With the improvement of people's living standards, the number of obese individuals has been increasing. High blood lipids, high cholesterol, fatty liver, obese-type hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and other clinical conditions are common, and the incidence is on the rise. The use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and herbal medicine for diagnosis and treatment can achieve good results in lowering lipids and losing weight. The introduction is as follows:
1. Harmonizing the Stomach and Dissolving Fat
Excessive obesity is often caused by excessive consumption of sweet and fatty foods, which results in the stagnation of fats in the stomach. Symptoms include abdominal distention, belching, acid regurgitation, foul taste in the mouth, and greasy tongue coating. The early use of hawthorn, barley malt, and raphanus seed can help harmonize the stomach and aid digestion, which can be very effective. These herbs have long been recorded in traditional herbal books for their ability to eliminate fat deposits. Traditional formulas like Jiao San Xian and Bao He Wan are commonly used in pediatric TCM. Commercially available hawthorn fruits, hawthorn cakes, and hawthorn snacks are delicious and can be carried around for convenient consumption. Fresh raphanus can be eaten raw or stir-fried, making it one of the simplest dietary therapies for lowering lipids and losing weight.
2. Activating Blood Circulation and Dissolving Stasis
Obese individuals often have excessive fat in their blood, which can easily lead to atherosclerosis, especially in the heart and brain, causing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Medications that activate blood circulation and dissolve stasis have the effect of dilating coronary arteries, increasing blood flow, reducing blood lipids, preventing plaque formation, and promoting its regression. For obese individuals with blood stasis, menstrual disorders, or purple spots on the tongue, the use of blood-activating and stasis-dissolving methods not only helps lower lipids and lose weight but also treats the underlying conditions. Commonly used blood-activating and stasis-dissolving lipid-lowering herbs include Angelica sinensis and Ligusticum chuanxiong, which are the main ingredients in the traditional formula Foshou San. Salvia miltiorrhiza is often used in combination with other herbs in formulas like Si Wu Tang for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Paeonia lactiflora and Spatholobus suberectus are effective in promoting blood circulation and relieving muscle tension, making them suitable for individuals with blood stasis in the meridians. Notoginseng and Typhonium flagelliforme are good at promoting blood circulation and relieving pain, and are often used for individuals with blood stasis and sharp pain. Commercially available products like Danshen capsules, compound Danshen capsules, Coronary No.1 Formula, and Coronary No.2 Formula are all effective in activating blood circulation and dissolving stasis to lower lipids.
3. Expanding the Chest and Dissolving Phlegm
Traditional Chinese medical literature states that "obese people often have phlegm", which refers to the turbid phlegm caused by excessive fat accumulation. Obese individuals often experience shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, with a greasy tongue coating. Some individuals have a heavy phlegm-fire constitution, characterized by irritability, easy anger, high blood pressure, headaches, and sleeping difficulties, with a yellow and greasy tongue coating and constipation. These individuals are prone to developing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. When encountering these symptoms, it is appropriate to use methods that expand the chest and dissolve phlegm.
