Spleen-stomach deficiency is a term in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Its meaning is broad, encompassing various TCM syndromes such as spleen qi deficiency, spleen yang deficiency, spleen failing to control blood, sinking of central qi, stomach yang deficiency, stomach qi deficiency, stomach yin deficiency, and spleen-stomach deficiency-cold. Spleen-stomach deficiency must be classified; medications should not be used indiscriminately. It is categorized into: spleen qi deficiency, spleen yang deficiency, stomach qi deficiency, and stomach yin deficiency.Symptoms of spleen qi deficiency primarily include shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, loose stools, easy bleeding, pale blood color, and even a sallow complexion. Spleen yang deficiency mainly manifests as cold pain in the stomach and abdomen, abdominal pain and diarrhea after consuming raw, cold, or greasy foods, and loose stools. Stomach qi deficiency primarily presents as stomach distension, stomach pain, hiccups, poor appetite,postprandial fullness. Stomach Yin Deficiency manifests as ascending false heat, dry mouth, frequent hunger, acid reflux, dull discomfort, and mouth/tongue ulcers.
Symptoms of Spleen-Stomach Deficiency
Spleen Qi Deficiency manifests as: epigastric and abdominal distension worsening after meals, loss of taste perception, even lack of appetite, loose stools, lethargy, emaciation, limb fatigue, shortness of breath with reluctance to speak, sallow or pale complexion, or limb edema. The tongue appears pale with a white coating, and the pulse is slow, weak, and deficient.
Symptoms of Spleen Yang Deficiency include: abdominal distension with poor appetite, persistent abdominal pain relieved by warmth and pressure, aversion to cold with cold limbs, loose and watery stools. May also present with heavy limbs, edema, difficulty urinating, or excessive thin leukorrhea. Pale, swollen tongue with white, slippery coating. Deep, slow, and weak pulse.
Manifestations of spleen failing to control blood include: - Spleen qi deficiency leading to impaired transformation and transportation, qi and blood deficiency, presenting as poor appetite, abdominal distension, loose stools, limb fatigue, shortness of breath, reluctance to speak, sallow complexion, pale tongue with white coating, and slow, weak pulse. - Various bleeding symptoms such as hematochezia, hematuria, menorrhagia, or metrorrhagia.For hematochezia due to spleen failing to control blood: blood mixed with stool, or stool followed by dark purple blood, or black tarry stools, accompanied by spleen qi deficiency symptoms. For metrorrhagia/metrostaxis due to spleen failing to control blood: sudden heavy bleeding or prolonged spotting with pale, thin blood, pale or puffy complexion, bodily fatigue,cold limbs, shortness of breath, reluctance to speak, poor appetite, loose stools, etc.
Manifestations of sinking of central qi include: pale complexion, dizziness, easy sweating, shortness of breath, fatigue, poor appetite, loose stools, heavy sensation in the abdomen, frequent urge to defecate, and cloudy urine resembling rice water. Commonly seen in conditions such as gastric ptosis, renal ptosis, uterine prolapse, rectal prolapse, and chronic diarrhea.
Manifestations of stomach yin deficiency include: dry mouth and lips, epigastric discomfort, dry heaving, reduced appetite, or difficulty swallowing. Postprandial chest and diaphragm discomfort, dry stools, red tongue with dry center and sparse coating, or glossal dryness with a dark red hue, accompanied by a fine and rapid pulse.
Manifestations of spleen-stomach deficiency-cold include: dull, persistent gastric pain with cold discomfort, relief from warmth and pressure, worsening on an empty stomach and alleviated by eating, exacerbation after exertion, cold food, or exposure to cold, clear water regurgitation, poor appetite, fatigue, cold hands and feet, loose stools, pale tongue with white coating, and weak pulse.
How to Regulate Poor Spleen and Stomach Function
I. Appropriate Medication Use
Traditional Chinese Medicine categorizes spleen-stomach deficiency into three main types: spleen-stomach qi deficiency, spleen yang deficiency, and stomach yin deficiency.
1. Spleen-Stomach Qi Deficiency: Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, abdominal distension, stomach pain, hiccups, poor appetite, postprandial bloating, loose stools, and sallow complexion. Recommended formulas: Shenling Baizhu San (Ginseng-Poria-Atractylodes Powder) and Xiangshayangwei Wan (Fragrant Cardamom Stomach-Nourishing Pills).
2. Spleen Yang Deficiency manifests as cold pain in the stomach and abdomen, abdominal pain and diarrhea after consuming raw, cold, or greasy foods, and loose stools. Fuzi Lizhong Pills are suitable for this condition.
3. Stomach Yin Deficiency presents with ascending false heat, dry mouth, frequent hunger, acid reflux, dull stomach discomfort, and mouth/tongue ulcers.For stomach yin deficiency, take Ginseng and Plum Stomach-Nourishing Granules.
II. Dietary Adjustments
A balanced diet is the foundation of health and the prerequisite for stomach protection. How should individuals with spleen-stomach deficiency adjust their diet?
1. Basic Dietary Principles: Eat regularly with fixed meal times and portions, avoiding overeating. Consume easily digestible foods like congee or porridge.Minimize intake of irritating or hard-to-digest foods like spicy, fried, dry, hard, or sticky items. Also limit raw or cold foods. 2. Common Spleen-Nourishing and Stomach-Strengthening Foods ① Japonica Rice (Glutinous Rice): Neutral in nature, sweet in taste, it replenishes spleen qi and strengthens vitality. The Classic of Food Identification records: "All glutinous rice varieties nourish the spleen, benefit the five viscera, strengthen vitality, and stop diarrhea, but glutinous rice surpasses them all." ② Coix seed, commonly known as Job's tears or six-grain rice, fortifies the spleen and stomach. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty noted its ability to "strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach." The Materia Medica with Commentary also records that its "sweet flavor enters and nourishes the spleen."③ White broad beans are neutral in nature and sweet in taste, capable of tonifying spleen and stomach deficiency. The Compendium of Materia Medica states: "White broad beans possess a warm and neutral nature, achieving balance and harmony; they are the grain of the spleen. They stop diarrhea and warm the spleen and stomach." They are most suitable for those with spleen deficiency causing vomiting, poor appetite, prolonged diarrhea, children with spleen deficiency and malnutrition, and women with spleen deficiency and leukorrhea.④ Jujubes are warm in nature and sweet in taste, with effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach while benefiting qi and blood. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty declared, "Jujubes are the fruit of the spleen; those with spleen disorders should consume them." They are most suitable for regular consumption by individuals with spleen deficiency causing loose stools, weak stomach with poor appetite, or deficiency of qi and blood.