5 Liver-Stomach Disharmony Type

(5) Liver-Stomach Disharmony Type

① Symptoms: Epigastric distension and pain, radiating to the chest and ribs, unbearable pressure, bitter taste, acid regurgitation, vomiting, belching, frequent sighing, or irritability and anger. Episodes of stomach pain are often associated with emotional stimuli such as anger, and may be accompanied by abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea. White tongue coating, string-like pulse.

② Treatment: Soothe the liver and regulate qi, harmonize the stomach and relieve pain.

③ Prescription: Modified Chaihu Shugan San. Use 10g of bupleurum, 10g of chuanxiong, 10g of costus root, 10g of stir-fried citrus peel, 10g of white peony, 10g of tangerine peel, 10g of jade tablet, 10g of nutmeg, 10g of stir-fried corydalis, 10g of chuanlianzǐ, and 10g of halite; decoct twice, mix well, divide into three doses, take one dose daily.

④ Note: Acute gastritis and acute gastroenteritis caused by psychological factors are not uncommon in clinical practice. It's common to hear people say, "Anger makes your stomach hurt," which falls into this category. Excessive liver qi stagnation can not only rebel against the stomach, causing pain and vomiting, but also weaken the spleen, leading to diarrhea and intestinal rumbling. The author once encountered such a case in his hometown: a patient got into an argument with a neighbor in the evening over trivial matters. The neighbor bullied the weaker party, spoke rudely, and hurled insults, but the patient dared not speak out, keeping the anger bottled up inside. He didn't eat dinner, and the next day still had no appetite. Soon after, he began experiencing epigastric discomfort, distension, and vomiting of yellow, bitter fluid, followed by abdominal pain and diarrhea. The author cured him using Chaihu Shugan San combined with a prescription for treating diarrhea and pain.

III. Single Formula Treatment

① Equal parts of amomum villosum and cardamom, ground into powder, take 1.5–3g each time, for stomach cold pain.

② Burned lychee seeds, add 0.5g of nutmeg for every 3g, grind into fine powder, mix with hot water and take, for stomach cold qi stagnation pain.

③ 9g each of aconite and caulis, 12g each of angelica dahurica and bletilla striata, grind into powder and mix with a little flour to form a paste, apply externally to the epigastric region below the xiphoid process, remove after one day, for stomach cold pain.

④ Ten-Scent Pill (made of agarwood, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, corydalis, sandalwood, etc.), honey pill, take one pill each time, for stomach cold qi stagnation pain.

⑤ Baohe Wan, suitable for colds in all seasons, fever, headache, indigestion, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, and vomiting; take 6–9g each time, 2–3 times daily, with hot water.

⑥ Huoxiang Zhengqi Pill, suitable for external wind-cold invasion, internal dietary injury, and damp stagnation causing nausea and vomiting; take 6–9g each time, 2–3 times daily, with hot water.

⑦ Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid: same indications as above, take 10ml each time, 2–3 times daily.

⑧ Yushu Dan: composed of arisaema, euphorbia, euphorbia, musk, yellow waist, cinnabar, and gallnuts. Suitable for cases of summer heat and humidity, filth, nausea, and vomiting; this medicine can detoxify, avoid filth, and stop vomiting. Take 2 portions each time, 2 times daily, stop taking when vomiting stops.

⑨ For stomach cold and reverse vomiting, use 3 cloves and 1 piece of tangerine peel, remove the white inner part, decoct in hot water and take.

⑩ 15g of cardamom, 1 spoonful of ginger juice, grind cardamom into powder, mix with ginger juice to form pills, take 1–3g each time, with hot water, for stomach cold vomiting.

⑪ 18g of turmeric, 15g of stir-fried costus root, grind into fine powder, take 2–3g each time, for stomach qi stagnation pain.

⑫ 15g of radish seed decocted, give 4.5g of nutmeg, for food stagnation stomach pain.

⑬ 10g of chicken gizzard, 10g of citron peel, grind into fine powder, take 1–2g each time, for food stagnation epigastric distension and pain.

⑭ Soothe the liver and relieve pain pill (made of bupleurum, white peony, galangal, costus root, corydalis, chuanxiong, and curcuma, etc.), concentrated water pill, take one small bag each time, for qi stagnation and cold-induced stomach pain.

⑮ Betel Nut Four-Dissipation Pill (made of betel nut, rhubarb, hawthorn, sandalwood, and magnolia bark, etc.), water pill, take 6g each time, for stomach pain episodes, can eliminate food stagnation and regulate qi, broaden the chest. Mainly for food stagnation stomach pain.

IV. Acupuncture Treatment

For abdominal pain, needle acupoints such as Zusanli, Zhongwan, and Gongsun; for vomiting, needle Neiguan and Taichong; for diarrhea, moxibustion with ginger or salt on Shenque. Acupuncture treatment is effective in relieving symptoms, easy to perform, and not limited by conditions, especially useful in remote rural areas with poor medical resources.

V. Western Medical Treatment