Charts of symptoms

Joint Health:

TIPS: With Joint Health, what you want to find is the amount of dampness and heat and the location that each of these formulas addresses. Also check to see if you are deficient or excess: deficiencies are more common in the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.

Click for Joint Health

Anxiety:

TIPS: Anxiety can be a tough one but we are actually pretty good at it in Chinese Medicine. Looking at the tongue can be helpful as well as really defining the symptoms . The red tongue and symptoms that get worse at night point towards Ginseng and Longan (Tian Wan Bu Xin Dan). A tongue with a lot of coating and fuzzy thinking points towards the 11 Ingredients to Warm the Gallbladder (Wen Dan Tang). A lot of heat in the stomach and a kind of manic behavior suggests Cinnabar Sedative Digestive Cleanser (Zhu Sha An Shen Wan). Tiredness and overwork often can be helped with (Ginseng and Longan) Gui Pi Tang. And don’t forget our Super Calm at the side of the page. But check them all out and see which one fits. For example, the Cinnamon and Dragon Bone (Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li) has a symptom of fluttering around the top of the stomach. Its not something people usually associate with anxiety but its often there.

click for Anxiety chart

 

Not Sleeping aka Insomnia:

TIPS: Not Sleeping is a real drag. Of course, you want to look at all the sleep hygiene issues like not working on the computer too late (guilty!). Also some people find that having a digestive formula like Bao He Wan can help. You may want to look at the Anxiety formulas above. Again, take a look at Super Calm. Super Calm has Suan Zao Ren Tang in it which is our first choice for sleeplessness. If you are older, and I hate to say it but… female- Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan can moisten that Yin so the Yang has a place to settle in at night.

 Click for Sleeplessness Chart

Constipation:

TIPS: Look for the type of constipation you have. The choices are many- Da Cheng Qi Tang will purge you but may not be effective after a few days. It is kind of an emergency medicine. Bao He Wan is for those who simple eat too much but perhaps don’t move their bodies enough. Huang Qi Wan is for those with little energy. Frankly, I don’t see many people have this as their problem.

Xiao Yao Wan is great for those who are having stress issues. Another possibility for those with constipation (especially after chemotherapy) is Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan. This is a very moistening function throughout the body. Of course, one should try different foods such as half a bag of raisons during the day and the old stand-by prunes and “plum juice”.

Click for Constipation chart

Nausea:

TIPS: The first formula I go to for nausea is Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Tang. It is safe for pregnancy (although you should be in contact with your doctor during this time). If it is worse with stress then look toward Shu Gan Wan – especially if there is pain. A “dull” nausea may be helped with Er Chen Wan.

Click for Nausea Chart

Click for Loose Stools Chart

Bloating:

TIPS: For most people bloating will want to look at the food stagnation formulas such as Bao He Wan and Ping Wei San – especially if the bloating goes away 3 or 4 hours after eating. If the bloating is constant look towards Xiang Sha Lui Jun Zi Tang. If there is heat then the Lian Po Wan and Huang Qin Tang are good, especially if the bowels are involved. Bloating is most always a “spleen Qi Deficiency” and you want to stay away from cold drinks and foods – even a lot of salads.

Click for Bloating Chart

Vaginal Discharge:

TIPS: Most women know that antibiotics can really help with discharge at certain times. However, often the antibiotics help for a little bit and then things come back again. Antibiotics clear heat according to the principles of Chinese Medicine. If the heat is cleared then the problem isn’t heat anymore and the antibiotics won’t work. What you want to look for in your formula is the amount of Heat or Cold that your symptoms show. For the most part white discharge is cold while yellow is heat. Both can have itching. If you have a “UTI” but no fluids (discharge) you may have dryness and heat.The left hand (blue) side is for no heat while the right hand formulas (orange) are about that heat (burning etc.)

Click for Vaginal Discharge Chart

 

For the guys:

Nocturnal Emissions: Click for Nocturnal Emissions Chart
Premature Ejaculation: click for list of formulas for Premature Ejaculation