Aid digestion and promote bowel movement: Buzha leaf and water chestnut soup and chicken gizzard and sprouted barley soup for those with a "big belly".
"Journey to the West" is a well-known classic Chinese novel, featuring a character who is both a deity and a monster named "Zhu Bajie" (Pigsy). His image is very vivid. Besides being lustful, gluttonous, and foolish, he also has the physical characteristics of a pig's head, snout, and ears. Most notably, he possesses a belly larger than a basketball. This belly is quite amusing. In real life, of course, no one has a pig's head, ears, and snout. However, there are undoubtedly many obese people with large bellies. This type of obesity is often classified as stagnation-related obesity.
Stasis-type obesity refers to obesity accompanied by stagnation. It typically presents with a large belly. Also known as "central obesity," it means the obesity is primarily concentrated in the central part of the body. Whatever the name, in short, patients with stasis-type obesity, besides being obese, also have a noticeably large belly. While ordinary obese people may also have a belly, it is not as pronounced or distended as in those with stasis-type obesity. Furthermore, if fat is accumulated in the abdomen, it should feel soft and relaxed when pressed due to its elastic nature.
However, when you press on the abdomen of someone with stagnation-type obesity, you'll find it's very hard, bloated, and firm, lacking the relaxed, soft, and elastic feel of pure fat. This is because the abdomen isn't primarily filled with fat; rather, it's filled with a large amount of food residue between the gastrointestinal tract. Since the stomach and intestines are elastic, they can accommodate any food entering the body. As a result, the food residue accumulates, causing the abdomen to grow larger and harder. Ultimately, overeating leads to weight gain. Therefore, in addition to overall weight gain, a large belly is the most noticeable symptom of stagnation-type obesity.
When we're already full and slightly tipsy, how can we refuse a bowl of red bean soup with dried tangerine peel or stewed bird's nest with apricot juice? So we eat it anyway. Actually, a person's appetite is quite flexible. Because the stomach and intestines are elastic and can hold more food, we can eat more even after we're full. Eating too much will certainly lead to weight gain. However, the body's digestive system may not be able to keep up with the amount of food consumed.
If you accidentally overeat at one meal, eating smaller meals for the next few meals will allow your digestive system to process the extra food. However, if you consistently overeat-eating an extra bowl of sugar water one day, half a chicken the next, and seafood the day after-your digestive system will never be able to keep up with the amount of food consumed. This leads to a large accumulation of food residue in the stomach and intestines, causing them to expand and expand, resulting in a growing belly and tighter waistbands. Furthermore, people who habitually overeat find it difficult to reduce their food intake, leading to abdominal discomfort and central obesity. Their body shape gradually becomes fuller. If not addressed immediately, the belly will continue to grow and become increasingly difficult to manage.
From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), overeating falls under the category of stomach heat; poor digestion falls under the category of spleen deficiency; and food residue accumulating in the stomach and intestines falls under the category of food stagnation. To improve the situation, all three aspects should be addressed simultaneously. First, stomach heat should be cleared, and appetite reduced to prevent excessive food residue accumulation. The spleen governs transformation and transportation, meaning it has the functions of digestion, absorption, and distribution. Poor spleen function leads to undigested food stagnation in the intestines.
Stomach heat and spleen deficiency, or a strong stomach and weak spleen, are mostly constitutional and cannot be changed overnight. Moreover, with significant food stagnation, the priority should be to eliminate food stagnation and promote smooth bowel movements. "Eliminating food stagnation" and promoting smooth bowel movements does not necessarily mean taking laxatives. While laxatives can have this effect, long-term use will only damage gastrointestinal function and deplete vital energy. Therefore, laxatives can be used, but not excessively. The elimination of food stagnation and promotion of smooth bowel movements mentioned here refers to strengthening the spleen and stomach's digestive functions. This includes enhancing digestion, increasing intestinal peristalsis, and quickly clearing food residue. As food residue in the stomach and intestines gradually decreases, a large belly will shrink back to a smaller belly, and then back to a healthy belly. However, this process is not a matter of one or two days, but requires continuous and gradual progress.
