Spleen and Stomach Disharmony with Excessive Stomach Fire

Spleen and Stomach Disharmony with Excessive Stomach Fire

Characteristic Manifestations

This refers to symptoms arising from the obstruction of the spleen and stomach’s transportation and transformation functions, leading to epigastric and abdominal distention and fullness, nausea and vomiting, a bitter taste in the mouth, poor appetite, heavy limbs, sticky stools, and scanty, yellow urine. It is often caused by contracting external damp-heat pathogens or by excessive consumption of rich, greasy, and sweet foods, leading to the accumulation and stagnation of damp-heat in the spleen and stomach. Common diseases arising from damp-heat smoldering in the middle jiao include epigastric fullness, constipation, dysentery, and jaundice.

Treatment and Conditioning

Chinese Herbal Formulas

Tested Formulas (验方 – Yàn Fāng)

1. For heat-induced retching in warm-febrile diseases (where latent heat in the stomach causes chest fullness and triggers qi reversal, resulting in sound). Use half a jin each of Mao Gen (Rhizoma Imperatae), Lu Gen (Rhizoma Phragmitis), and Ge Gen (Radix Puerariae). Add three sheng of water and decoct down to one and a half sheng. Take one cup with warm water. Stop taking once the retching ceases.

2. For vomiting food due to stomach heat. Use fifty Chan Tui (Periostracum Cicadae) (with dirt removed) and one liang of Hua Shi (Talcum). Grind them together into a powder. Take two qian per dose with one bowl of water mixed with honey. This formula is named “Qing Ge San” (Diaphragm-Clearing Powder).

3. To treat wasting-thirst (diabetes-like symptoms) due to stomach heat. Cook and eat rice made from old millet (Chen Su Mi).

4. For burning pain in the epigastrium. Use seven (or nine) Da Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae), dry-fried until scorched. Add one bowl of water, decoct to seven-tenths of the volume, add fresh ginger juice, and drink. The pain should stop immediately. If the condition is recurrent, add one qian of Xuan Ming Fen (Natrii Sulfas Exsiccatus) to stop the pain.

5. For toothache due to stomach heat. Decoct Sheng Ma (Rhizoma Cimicifugae) to make a soup. Rinse the mouth with the warm liquid and then swallow it. Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae) can also be added to the formula.

6. For latent heat in the intestines and stomach. Use five liang of Suan Jiang (Fructus Physalis), three liang of Xian Shi (Semen Amaranthi), two liang each of Ma Lin Zi (Semen Iridis) (dry-fried) and Da Yan Yu Bai Pi (Cortex Ulmi Pumilae) (dry-fried), and one liang each of Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri), Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae), Gua Lou Gen (Radix Trichosanthis), and Lü Ru. Grind all ingredients into a powder, mix with refined honey, and form into pills the size of a Chinese parasol tree seed. Take thirty pills per dose with a decoction of Mu Xiang (Radix Aucklandiae).

7. For ulceration of the mouth and tongue (when heat from the bladder transfers to the small intestine, causing sores on the mouth and tongue, with heat in the heart and stomach, and inability to consume food and water). Use three qian each of Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri) and Di Gu Pi (Cortex Lycii). Decoct in water and drink. This formula is named “Di Gu Pi Tang” (Lycium Bark Decoction).

Dietary Therapy

1. Coix Seed and Chinese Yam: Cook Coix seed (Yi Mi Ren) and Chinese yam (Huai Shan Yao) into a congee. Once cooked, blend it into a paste using a juicer and consume one small bowl daily. It has a significant effect on clearing damp-heat, tonifying the spleen, and strengthening the stomach.

2. Fresh Burdock and Winter Melon: Make a soup with fresh burdock (Xian Niu Bang) and winter melon (Dong Gua) and consume it as a vegetable soup. It is quick in clearing heat, detoxifying, and reducing stomach heat. It also helps in treating acne and has a slimming effect.

3. Regularly eat Okra (Qiu Kui) (stir-fried or as a cold dish): Okra contains pectin, galactan, etc., which aid digestion, treat gastritis and gastric ulcers, and protect the skin and gastric mucosa. The mucin it secretes protects the stomach wall, promotes the secretion of gastric juice, improves appetite, and alleviates indigestion. It can strengthen the stomach and intestines, prevent cancer, is hailed as one of the best health vegetables for mankind, and can also whiten and smoothen the skin.

4. Fresh Radish Juice: Modern research shows that radish has significant antibacterial effects. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, radish juice is considered pungent, sweet, and cool in nature, and it enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. Those with stomach fire can drink radish juice for conditioning and treatment.

Acupuncture, Acupressure, and Massage

1. Zhaohai Acupoint (KI6): Relieves Throat Dryness

   • The Zhaohai point is located on the medial side of the foot, in the depression below the tip of the medial malleolus. “Zhao” means to illuminate, and “Hai” symbolizes a large body of water. “Zhaohai” implies that the channel water of the Kidney meridian evaporates in large quantities here, having a heat-absorbing effect. Pressing this point can alleviate symptoms caused by yin deficiency and effulgent fire, such as dry throat, red eyes, and insomnia. When pressing, a sensation of soreness, numbness, or distension is sufficient. The duration should not be too long, 5 to 10 minutes is appropriate.

2. Neiting Acupoint (ST44): Clears Stomach Fire

   • Located at the bifurcation between the second and third toes, it has a significant relieving effect on cold hands and feet, weakness with excessive sweating, and facial nerve issues like toothaches. The most notable characteristic of the Neiting point is its ability to clear stomach fire, making it the nemesis of stomach fire. Any toothache, sore throat, nosebleed, bad breath, acid reflux, or constipation caused by stomach fire can be treated by massaging the Neiting point. The effect of massaging Neiting to clear heat and stomach fire is excellent. One can also press this point frequently with a fingertip. When pressing, use the tip of one thumb to press on the point with some force, until a sensation of soreness and distension is felt. Press each side for 1 minute, for a total of 2 minutes, and persist daily.

3. Yinbai Acupoint (SP1): Strengthens the Spleen and Restores Yang

   • This is a point on the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin, located on the medial side of the big toe, 0.1 cun from the corner of the nail. It is indicated for stiffness at the root of the tongue, vomiting after eating, frequent sighing, fatigue, heavy limbs, loss of appetite, abdominal distention and pain, loose stools, swelling, pain, or coldness on the inner side of the lower limbs, impaired movement of the big toe, and jaundice. Press this point with the tip of the thumb or a rod-like object, or pinch both sides of the toe with the thumb and index finger and knead to indirectly stimulate the acupoint.

4. Lidui Acupoint (ST45): Regulates the Intestines and Stomach

   • The Lidui point is located on the second toe, next to the toenail, on the side closer to the third toe. Pressing this point has the effect of clearing heat, draining dampness, and regulating the intestines and stomach. Use the tip of the thumb to press on the Lidui point on the toe, gradually increasing the pressure until a painful sensation is felt. Do this for 2 minutes, then use the same method to press the Lidui point on the other foot.