Chinese Medicine for the Stomach and Digestion
Chinese Medicine for Digestion
Herbs for Heartburn, Reflux, and GIRD
Normally, digestive qi (energy) flows downward. Heartburn, acid reflux and gastric reflux diseases are symptoms of an abnormal flow of digestive qi. We call this condition Rebellious Stomach Qi. It means that the digestive energy is backing upward instead of flowing downward, and it can have several possible root causes, which often occur in combination.
Western medicine treats these conditions by suppressing or neutralizing stomach acids. Though this can often relieve symptoms, it does not address the following underlying causes:
Herbs for Food Stagnation
Sometimes called “slow digestion”, this condition can be caused by eating too much, eating too fast, eating too late at night, or eating overly rich foods. An excellent herbal product for this is BAO HE WAN (Preserve Harmony Pill)
Herbs for Weak Digestion
(insufficient digestive enzymes and acids)
This can be caused by aging or by an offense to the digestive system such as overeating, eating excessive cold, raw, or rich foods, or irregular eating habits. Good safe remedies are:
XIANG SHA LIU JUN ZI WAN (if occasional loose stool is an issue)
XIANG SHA YANG WEI WAN (if mild occasional constipation is prevalent)
Emotional Issues Causing Digestive Problems
An event, relationship, memory or other thought that cannot, figuratively, be stomached can cause any number of digestive problems.
Excessive anger or frustration injuring the digestion (Liver Invades Stomach or Spleen) is a common cause of digestive problems. This may be the case when stress makes the digestive issue noticeably worse. the goto formulas for this are:
SHU GAN WAN
Herbs for Over Eating
Hawthorn Fat Reducing Pills
Herbs for Constipation
There are many causes of constipation. Yin or Blood Deficiency, Weak Intestinal Motility, and Dietary Excess are all common causes. There are several Chinese herbal products that safely and effectively deal with constipation.
RUN CHANG WAN (aka Rhubarb Pills, Peach Kernel Pill)
Acupuncture and IBS
To the acupuncturist, IBS symptoms are well documented in traditional Chinese texts. Patterns known as Spleen Qi Deficiency, Damp Heat in the Large Intestine, Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver Invades Spleen, are all diagnosed by Western doctors as IBS. To insure successful acupuncture treatment, IBS must first be diagnosed according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.;
Acupuncture Research and IBS:
A study presented to the American college of Gastroenterology investigated the use of acupuncture versus relaxation therapy in IBS patients. The study found that patients' quality-of-life and gastrointestinal symptom scores were equally improved in both groups, with a statistically significant reduction in abdominal pain. However, when the patients were followed for a 4-week period post-trial period, pain reduction persisted only in the acupuncture group.
Furthermore, a significant reduction in stress perception was also observed in the acupuncture group, but not in the relaxation group. The conclusion drawn was that acupuncture is an effective form of treatment for IBS, particularly the pain and stress symptoms, and that its benefits exceed those of standard relaxation treatment.
(Lu B, Hu Y, Tenner S. A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome. Program and abstracts of the 65th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology; October 16-18, 2000, New York, NY.)
Information on this site is provided for educational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or another medical professional. We make no claim as to efficacy or safety of herbs or herbal medicine appearing on this site. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.