The discussion on treatments of spleen and stomach diseases (the third part)

Regulating five organs to treat spleen and stomach. Mr. Jingyue Zhang said: “spleen is the earth and irrigates the other organs; the other four organs have spleen and stomach respectively,  and there is the qi of spleen and stomach in every five organs…, thus, the best treatment of spleen and stomach can also regulate five organs, that is to say, treating spleen and stomach means promoting digestion and strengthening stomach, thus, the five organs get normal.”

Spleen belongs to earth, and liver belongs to wood. The liver qi stagnation overacts spleen earth, and causes distention and pain of the stomach, hypochondriac pain, epigastric upset, vomiting, acid regurgitation, belching, abdominal distention or Diarrhea, etc. According to “loose stools and food retention are caused if clear qi is in low position, distention is produced if turbid qi is in upper position”, the differentiation is liver and spleen irregular and disharmonious of liver and stomach. For liver and spleen irregular, apply Xiao Yan San, and modify the prescription for relieving pain and diarrhea; for disharmonious of liver and stomach, apply Si Ni San, Chai Hu Shu Gan San and Xiang Su Yin, etc. Do not take in acrid and dry food in long term so as not to hurt yin and yin. For qi stagnation of spleen and stomach due to deficiency of liver yin, apply Yi Guan Jian and Si Ni San, etc. to nourish liver and disperse liver qi. For the syndromes involving the liver and spleen and the liver and stomach simultaneously, do integration of motion and quietness, tonify appropriately.

If kidney yang is deficiency, the function of warming loses, middle energizer gets deficiency and cold, and spleen loses the transportation and transformation function. The manifestations are diarrhea, loose stools, indigestion with food retention, or morning diarrhea, followed with weak and sore of both lumber and knee, dizziness, averse to cold of limbs, pale tongue, white and moist tongue coating, deep and thready pulse, etc. the treatment should be “tonifying fire and producing earth” and warming kidney to tonify spleen, the prescriptions are modification of Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan and Si Shen Wan, etc. The drugs are prepared Fu Zi, Gan Jiang, Rou Duo Kou, Wu Zhu Yu, Shan Yao and Yun Ling, etc.

Stomach and intestine belong to yangming, and are easy to suffer from the disease at same time. Deficiency of spleen and stomach, food retention and affection to fu organs due to stomach disease, lead to constipation, belching, foul mouth, thick tongue coating, wiry and rolling pulse. According to the principles that relieve the secondary symptoms first in treating acute disease, and the six fu organs must keep unobstructed, apply modification of Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan, and use the drugs which can strengthen spleen and harmonize stomach after dispelling stagnation and clearing away heat.

Key words: spleen and stomach diseases

Writer: Fengying Zhao

Xiangyang hospital, Tanggu district, Tainjin (300451)