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Treating People, Not Conditions Since 2001 | 646-504-2251 | 134 W. 26th St. Suite 903 NYC 10001

J A N U A R Y 3, 2 0 12

Revive Exhausted Spleen Qi with Food & Diet

This article was originally printed in The Pulse of Oriental Medicine in 2002. It was been edited and revised in 2017.

Before we discuss how to revive the Spleen with diet, it is important to

understand the causes and effects of Spleen qi vacuity dampness. One
function of the spleen is the assimilation of nutrients from food in the stomach to
form qi, blood and body fluids. Therefore the spleen main function is its governance
of transformation and transportation (referred to as T&T throughout this article) of
grain and water into essence which is distributed to other organ systems in the form
of Qi and Blood. Thus it is vital to keep the spleen healthy because it is the
source for qi and blood production for your entire body.

An important saying in Chinese medicine states,

“The spleen hates cold and the spleen hates dampness.”

So we must do what we can to keep the spleen warm and free of dampness. Spleen vacuity occurs when
the process of transformation and transportation malfunctions, thus causing dampness to gather and
stagnate instead of transforming which further weakens T&T. Then a vicious cycle begins.

Since other organ systems depend on receiving qi and blood from the spleen, they will become
weakened when a patient suffers from chronic or long term spleen qi vacuity.

Spleen qi may become vacuous due to one or a combination of the following factors:
 Over work in general and/or working at a desk all day.

Fatigue

Too much worrying, stress, anxiety

Over-thinking and obsessive thought patterns

Unhealthy dietary habits

Lack of exercise

Childbirth, child rearing

For example, students who work in addition to going to school or college, need
to find time to study and may, quite naturally, worry about exams. In other
cases, some patients have fatiguing chronic illness like cancer and fibromyalgia.
Dancers and actors worry or even obsess about their weight despite the fact that many of
them are underweight. Over weight patients worry and obsess about their weight for health
or aesthetic reasons and feel a ridiculous amount societal and self-induced pressure to lose
weight.

Many of my patients (over weight or not) are mentally obsessed with their weight and thus
are constantly over-thinking about counting calories and sticking to hard to follow diets with
Chinese Medicine & point systems, blocks, deprivation diets or set meal plans of foods they don’t even enjoy
Healthy Weight eating.
Management An
Evidence-based
Integrated And no matter who the person is that is dieting, whether skinny or overweight, many feel
Approach, by guilt instead of pleasure when indulging in a food they like but which isn’t in the meal plan.
Juliette Aiyana, This feeling of guilt fits into the worry category.
L.Ac.

Patients who do not exercise do not invigorate the Yang warming aspect of the body’s qi.
Chinese medicine asserts that too much sitting or lying down creates qi vacuity. So for those
who work at a desk all day, Spleen qi damage is imminent.

Many people damage the spleen qi by eating too many cold foods. Cold foods are literally cold from
refrigeration or frozen, like ice, are foods that are cold in nature (see the list below) and include cold beverages and salad
and last nights left over cold pizza (yeah, we’ve all been there).

Other detriments include our society’s over eating of wheat as our main source of grain, and too much
beer drinking. Both are cool and dampness producing. Not to mention our over consumption of dairy. Imagine all the
Spleen qi vacuity amongst college students between all that studying, beer and pizza!

Dietary Therapy

The treatment principle for spleen qi vacuity dampness is to fortify the spleen and disinhibit the
dampness.

Yang tonics will help to warm the spleen and to motivate the energy for the T&T cycle. They maintain
and improve our ability to generate warmth and stimulate our system.

Yang tonics include:

Basil Fenugreek Seed Rosemary

Chestnut Chive Garlic Sage

Seed Cinnamon Dried Ginger Savoy

Bark Lamb Shrimp

Clove Lobster Star Anise Thyme

Dill Seed Nutmeg Walnut

Fennel Seed Pistachio Raspberry

Qi circulation is stimulated by the sweet and pungent flavors. The spleen likes the sweet taste and
pungent flavors circulate the qi.

Qi circulating foods include:

Basil Dill Seed Radish

Caraway Garlic Star Anise

 Cardamon Jasmine Tea Tangerine Peel

Carrot Marjoram Turmeric

Cayenne Mustard Leaf

Chive Orange Peel

Clove Coriander Peppermint Tea

Cold conditions are improved by warming foods. In chronic cases, warm and sweet/pungent foods are
used to warm us steadily. In acute cases of pathogenic invasion, warm or hot foods are combined with
stronger pungent flavors to drive out the Cold.

Warming foods include:

Anchovy Garlic Quinoa

Basil Ginger Rosemary

Bay leaf Kohlrabi Scallion

Black Pepper Lamb Shrimp

Coconut Lee Spelt

Cayenne Mussel Squash

Cherry Mustard Leaf Sweet Potato

Chestnut Mutton Sweet Rice

Chicken Nutmeg Trout

Coriander Oats Turnip Vinegar

Dill Seed Onion Walnut

Fennel Seed Peach Wine

Dampness results from the body’s failure to transform fluids.

Dampness is treated by avoiding dampening foods, strengthening the body, including bitter foods and
foods which counteract Dampness.

Foods to reduce dampness include:

Aduki Bean Alfalfa Green Tea Parsley

Anchovy Horseradish Papaya

Aramanath Jasmine Tea Pumpkin

Barley Kidney Beans Radish

Buckwheat Kohlrabi Rice Bran

Celery Lemon Rye

Corn Mackerel Scallion

Cranberry Marjoram Turnip Umeboshi Plum

Daikon Mushroom (button)

Eel Mustard Leaf

Garlic Onion

Some foods will exacerbate the tendency towards Dampness and need to be reduced by people with
damp conditions. Avoid or significantly reduce consumption of these foods:

Dairy Products, especially dampening are reduced fat and low fat dairy, as well as (sheep and goat
products are less dampening)

Wheat and highly refined Gluten-free flours

Yeast

Beer

Bananas
 Sugar and sweeteners

Greasy, fried and oily foods

Iced or cooled beverages

Uncooked raw vegetables and salads, juices

Antibiotics, while not a food, are very damaging to the Spleen qi and should only be used when
absolutely necessary.

Phlegm refers to a condition of dampness where moisture is retained as Phlegm or Mucus.

Phlegm-resolving foods include:

Almond Marjoram Radish

Apple Peel Mushroom (button) Seaweed

Clam Mustard Leaf Shiitake Mushroom

Daikon Mustard Seed Shrimp

Garlic Olive Tea

Grapefruit Onion Thyme

Lemon Peel Orange Peel Walnut

Licorice Pear Watercress

Take these recommendations to your kitchen and cook some delicious meals for yourself to be well and
stay healthy.
Chinese dietary therapy is a necessary component to healing this qi disharmony. I urge my readers to
continue to take the herbs and acupuncture treatments that your practitioner recommends and incorporate
the above information about diet into your therapy.

Salute!

by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac., Herbalist, Author

Uncategorized

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