Use delicious herbal food to nourish the stomach and regulate stress

The health of the gastrointestinal tract can be improved through diet and acupoint massage. Traditional Chinese medicine provides some simple and easy health care methods.
In traditional Chinese medicine, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and digestive system fall under the category of "spleen and stomach". In traditional Chinese medicine, "spleen" is not just the spleen organ as mentioned in Western medicine, but also includes the stomach and the entire large and small intestine system.
The spleen belongs to the earth element and should be kept in a dry state. If the spleen and stomach are too wet, the body will become out of balance, such as diarrhoea or diarrhea.

Why do people who are nervous or under great pressure in life easily suffer from gastrointestinal discomfort?
Traditional Chinese medicine uses the concept of mutual generation and mutual restraint to explain the relationship between the five internal organs. The five internal organs are "liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys." In terms of mutual generation, the relationship is "liver generates heart, heart generates spleen." Therefore, the liver and heart will also affect the functions of the spleen and stomach.
The heart referred to in traditional Chinese medicine includes not only the heart, but also the autonomic nervous system and cranial nerves. Therefore, people who are under great pressure at work are prone to "excessive heart fire", which can also affect the spleen and stomach.
In addition, the liver regulates and unblocks things. When a person is depressed, the liver qi will not flow smoothly, which is called "liver qi stagnation". If the liver fire is too strong, it will interfere with other organs. Irritable bowel syndrome is a good example. The liver affects the spleen, which is what Chinese medicine calls "liver wood overcoming spleen earth".
Therefore, whether it is traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, doctors recommendFrequent stomach discomfortPeople who are stressed should relax or find a good way to relieve stress.
In terms of diet, in addition to the basic principle of fixed food and fixed quantity, Chinese medicine also recommends that the temperature of the diet should be appropriate.
Lin Changjin, an internal medicine doctor at Taipei Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explained that the coldness and heat of food is not just about the temperature, but also the properties of the food. For example, watermelon and seafood are both cold, and some people with weak stomachs will have diarrhea after eating them.
We often encounter cold foods in our daily lives. Some people may eat cold foods due to personal preferences or dietary deviations, and often eat too much without realizing it.
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Practice the "Beggar Squat" for 15 minutes after meals to promote blood circulation in the spleen and stomach and relieve bloating
Chinese medicine practitioners recommend that people with weak stomachs should try to understand the properties of different foods and avoid eating too much cold food, otherwise it will put a heavy burden on the stomach and intestines.
Patients with damaged spleen and stomach should be more moderate in their diet. Fruits, juices or drinks are raw and cold, so they should not be eaten too much. Fermented foods such as bread, steamed buns or Yakult are also not suitable for patients who already have phlegm and dampness. Fried or grilled foods are easy to cause internal heat, so they should not be eaten too much.
Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Changjin said that in Taiwan's hot and humid environment, it is not advisable to eat too much raw, cold or hot food. Rice, whole grains, and mild cooked food are healthy.
In addition to not eating too much cold food, Yang Xianhong, director of the Department of General Traditional Chinese Medicine at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said that ginger is a very good food and is worth recommending.
Ginger is also a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. It can strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness. Ginger peel has a slight diuretic effect. Ginger can also slightly stimulate the secretion of gastric acid and help digestion, but it will not over-irritate the gastrointestinal tract. This is why some people drink a little ginger soup to relieve tension, nausea or vomiting. Drinking some ginger soup is also effective for mild diarrhea because it can inhibit excessive contraction of smooth muscles.
Ginger is the most beneficial food to the body. In daily diet, it is often the best condiment. For example, adding ginger to stir-fry seafood can not only remove the fishy smell, but also remove the coldness of seafood.
Ginger is hot in nature and will only cause dry mouth and slight sore throat if you eat too much.

In addition, gentle exercise is very important for the gastrointestinal tract.
According to Chinese medicine books, there was a kind of exercise called "Five Animal Exercises" in ancient times. It was a flexibility exercise that imitated the appearance of animals, similar to the Eight-Section Brocade known today.
Flexibility exercises can relieve muscles and bones, promote blood circulation,Relaxes the gastrointestinal tract, reduce abnormal contractions or spasms, and reduce gastrointestinal diseases.
Tai Chi is also a good choice, and walking is also good. There is a saying in Chinese medicine: "Take a hundred steps after a meal, and you will live to be ninety-nine." After eating, take a short walk in line with the rhythm of gastrointestinal peristalsis, which can help digestion and reduce the burden on the stomach.
There are ways to maintain your stomach and intestines. That is to relax, eat three meals at regular times and in regular amounts, don't eat too much cold food, and do more gentle exercises. Then you can have a comfortable and healthy life.

