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Diarrhea Diarrhea is a medical condition defined as having three or more times a day loose, frequent, liquid type bowel movements. According to the WHO, it is one of the most common illnesses worldwide. In developing countries, diarrhea often leads to death in children and elderly people. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) differentiates between many root causes of diarrhea. Here are the most common ones:
The danger of diarrhea is that the body can get dehydrated very fast. It is recommended to drink a lot of fluids. Also, the electrolyte balance is endangered. If the diarrhea is not over after 2-3 days, it is necessary to visit a doctor. In case your child suffers from diarrhea, please give him/her a sip of water or tea every 10 minutes. In general, diarrhea is not a life threatening condition. It can be cured with the help of some lifestyle and diet changes and the right herbal medication. Below please find some herbs that are often prescribed to ease the symptoms of diarrhea and to cure the illness. Please do not use these herbs without consulting a TCM practitioner! Golden Thread Rhizome or Coptis Rhizome (Huang Lian 黄连)  Coptis rhizome is a plant that is native to China. It grows to a height of 20 inches, has small white or yellow flowers and basal leaves. The root which is used for medicinal purposes is harvested in fall.Huang Lian is prescribed by diarrhea because of its tendency to re-hydrate the body and to balance the heat in the lower part of the body. Additionally, it clears damp-heat and has an anti-bacterial and anti-viral effect. It is often used to stop bleeding as well. Attention: Do not use during pregnancy! The taste is bitter; the temperature is cold. The golden thread rhizome enters the liver, heart, large intestine and stomach meridians. Our pharmacies in the clinics have Huang Lian tablets on stock! Tangerine peel or Chen Pi陳皮  Mandarins/tangerines belong to the family of citrus fruits. In comparison with oranges, tangerines are smaller, though, heavier in weight.
The tangerine grows in the Northern regions of Asia. Nowadays, it is cultivated in the U.S., and the Mediterranean areas of Europe and Northern Africa. The tangerine trees prefer mild temperatures and sufficient humidity to prosper. The peel of tangerines is used in TCM because of its beneficial functions in treating diarrhea, nausea, indigestion and allergies. Also, in herbal remedies for vomiting, hiccups, and constipation, tangerine peel is regularly used. In general it is said that Chen Pi is regulating the Qi (energy) of the body and reducing the dampness in the body. It improves the functions of the spleen and thereby stabilizes the digestion. Furthermore, tangerine peel has an antibiotic effect. Mandarins are also well-known in dishes and desserts. They have a sweet and slightly spicy taste. When eaten raw, it is best to use organic tangerine peel. Chen Pi enters the lung and spleen meridians and has a warming effect on the body. Fu Ling茯 苓 or Poria Cocos  Fu Ling is a mushroom that belongs to the polyporaceae (bracket fungus) family. It is widely spread all around the world and grows mainly in the ground around big trees, preferable pine trees. Fu Ling has a brownish superficial layer and a white inner side. The mushroom is collected between July and September. Please do not harvest it if you are not familiar with mushrooms. After collecting, it is dried in the shade, sliced and can be used as medicine.
In TCM, Fu Ling is regularly used as it improves the liver and spleen functions of the body. The main reason to use it for diarrhea, especially for diarrhea of children, is its ability to dispel dampness. The mushroom also helps to improve schizoid conditions and calms down the mind. Fu Ling is also used as complementary treatment of tumors next to chemo or radiation therapy. There it showed its function to weaken the side-effects of the therapies, to strengthen the body and to increase the weight of the patients. Fu Ling enters the heart, spleen, lung, kidney meridians. It is sweet and neutral. If you have questions about these herbs and the treatment with herbal remedies in general, please feel free to contact us. We are very happy to help! |