Obesity due to stagnation and corresponding herbal decoction:
(1) Buzha Leaf, Water Chestnut, and Fig Soup. Serves: 4. Ingredients: 5 mace of Buzha leaves, 6 liang of water chestnuts, 5 figs, 1 pig stomach. Preparation: Simmer in 12 bowls of water for 2 hours. Benefits: Nourishes Yin and clears heat, promotes bowel movement.
During festivals and holidays, when people feel bloated and indigestion after overeating, many people use *Broussonetia papyrifera* leaves to make soup or decoction. This is because it has excellent digestive and indigestion-relieving effects. *Broussonetia papyrifera* leaves actually have many other names. It has a bland, slightly sour taste and is neutral in nature. It has the effects of clearing heat, aiding digestion, and resolving food stagnation. It is often used for colds, relieving heatstroke, indigestion, diarrhea, and undigested food.
Water chestnuts, also known as Chinese water chestnuts, have a sweet, crisp, and tender taste. They are a commonly used food in traditional Chinese medicine. They can be used in soups, decoctions, porridge, stir-fries, or as sweet soups, desserts, and pastries. Water chestnuts are known for their effects of nourishing yin and clearing heat, quenching thirst and promoting body fluid production, moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, and promoting diuresis and removing dampness. In fact, they also have the functions of relieving indigestion, promoting bowel movement, and aiding digestion. Some people like to eat water chestnuts raw because they are very refreshing. However, it is essential to peel and wash them thoroughly, as the outer skin often harbors parasites. It is best to cook them thoroughly before eating.
Figs don't actually lack flowers; their blossoms are simply too small to be seen. Figs are a common food used in traditional Chinese medicine. They can be used in soups, steeped in hot water, or eaten raw. Many people know to take figs for sore throats, coughs with phlegm, dry mouth and thirst, and dry coughs due to lung dryness. In fact, figs have many other uses. They are effective for boils, enteritis, constipation, and hemorrhoids. They also have a mild laxative effect. Studies have shown that they also have anti-cancer and cognitive-enhancing properties.
(2) Chicken Gizzard, Germinated Rice, and Malt Soup. Serves: 4. Ingredients: 5 mace of chicken gizzard, 1 tael of germinated rice, 1 tael of malt, 1 piece of lean pork, 1 mace of dried tangerine peel. Preparation: Simmer in 12 bowls of water for 2 hours. Benefits: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, relieves indigestion and promotes digestion.
Chicken gizzard lining, also known as chicken gizzard skin, is actually the keratinous layer of the chicken's gizzard. It has a sweet taste and neutral properties, and is effective in relieving indigestion and promoting bowel movement. It is commonly used for indigestion, abdominal distension, infantile malnutrition, and other digestive issues. Taking chicken gizzard lining can increase gastric juice secretion and improve digestion; it can also accelerate gastric emptying and enhance gastrointestinal motility. Therefore, one may experience intestinal rumbling or abdominal movement after taking it. Although it is not a laxative, it does promote bowel movements. Furthermore, it can be used to treat enuresis and spermatorrhea.
Germinated barley has a sweet taste and neutral properties. It has the effects of promoting digestion, harmonizing the stomach, and strengthening the spleen and stomach. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. It is often used for indigestion, abdominal distension, spleen deficiency diarrhea, loss of appetite, and other digestive issues. Because germinated barley is mild in nature, it aids digestion without harming the stomach. Therefore, it can be taken by men, women, children, and people of all ages, regardless of their constitution (whether they are prone to cold or heat).
Malt has a sweet taste and neutral properties. Its effects are similar to those of germinated rice. Both can relieve indigestion and promote digestion. Therefore, the two are often used together to enhance their efficacy. The two herbs are very similar in appearance and color, making them easily confused. To distinguish them, germinated rice has free filamentous substances attached to it, while malt does not. In addition, malt has a milk-suppressing effect and can be taken by women during weaning. Germinated rice does not have this effect.