How Traditional Chinese Medicine Teaches You to Nourish Your Stomach
How Traditional Chinese Medicine Teaches You to Nourish Your Stomach
Nowadays, many people have poor stomach health, with a high prevalence of stomach disorders. Let's look at how the stomach functions from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the main factors affecting its health.
When a child is first born, the stomach is not yet fully developed, as the baby receives nutrients through the umbilical cord in the womb. A newborn's stomach is quite shallow, which is why infants easily spit up. In fact, the stomach gradually stretches and strengthens over time as a person eats and consumes food.
As the primary digestive organ, the stomach is the body's first stop for receiving food, where it begins the preliminary breakdown of nutrients. When food enters the stomach, the stomach begins to decompose it, aided by a continuous movement. Proper digestion by the stomach relies on four key factors: the stomach itself, stomach motility, stomach heat (temperature), and the role of microorganisms.
In TCM, microorganisms are generally referred to as “bacteria.” Motility refers to the stomach's ability to move and churn food, while heat refers to the stomach's internal warmth. These are the fundamental elements the stomach needs to process food, and stomach issues often arise from imbalances in these areas.
Common Chinese Herbs for Treating Stomach Issues
Firstly, in the Treatise on Cold Damage, a foundational text in TCM, the most commonly used herbs for nourishing the stomach are the “Four Herbs for the Middle Burner,” which include ginseng, ginger, licorice, and jujube. Ginseng and licorice carry the rich essence of the Earth element, ginger disperses dampness, and jujube nourishes fluids. Together, they nourish the stomach's yin, which means they support and strengthen the stomach's fundamental structure. Keeping the stomach itself in good condition is essential for it to function effectively.
Secondly, for stomach motility, the stomach requires strength to move and should be unobstructed.
Some frequently used herbs for treating the stomach in the Treatise on Cold Damage include pinellia, white atractylodes, and poria. These three herbs are also included in the popular herbal formula, Six Gentlemen Pill (Liu Jun Zi Wan). White atractylodes and poria promote fluid circulation, while pinellia helps clear excess phlegm from the stomach’s exterior, creating space for the stomach to move freely. If excessive phlegm surrounds the stomach, it may hinder movement, often leading to nausea. Thus, pinellia is commonly used to stop vomiting in TCM.
Once the stomach structure is strengthened and the excess phlegm is cleared, it's time to enhance the stomach's motility.
Herbs to Boost Stomach Motility
To improve stomach movement, herbs that promote qi flow are often used, such as costus root, aged tangerine peel, and bitter orange.
In Six Gentlemen Pill, aged tangerine peel is used. In Fragrant Sand Six Gentlemen Pill (Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Wan), costus root and amomum fruit are added. In Fragrant Sand Stomach-Nourishing Pill (Xiang Sha Yang Wei Wan), additional herbs like cyperus and bitter orange are included. Cyperus is similarly effective in promoting qi flow.
Increasing Stomach Warmth
Finally, the stomach needs warmth to break down food effectively. Due to the common intake of cold fruits, many people have cold stomachs. To increase stomach heat, the most frequently used herb in the Treatise on Cold Damage is dried ginger. If a person has kidney coldness, which results in insufficient overall body heat, the stomach’s fire will also be insufficient. In such cases, additional aconite root is added, as seen in the Aconite Middle-Regulating Pill (Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan). Other commonly used herbs in modern TCM formulations include galangal, fennel, and amomum fruit. Amomum fruit not only promotes qi flow but also warms the stomach.
Once the stomach structure is nourished, excess phlegm is cleared, motility is increased, and sufficient warmth is maintained, it's time to focus on cultivating beneficial bacteria. How can we support these microorganisms?
Anyone who has steamed traditional Chinese buns (mantou) knows that yeast is commonly used today, but in the past, people would save a bit of dough from each batch to use as a natural starter for the next. Those who have lived in rural areas may be familiar with this. Similarly, the human stomach has a curvature known as the “greater curvature” (胃大弯), where some food remains after each meal. This leftover food serves as a natural “starter” to support the growth of beneficial bacteria, which are essential for effective digestion.
