with their own purpose to treat various digestive issues.
Author: Dr. Yanhui Callison DACM LAc