Spleen Yang Deficiency

In plain words

The same weak digestion, with cold on top: icy hands and feet, a belly that asks for a blanket, and watery stools with recognizable pieces of food.

When digestion has been weak for a long time, it also stops producing the warmth it works with. Without that warmth food is not cooked inside and comes out almost as it went in, while the fluid nobody transforms pools in the legs or the belly. It is usually the next step of a weak digestion left uncorrected, sped up by years of cold food and drink.

Characteristic symptoms

• All symptoms of Spleen Qi Deficiency PLUS cold signs
• Cold extremities, especially hands and feet
• Marked preference for warmth and covering
• Very loose or watery stools with undigested food
• Edema in the legs or abdominal area
• Clear and abundant urination
• Nausea when eating cold or raw foods
• Abdominal pain relieved by heat and pressure

Key clues to recognize it

• Belly pain eases under a hot water bottle or a warm hand, and worsens with cold.
• Recognizable pieces of food in the stools.
• Pale, swollen tongue, wet and shiny as if the person had just drunk.

Tongue and pulse

Tongue

Pale, moist or aqueous-looking tongue; white thick coating

Pulse

Deep (chén) and slow (chí) pulse, weak in the Spleen position

Treatment principle

Warm and tonify Spleen Yang, transform Dampness and internal Cold

Common points

Reference formula

Li Zhong Tang (Regulate the Middle Decoction)

What not to confuse it with

What aggravates it

• Cold drinks and salads as the whole meal.
• Sleeping or working in cold, damp places with the lower back uncovered.
• Raw-food diets kept up for a long time.
• Leaving the belly and feet uncovered.

Lifestyle advice

Avoid cold or raw foods and drinks. Apply local heat to the abdomen (moxibustion or hot water bottle). Eat warm, cooked foods: soups, stews with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom. Dress warmly in cold weather. Do moderate exercise to activate circulation and Yang.

When to see a doctor