Aidus & E-Fong Herbal Solution
Herbal Formula for Digestion
                                          
                                       Chapter 3

            Herbal Formula  for Digestion

Digestant formulae are mainly composed of digestant herbs which have the effects of promoting digestion, removing
retention of food, relieving stuffiness and fullness. They are all used to treat internal food retention and pertain to
resolving therapy among the eight therapies.
The application field of resolving therapy is comparatively extensive All the  retention or stagnation syndromes of qi,
blood, phlegm, dampness and food can be treated by this therapy. The chapter is mainly to discuss the formulae for
promoting digestion and removing food retention, and the rest will be discussed in chapter 11,12,13 and 14 respectively.
Digestant formulae are applied to syndromes of internal food retention due to improper diet. Food retention resulting in
dysfunction of the stomach qi is manifested by epigastric and abdominal distention, belching, acid regurgitation, poor
appetite, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea or sticky stool, thick and greasy coating. Internal food retention is usually treated
with Shan Zha (hawthorn fruit),  Jian Qu (medicated leaven), Mai Ya (germinated barley), Gu Ya (rice sprout), Lai Fu
Zi (radish seed) and Ji Nei Jin (chicken's cizzard skin) as the main herbs. Among them, Shan Zha (hawthorn fruit) is
chiefly for meat retention; Jian Qu (medicated leaven), Mai Ya (germinated barley) and Gu Ya (rice sprout) for food
retention; Lai Fu Zi (radish seed) is applied to stuffiness and fullness; Ji Nei Jin (chicken's cizzardskin) to heavy food
retention; Zhi Shi (unripened bitter orange) to severe stuffiness and fullness. If the retention is too heavy to be treated by
digestant herbs, then Qian Niu Zi (morning glory seed), Da Huang (rhubarb) and Bin Lang (areca seed) can be used to
purge the retention.
If food retention is complicated by deficiency of the spleen and stomach, then Hong Shen (piloseasiabell root), Bai Zhu (
bighead atractylodes rhizome) and  Gan Cao (licorice root) can be used cooperatively; If internal dampness retention is
complicated, then Fu Ling (poria), Zhi Ban Xia (pinellia tuber) and Ze Xia (water plantain), etc., can be used
cooperatively. For the qi stagnation, Chen Pi (tangerine peel), Mu Xiang (aucklandia root), Qing Pi (green tangerine
peel),Sha Ren ( amomum fruit) and Hou Po (magnolia bark) can be cooperated; For the complication of damp heat,
Huang Liang (coptis root) and Huang Qin (scutellaria) root can be used together.
All the digestant and purgative formulae have the effect of eliminating figured excessive evils. However, all purgative
formulae have powerful purgative effect, they are applied to the excessive syndrome with emergent disease plantain
could be added to activate the functional activity of qi for assisting relief of constipation. The representative formulae are
Bo He Wan (Hemp Seed Pills), Jian Pi Wan (Five Kinds of Kernels Pills) and Mu Xiang Bin Lang Wan.