Herbs for Excess

Thanksgiving is a wonderful American tradition. We gather with family, express our gratitude, and then eat enough food to sustain a small village through the winter.

There's turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. And just when you think you can't eat another bite, somebody brings out the pecan pie.

By the end of dinner, your belt has become an instrument of torture, the sofa is calling your name, and your stomach is considering legal action.

Fortunately, Chinese medicine has been dealing with the consequences of overeating for a few thousand years. Apparently, people were making pigs of themselves long before Thanksgiving was invented.

Food Stagnation: The Traffic Jam in Your Stomach

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach are responsible for transforming food into Qi and Blood.

Under normal circumstances, this is a remarkably efficient operation. But when you consume three helpings of stuffing, a mountain of mashed potatoes, and enough gravy to float a canoe, the system can become overwhelmed.

Chinese medicine calls this Food Stagnation.

The symptoms are familiar:

• Bloating that makes you reconsider your choice of pants.

• Belching that alarms the dog.

• Gas that threatens family relationships.

• A stomach that feels like it's filled with concrete.

• A sudden desire to lie down and never move again.

Fortunately, Chinese medicine has remedies for these digestive difficulties.

Meet the Thanksgiving Rescue Squad

Shan Zha (Hawthorn Fruit): The Meat Specialist

Shan Zha is traditionally used to help digest meat and fatty foods.

It's the herb that might come to mind after you've eaten enough turkey to qualify as a predator.

In Chinese medicine, Shan Zha is said to help resolve Food Stagnation, especially when rich and greasy foods are involved.

Mai Ya (Barley Sprout): The Carbohydrate Consultant

Mai Ya is traditionally used to help digest grains and starchy foods.

Stuffing? Dinner rolls? That third serving of mashed potatoes?

Mai Ya has seen it all.

Shen Qu (Medicated Leaven): The Cleanup Crew

Shen Qu is a fermented herbal preparation traditionally used for digestive discomfort associated with excessive eating, particularly grains and mixed foods.

Think of it as the herb that arrives after the party, looks at the wreckage, and asks, "What on earth happened here?"

Chen Pi (Aged Tangerine Peel): The Traffic Cop

Chen Pi is traditionally used to regulate Qi and address bloating, belching, and abdominal fullness.

If your digestive system resembles the Bay Bridge at rush hour, Chen Pi is the traffic cop trying to get things moving again.

Bao He Wan: The Traditional Overeating Formula

One of Chinese medicine's best-known formulas for Food Stagnation is Bao He Wan, often translated as Preserve Harmony Pills.

Perhaps the best known version of Bao He Wan is known as Curing Pills

Stomach Curing Pills: The Morning-After Rescue Squad

If Thanksgiving dinner has left you feeling like a stuffed turkey, or you've celebrated a little too enthusiastically with the wine, Dr. Shen’s Stomach Curing Pills  may be just the right remedy. This gluten free version of Bao He. Wan may be just what your digestive system is begging for. This traditional Chinese herbal formula is one of our favorites for the bloating, nausea, and digestive misery that can follow overeating or a night of excessive drinking. 

So, on the morning after, when your stomach is protesting yesterday's festivities, Dr. Shen's may help restore a little digestive harmony—even if it can't restore your dignity.

A Few Words of Wisdom Before You Attack the Buffet

Chinese medicine offers some sensible advice for surviving Thanksgiving.

Eat slowly. Your stomach needs time to recognize that you've eaten. Your mouth, unfortunately, has no such limitations.

Don't overeat. This is excellent advice that virtually nobody follows on Thanksgiving.

Drink something warm. A cup of warm tea may be soothing after a rich meal.

Take a walk. A gentle stroll after dinner may help with digestion. It also provides an opportunity to escape your relatives.

Stop eating when you're full. This is generally the point at which your grandmother announces that nobody has touched her pumpkin pie.

Finally, a Thanksgiving Blessing

May your turkey be moist, your stuffing delicious, your relatives agreeable, and your digestion uneventful.

Happy Thanksgiving from Shen Clinic!

Remember: Chinese herbs may help address certain digestive patterns, but no known herbal formula can make your brother-in-law less annoying.