Cold food:
Chinese cabbage, water spinach, enoki mushroom, mustard greens, cauliflower, cucumber, celery, loofah, lotus root, winter melon, bitter melon, wild rice shoots, radish, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, abalone mushrooms, kohlrabi, choy sum, sauerkraut, pickled mustard, snow vegetable, pickled mustard, kelp, hair algae, day lily, black fungus, and tofu.
Lemon, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, plum, star fruit, orange, tangerine, grape, cherry tomato, loquat, mango, coconut, pear, cherry, persimmon, kiwi, passion fruit, and tea.
Shrimp, crab, cuttlefish, jellyfish.
Mild foods:
Spinach, bok choy, sweet potato leaves, basil, mushrooms, amaranth, leeks, leek flowers, green peppers, lettuce, cabbage, taro, potatoes; carrots, onions, corn, water chestnuts, beets, eggplant, pumpkin, soybeans, peanuts, edamame, red beans, natto, bean sprouts, green beans, yellow emperor beans, coix seeds, okra, perilla.
Apples, bananas, papayas, wax apples, peaches, sugar apples, pomegranates, guavas, and nectarines.
Chicken, beef, goose, yellow croaker, carp, sea bass, sea cucumber, turtle.
Hot foods:
Ginger, onion, chili, sesame, cinnamon, garlic, shallot, garlic, and fennel.
Durian, lychee, longan.
Mutton and eel.

Massage Zusanli
Use your left hand for your left foot and your right hand for your right foot. The palm of your hand is facing your knee, and your middle finger is facing your shin. Press naturally with your five fingers. The place where your ring finger presses is the "Zusanli Point". You will feel a sore and numb feeling when pressing it.
Zusanli is the most important acupuncture point in the stomach meridian and is also a good acupuncture point for health preservation. You can press it whenever you want, three or four times a day, and press it for 3 minutes each time.
Massaging this acupoint can help digestion and regulate the stomach. People whose lower limbs are easily fatigued and who cannot walk can also press Zusanli, which will make their legs stronger.
belly massage
Centering on the navel, massage in a clockwise direction, no matter how many times, until the belly feels warm and comfortable. For example, you can massage 9981 times. Touch the belly directly, preferably without covering it with clothes.
Don’t touch your belly for too long right after eating. Touch it after digestion. You can also touch your belly while exercising in the morning.

■Four Gods Soup
It strengthens the spleen and stomach, aids digestion, and is suitable for most people. The five medicinal ingredients in the soup are all mild Chinese medicinal materials. People who are prone to diarrhea can also use Sishen Soup as a diet therapy. For those with qi deficiency and fatigue, add Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus. For those with spleen and stomach deficiency and coldness, add a little ginger.
People who are prone to constipation should not take Si Shen Decoction.
Ingredients: 1 pound of pig intestines or pig stomach
The herbal formula consists of 40 grams of coix seed (Job's tears), 20 grams of poria mushroom, 20 grams of gordon euryale seed (fox nut), 40 grams of lotus seed, and 20 grams of Chinese yam.
Seasoning: 1 tsp salt (5 g)
practice:
1. Soak water chestnuts and lotus seeds for 20 minutes.
First, cut the pork intestines or pork stomach into sections or cubes. Place them in a pot with 2 cups of water (5 ml), then add the coix seeds, poria mushrooms, gordon euryale seeds, Chinese yam, and 1200 cup of rice wine (1 ml). Simmer everything together for one hour.
3. When the pig intestines or stomach are 20% cooked, add lotus seeds and simmer for XNUMX minutes.
4. Add salt to taste and serve.
(Provided by Lin Changjin, an internal medicine physician at the Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

■Lotus seed porridge
Strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea, nourishing the kidney, strengthening the body, nourishing the heart and calming the mind
Ingredients: 100 grams of glutinous rice
Ingredients: 50g lotus seeds
Seasoning: 20g rock sugar
practice:
1. Soak the tender lotus seeds in water until they swell, then remove the lotus core and wash them.
2. Put the lotus seeds into a pot, add water, and cook over low heat.
3. Put glutinous rice into the pot, add water (about 480 grams), and cook it into porridge over low heat.
4. After the porridge is cooked, add lotus seeds and rock sugar, stir well and it is ready to eat.

■Atractylodes macrocephala and red dates tea
Strengthens the spleen and replenishes qi, stimulates appetite and helps digestion
Medicinal materials: 15g Atractylodes macrocephala, 15g red dates
Seasoning: a little malt
Method: 1. Boil the Atractylodes macrocephala and red dates first.
2. Add malt and drink it as tea.
(Provided by Yang Xianhong, Director of the Department of General Internal Medicine at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital)
※Editor’s note: This article was published in 2001. The background of the people, events and things in the article may have been adjusted or changed. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.