What’s Your Body Type?

Your body type will guide your choices for the Chinese herbal formula that works best for you. This is hugely important and helps keep herbal formulas both safe and effective. Estimated time necessary to complete this self-test: 5 minutes.

Delicate

Delicate

 

Slightly Delicate

Slightly Delicate

 

Balanced

Balanced

 

Slightly Hearty

Slightly Hearty

 

Hearty

Hearty

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Slightly Hearty Body Type

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The slightly hearty body type.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.

Hearty Body Type

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The hearty body type.The 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?]

The hearty body type is called the endomorph body type in biomedicine.

Hearty individuals tend to suffer more intensely with short-term problems. Or, problems of “too much” will be more common than those due to “not enough”.

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 hearty body type will feel severe discomfort. Not surprisingly, Chinese and Kampo medicine favor the use of Da Huang (Rx. Rhei, rhubarb root) in many of the formulas for the 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 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.

Info – Balanced Body Type

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The balanced body type.The balanced body type or “constitution” includes a somewhat even number of delicate and hearty attributes. [What’s your body type?]

This body type is described as the mesomorph in biomedicine.

Although a man is posing in this image, this body type arises equally in both genders.

The balanced body type people are shapely and muscular. They are often cast as the male or female lead in romantic movies. They’re balanced between thin and wide, heavy and light, hearty and delicate, etc.

Notice the full chest and muscles. These are decathletes and sprinters. A women with this physique might also be athletic or have a well-developed upper chest, either in the form of muscle, or breast development.

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.