Herbs That Relieve Food Stagnation

Herbs That Relieve Food Stagnation:

  • Food stagnation often arises from emotional disturbances which cause the qi and/or blood to stagnate, improper dietary habits, phlegm, heat, and/or cold disorders.
  • Hot/Cold Types:
    • Hot: Bad breath, distention, preference for cold food/drinks, forceful and slippery pulse.
    • Cold: Nausea, spitting up of clear fluids, distention, preference for hot food, white, greasy tongue coat, weak and thin pulse.

Section Herbal Summary:

  • Mai Ya, Gu Ya - food stagnation.
    • Mai Ya - facilitates digestion and has spleen-strengthening actions; cold food stagnation.
    • Gu Ya - less digestive actions, does not injure stomach qi; for hot food stagnation with spleen deficiency.
  • Shan Za - stagnation due to overindulgence in meat.
  • Shen Qu - indulgence in alcohol and starchy food.

Chinese Herbsort icon Functions and Usage
Gu Ya (Rice Sprout)
  • Reduces food stagnation, strengthens spleen.
  • Stagnation caused by starchy food.
Ji Nei Jin (Chicken Gizzard's Stomach Lining)
  • Strongly reduces food stagnation, strengthen the transport function of the spleen.
  • Malnutrition in children.
  • Secures kidney essence, stops enuresis - bed wetting, frequent urination, nocturia.
  • Transforms hardness - gall bladder, bladder, and/or kidney stones.
Lai Fu Zi (Radish/Turnip Seeds)
  • Reduces food stagnation, transforms accumulations - distention, belching with a rotten smell, acid regurgitation.
  • Descends lung qi, reduces phlegm - chronic cough or wheezing due to excess syndromes.
Mai Ya (Barley Sprout, Malt)
  • Reduces food stagnation, strengthens stomach (also useful for infants).
  • Inhibits lactation - for discontinuing nursing, distended and painful breasts.
  • Reduces liver Qi - intercostal or epigastric distention, belching, loss of appetite.
Shan Zha (Hawthorn Fruit)
  • Reduces and moves food stagnation outward - accumulation of meat and/or greasy foods with distention, pain, diarrhea.
  • Transforms blood stasis, dissipates clumps - post-partum abdominal pain, hernial disorder.
  • Stops diarrhea (when partially charred).
  • Hypertension.
Shen Qu (Medicated Leaven)
  • Reduces food stagnation, strengthens stomach - stomach cold with food stagnation or accumulation, with epigastric and abdominal fullness or distention, lack of appetite, borborygmus, and diarrhea.
  • Aids in mineral digestion and absorption.