How People with Spleen Deficiency Should Choose Food
【What is Spleen Deficiency】
A term in Traditional Chinese Medicine referring to the pathological condition of a weakened spleen qi. It is often caused by improper diet, imbalance between work and rest, or a prolonged illness resulting in a weakened body. The spleen is responsible for transporting and transforming nutrients from food, distributing fluids, and controlling blood. When the spleen is deficient, these functions become impaired, which can lead to malnutrition, the formation of dampness and phlegm, or bleeding disorders.
【What are the symptoms】
When the spleen is deficient, the fine essences of food and drink cannot be transported and transformed. As a result, the five organs, six bowels, and the limbs do not receive adequate nourishment, leading to a series of symptoms such as a sallow complexion, listlessness, fatigue, drowsiness after meals, loss of appetite, or a feeling of fullness after eating, loose stools, undigested food in the stool, cold limbs, shortness of breath, aversion to cold, leukorrhea in women with spleen deficiency, a pale and swollen tongue with tooth marks on the edges, and a weak, thready pulse.
【How People with Spleen Deficiency Should Choose Food】
It is advisable to consume foods that tonify the spleen and qi, awaken the spleen to stimulate the appetite, and aid digestion. Examples include japonica rice, polished glutinous rice, scorched rice (锅巴), Job's tears, cooked lotus root, chestnuts, Chinese yam, hyacinth beans, lentils, grapes, red dates, carrots, potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, etc.
One should avoid foods that are cold in nature and can easily damage the spleen qi, such as bitter melon, cucumber, winter melon, eggplant, celery, amaranth, water bamboo, asparagus, daylily, persimmon, banana, loquat, pear, watermelon, green bean curd, and buckwheat. Among these, foods that are rich, greasy, and can hinder the spleen's transportation function include duck meat, pork tripe, oyster meat, milk, and sesame. Foods that promote qi and resolve stagnation, but can easily consume the spleen qi, include hawthorn, radish, and coriander.
【Dietary Therapy Reference Formulas】
① Japonica Rice Porridge.
50g of japonica rice and 10g of raisins. Cook the japonica rice in an appropriate amount of water until it is almost done, then add the raisins and simmer together until the porridge is soft and mushy.
② Sweet Potato.
Also known as yam or红薯. It is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of tonifying the spleen and blood, replenishing qi, and promoting bowel movements. The book "Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" states: "Eating it cooked tonifies the spleen and stomach, replenishes qi and strength, wards off wind and cold, and improves complexion." "Gang Mu Shi Yi" believes that sweet potatoes can "tonify the middle jiao, warm the stomach, and nourish the five organs." For people with spleen deficiency, sweet potatoes can be used as a staple food and consumed regularly.
③ Jujubes (Red Dates).
They are warm in nature and sweet in taste, with the effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach, and benefiting qi and blood. As early as over 2,000 years ago in the "Shennong Ben Cao Jing," there is a record that "jujubes calm the mind and nourish the spleen." Li Shizhen called "the date the fruit of the spleen; those with spleen disease should eat it." For people with spleen deficiency and loose stools, a weak stomach with poor appetite, and insufficient qi and blood, it is most appropriate to take jujubes regularly.
To strengthen the spleen, one can also use Chinese yam, Atractylodes macrocephala, Job's tears, potatoes, white hyacinth beans, sweet potatoes, etc. Generally, foods that grow deep in the ground can strengthen the spleen. They can be used to make porridge, stewed with meat, or boiled alone. Adding a little lotus leaf will enhance the effect.