Therefore, if someone frequently drinks large amounts of water on an empty stomach, the food residue in the greater curvature becomes diluted. As water tends to be cooling, it can inhibit bacterial growth, gradually weakening the stomach’s digestive capacity. To support bacterial growth, TCM often uses herbs like the “Three Charred Immortals” (焦三仙): medicated leaven (神曲), hawthorn fruit (山楂), and malt (麦芽), along with maltose (饴糖).
Key Factors in Stomach Health
The main factors affecting stomach health are these, and when looking at commonly used herbal formulas for the stomach, you'll see that many ingredients focus on these principles. For stomach health, three parts are treatment, and seven parts are maintenance. After covering treatment, let's discuss the principles of daily stomach care.
Daily Practices for Stomach Care
Avoid Overeating and Undereating
When the stomach is empty, there is no food for the bacteria to consume, and the stomach itself lacks nourishment. Our food requires the stomach to digest it, and, in turn, the stomach needs food to maintain its health. This interdependence means that when the stomach is empty, stomach acid can start eroding the stomach lining, causing long-term damage. On the other hand, when we overeat, the stomach becomes overloaded and struggles to move, like a small ox pulling a heavy cart. This overburden can harm the stomach’s structure, leading to food decay, toxic buildup, and excess heat, which can manifest as pimples or other skin issues.
Avoid Excess Cold Foods
The stomach is a yang organ, relying on warmth for optimal function. Everything flows when warmed but stagnates when cold. Excessive cold food causes the stomach walls to contract, stalling blood flow and weakening motility, leading to chronic cold stomach and potentially fluid buildup around the stomach. As described in Dream of the Red Chamber, Baochai advises Baoyu: “If you eat hot food, it quickly disperses and warms the whole body. Cold food congeals in the stomach, forcing your organs to warm it, causing discomfort.” This advice perfectly captures a key principle of stomach health.
Avoid Mixing Hot and Cold Foods
Common wisdom says, “Heat presses down cold; there’s nowhere to hide it.” When we eat cold food followed by hot, the stomach cools and contracts, losing its motility. Then, when hot food follows, it sits atop the cold food, unable to be digested. On the other hand, if hot food is consumed first, the stomach is warm and relaxed, with strong circulation. If cold food is eaten afterward, the stomach contracts suddenly, like dousing a fire with cold water, leading to injury. As the saying goes, “Abrupt temperature changes are more likely to cause colds”—and the same applies to stomach health.
Avoid Drinking Plain Water Frequently
At some point, drinking eight glasses of water a day became a common health recommendation. However, according to TCM, water is one of the hardest substances for the body to process. Huang Yuan Yu writes in The Origins of the Four Saints: “Digesting water is harder than digesting grains.” Foods we consume are organic, derived from plants and animals through life processes, whereas water is inorganic, a primal substance of nature. This is why Chinese people traditionally drink tea rather than plain water. In China, whether rich or poor, people serve tea to guests instead of water.
Ideal Foods for Stomach Health
Porridge: Porridge is one of the most nourishing foods. Traditional Chinese culture has a long-standing habit of drinking porridge—examples include millet porridge, rice porridge, pumpkin porridge, sweet potato porridge, yam porridge, eight-treasure porridge with lotus seeds, and red bean and coix seed porridge. These porridges have been simmered, making them partially digested and thus easier on the stomach. Additionally, porridge is often made with gentle, warming ingredients that nourish the stomach.
Noodles: Noodles are easily digestible and help nourish stomach yin. For those with weak stomach energy, Treatise on Cold Damage recommends eating noodles, especially handmade ones. Boil the noodles thoroughly in water until a rich broth forms, adding a pinch of salt or none at all, to protect and nourish the stomach. For people recovering from illness, with weak stomach energy, or feeling discomfort after drinking, noodles or just noodle broth are highly beneficial.
Ginger, Red Date, and Brown Sugar Tea: This tea is suitable for everyone, except those with stomach heat, and can be consumed in any season. Ginger warms and regulates the flow of fluids in the stomach, red dates restore stomach fluids and protect the stomach lining, and brown sugar replenishes energy and promotes circulation, warming and nourishing the stomach. Despite their simplicity, these three ingredients work harmoniously. Regular consumption of this tea can prevent stomach issues for life.