Digestive formulae
Improper diet damages digestion process and causes stomach dysfunction, leading to indigestion symptoms such as distention and fullness in the gastric and abdominal regions, poor appetite, bad breath, belching, nausea, thick and greasy tongue fur, loose bowels and sometimes diarrhea.
In the formulae, common active ingredients include hawthorn fruit, medicated leaven, malt, sprouted grain, radish seed and chicken gizzard skin. Among them, hawthorn fruit relieves indigestion caused by over-consumption of meat and greasy foods; medicated leaven, barley sprouts and sprouted grain assist in digesting grainy foods such as bread, noodles or rice; radish seed and immature bitter orange ease focal fullness and distention; when food retention is really severe, herbs like pharbitis seed, Chinese rhubarb and areca seed are added to achieve a laxative effect. When the indigestion problem involves a spleen weakness, then herbs like ginseng, largehead atractylodes rhizome and Chinese yam are added in the remedies to enhance the overall digestive and absorption processes.
The digestive remedies are not suggested for long-term use, it is also not indicated for those who are too weak and cannot eat.