The slightly hearty body type isn’t limited to only men. A woman can be as hearty as a man, and a man can be as delicate as a woman. [What’s your body type?]

With the slightly hearty body type we find mostly signs of having a hearty constitution, but with some delicate attributes as well.

Slightly hearty individuals tend to suffer more intensely with short-term problems like the hearty type, but not quite as intensely since they also have a few delicate attributes. Problems of “too much” will be more common than those due to “not enough” which is more common among the delicate types.

An example of “too much” includes constipation. When you’ve got too much poop stuck in your large intestine, the delicate body type will barely notice, but the slightly hearty body type will feel more discomfort. Not surprisingly, Chinese and Kampo medicine favor the use of Da Huang (Rx. Rhei, rhubarb root) in many of the formulas for the slightly hearty body type.

Da Huang (Rx. Rhei, rhubarb root) is a purgative, it empties that large intestine, but when one isn’t constipated, it should be used cautiously. Da Huang also has other functions that still make sense for the slightly hearty body type, but these formulas should only be used for the types that are listed for each individual formula.

Formulas for acute problems (short-lived but intense) are best taken with a higher dosage. A high dosage depends on how much you weigh, but a typical high dosage would be something like 6 capsules or a teaspoon of the powder, 4 times daily.

For chronic problems (long-term, low-grade) that have been around for a while, don’t expect the herbs to work overnight. However, with a slow, low dosage, you can see improvement. A typical low dosage is 1-2 capsules or 1/2 teaspoon of the extract powder, 3 times daily.

For more on how long it may take for your herbs to work, please see the prognosis self-test.