In the human body, the functions of the internal organs are largely affected by emotions. The most obvious impact is probably on the spleen and stomach. In other words, the function of the digestive system is closely related to emotions, even including the function of the intestines. This phenomenon of emotions affecting the function of the spleen and stomach is called "liver wood overturning spleen earth" in traditional Chinese medicine. The results of Western medicine research are also the same. Some Western medicine doctors even say that the abdomen is the second brain of the human body.
In modern society, we are under great psychological pressure. Therefore, we may experience discomfort in our liver qi, and may have liver fire invading our stomach.
So, if a person is in a bad mood and has a lot of anger, what problems will occur in his stomach? Which part of the stomach will be hurt?
Ye Tianshi, a famous doctor in the Qing Dynasty who was famous all over the world, proposed the theory of "stomach yin". He believed: "Taiyin moist soil, when the yang is obtained, the movement begins; when the yang is bright and yang soil, the yin is at peace." Therefore, the stomach The protection of yin is very important. "The spleen likes to be strong and dry, and the stomach likes to be soft and moist." To treat the spleen, it can be sweet and warm, while to treat the stomach, it can be sweet, cool and down. Therefore, it is emphasized that when using medicine, "avoid hard and use soft", and it is better to choose "sweet and flat or sweet, cool and moist products" to nourish the stomach and promote fluid production.
This theory put forward by Ye Tianshi is very important to us, because people with strong liver fire often cause liver fire to damage stomach yin.
Therefore, once we see a patient who is in a bad mood, has a lot of anger, and has stomach pain and bloating, we have to consider whether the stomach yin has been injured.
In this case of strong liver fire, the specific symptoms are:
Chronic pain, nausea, retching, heartache and palpitations, dizziness, bitter mouth, constipation, Red eyes, numb limbs, upset and irritable, dry throat, red lips, red or peeling tongue, stringy and rapid pulse.
The most important one is redness of the tongue, which is an indication of heat.
What should we do in this case?
Ye Tianshi thought more carefully about this. He believed that if conventional methods of soothing the liver and regulating qi were used, the pungent dryness and yin damage would be feared; supplementing the middle and benefiting the stomach would be afraid of obstruction and sluggishness. Therefore, Ye proposed "avoid using hard medicine and use soft medicine". It is advocated that while regulating the middle burner, the liver must be controlled first, which is the method of nourishing the stomach and calming the liver. He also believed that Atractylodes macrocephala and licorice root, and Cimicifuga and Bupleurum root, "are actually spleen medicines." If used for patients with liver and stomach yin injuries, it will be effective. Because "the liver is a hard organ and should be soft and gentle. The stomach is a yang soil and should be cool and moist." Acid can control the liver, astringe yin and promote fluid production, and sweet can make fluid return.
Therefore, Ye Tianshi carefully selected donkey hide gelatin, raw rehmannia root, white peony root, etc. to nourish and soften the liver. Use papaya, ebony plum, schisandra chinensis, etc. to control liver wood.
In this way, if the liver is softened with sourness, the wood energy will naturally converge.
Liver fire will damage the stomach yin, so the regulation of stomach yin is very important at this time.
Symptoms summarized by Ye Tianshi for people with stomach yin injuries are:
Not hungry or taking in food, or knowing that they are hungry but not taking enough food, or the food tastes bad, the voice is low, discouraged, not thirsty, or Polydipsia and craving for cool drinks, bitter mouth and difficulty in defecation, tender tongue with less fluid, thin and rapid pulse, etc.
These are all searched from Ye Tianshi’s medical records. In fact, my judgment criteria are red tongue, very thin tongue coating, or even no tongue coating, red tongue, and dry mouth at the same time. , I get hungry easily, but my stomach becomes bloated after eating a little. I like to eat cool and moist food and dare not eat hard food. I am getting thinner and thinner. If you have these symptoms, you should be highly suspicious of gastric yin deficiency.
So, how to take care of this stomach yin?
Ye Tianshi believes that the treatment should be sweet, cool and moistening at this time. Sweet and cool can relieve dryness and heat, and moisturizing can nourish stomach yin, thereby achieving the purpose of clearing and nourishing stomach yin. Ye Tianshi's mental method was inspired by the Ophiomendon decoction in Zhang Zhongjing's "Synopsis of the Golden Chamber". Therefore, all the traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in the past, regardless of their sect, were well-read and became masters.
So, what kind of medicine does Ye Tianshi use to nourish stomach yin? Ye Tianshi often uses sweet, cooling, moistening, yin-nourishing and fluid-nourishing products such as Adenophora adenophora, Ophiopogon japonicus, Dendrobium, Polygonatum odoratum, raw licorice, sugarcane juice, etc., to make the stomach yin fall smoothly. Use it with japonica rice, glutinous rice, southern dates, etc., which are sweet and soothing to the stomach to regulate stomach qi.
Therefore, these two ideas, one is to nourish the stomach yin and the other is to soften the liver wood. The two together are a good idea to regulate the liver fire and subdue the stomach yin!
Below, I recommend the tea recipe that I often use to soothe the liver and nourish the stomach.
Six grams of Radix Pseudostellariae, nine grams of Chinese yam, six grams of Radix Rehmanniae, six grams of Radix Adenophora, six grams of Ophiopogon japonicus, six grams of Dendrobium, six grams of Polygonatum odorifera, six grams of Cyperus rotunda, and six grams of Turmeric , six grams of bergamot, six grams of costus, nine grams of white peony root, six grams of papaya, six grams of licorice, and a handful of japonica rice.
This recipe is boiled with water and substituted for tea. It is a gentle product. As long as the liver fire invades the stomach, causing stomach bloating and stomach pain, and if it is confirmed to be a red tongue, it is usually taken for two or three days. , can basically be restored. It should not be used by pregnant women.
Medical Records
A few days ago, a friend was in a bad mood, and then suffered from stomach pain, constant hiccups, and unbearable. He took stomach medicine on his own to no avail, and massage only provided temporary relief. It hurts again. I went to the hospital and Western medicine prescribed drugs to control gastric acid and regulate gastric motility. They were treated according to ulcer disease. After taking them, I had some effects, but I was not cured. Because the tongue was indeed dark red, not a pale tongue, I judged that the liver fire had damaged the stomach yin, so I recommended this recipe. The pain was relieved the same day after drinking it, and the pain was no longer the next day.
I have introduced before that stomach pain caused by cold, or even gastric ulcer and other diseases, can be treated with Huangqi Jianzhong Decoction. In that case, the tongue must be light white, not red. What we are introducing today is another kind of stomach disease, which is caused by bad mood and strong liver fire, resulting in injury to the stomach yin. At this time, the tongue must be red. This is the difference between the two.
Sometimes, if you ask patients about their symptoms, the information they provide may be vague. However, the tongue image is very intuitive. If we understand the tongue image, we can make better general decisions. distinguish!
Therefore, friends, you must learn more about tongue diagnosis. Among the diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine, tongue diagnosis may be the most intuitive and easiest to learn!