Tiredness and weakness of the spleen is a common condition in traditional Chinese medicine, also known as spleen deficiency. The clinical manifestations are mostly related to the digestive system. There are many causes of spleen deficiency, including improper diet, excessive fatigue, and excessive worry. When we experience symptoms such as yellowish complexion, puffy eyes, thin body, and digestive problems, it is likely related to spleen deficiency. Therefore, in the treatment, it is important to focus on tonifying qi and nourishing the spleen, promoting water metabolism, and warming the kidneys and spleen. Below, we introduce several medicinal diets that can tonify and nourish the spleen.
Medicinal Diet 1: Ginseng and Poria Cocos Congee
Ingredients: Ginseng (or Codonopsis Pilosula), Poria Cocos, fresh ginger, glutinous rice.
Preparation: Slice the ginseng (or Codonopsis Pilosula) and ginger into thin pieces. Crush the Poria Cocos and soak it in water for half an hour. Cook the herbs to make a decoction, then cook it again with glutinous rice to make congee. Take it twice a day, in the morning and evening.
Effect: Tonify qi, nourish the spleen and stomach. Suitable for weakness and deficiency of qi, insufficient spleen and stomach, fatigue, pale complexion, reduced appetite, nausea and vomiting, loose stools, and other symptoms.
Medicinal Diet 2: Beef Stewed with Almonds
Ingredients: 30-50g beef, 15g almonds (wrapped in gauze).
Preparation: Put the ingredients in a pot, add water and stew until the beef is tender. Season lightly and consume the meat and soup.
Effect: Tonify the spleen and stomach, nourish the brain, and improve intelligence. Especially suitable for excessive salivation due to spleen deficiency.
Medicinal Diet 3: Mung Bean Glutinous Rice Pork Intestine
Ingredients: 60g mung beans, 30g glutinous rice, 300g pork intestines.
Preparation: Thoroughly clean the pork intestines. Soak the mung beans and glutinous rice in water for half an hour. Then put the mung beans and glutinous rice into the pork intestines and add an appropriate amount of water. Tie the ends of the intestines with string and cook in a pot for about 2 hours. Consume once a day for 7-8 consecutive days.
Effect: Tonify the middle warmer, clear heat and detoxify, promote bowel movements and stop diarrhea. Suitable for damp-heat diarrhea, bleeding, early-stage hemorrhoids, and prolapse of the anus, etc.
Medicinal Diet 4: Ginkgo and Black-boned Chicken Soup
Ingredients: 15g ginkgo meat, 15g lotus meat, 15g glutinous rice, 1 black-boned chicken.
Preparation: Put the ginkgo meat, lotus meat, and glutinous rice into the cleaned black-boned chicken belly, add water, and stew until the chicken is tender. Consume on an empty stomach.
Effect: Warm and tonify the spleen and kidneys, consolidate essence and stop excessive vaginal discharge. Suitable for women with spleen and kidney deficiency and cold, excessive vaginal discharge that lasts for a long time, and thin stools.
Medicinal Diet 5: Hawthorn Coix Seed Porridge
Ingredients: 30g coix seed, 100g glutinous rice, 5g hawthorn, white sugar to taste.
Preparation: Wash the coix seed and glutinous rice and put them in a clay pot. Add 1,000ml of water and bring to a boil. Add the hawthorn and simmer on low heat until it becomes porridge. Add an appropriate amount of white sugar. Consume on an empty stomach twice a day.
Effect: Tonify the spleen, stop diarrhea, aid digestion, and resolve food stagnation. Suitable for weakness of the spleen and stomach, indigestion, distension and fullness in the epigastrium, belching, acid reflux, and abdominal pain with loose stools.
Medicinal Diet 6: Spleen-tonifying and Diuresis-promoting Tea
Ingredients: Poria Cocos, Alisma, Codonopsis Pilosula, Atractylodes Macrocephala, Papaya, Mosla, Areca, Perilla, Tangerine Peel, Poria, Cinnamon.
Preparation: Grind the ingredients into coarse powder according to the original proportions. Use 50-70g daily, put it in a thermos, pour boiling water, cover it for 20-30 minutes, and drink as tea frequently.
Effect: Tonify the spleen, warm yang, promote diuresis, regulate the middle burner, and promote qi circulation and water metabolism. It is mainly used for chronic nephritis, spleen deficiency with stagnant qi and edema, abdominal distension and fullness, difficulty urinating, indigestion, heavy body, pale complexion, lumbago and weakness, poor appetite, loose and thin stools, white and slippery or greasy tongue coating, and deep and slow pulse.
