Reduce Holiday Stress with TCM

Most cultures have some sort of winter holiday. Having a winter holiday conforms to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Yin Yang theory. During winter Yang, the light and outward energy recedes, and quiet, cool, inward Yin takes the throne. There cannot be Yin without Yang. Hidden in the most Yin time of the year is a little seed of Yang. This is expressed by light and connection in festival and family gatherings.

Modern times bring an unwanted visitor to the party. Holiday Stress. Healthline, a consumer health information site, conducted a survey in 2015. Sixty-two percent of respondents described their stress level as “very or somewhat” elevated during the holidays. Only 10 percent reported no stress during the season. Opportunities to stress test our bodies, minds, and souls abound in the holiday season. Common responses to holiday stress are sadness and exhaustion. Food and drink can be the cause of digestive stress. Holiday travel brings a multitude of stressors. Stress is cumulative and can effect wellness even after the event. Give yourself a gift and treat stress when it happens. Here are some helpful herbal formulas.

Gan Mai Da Zao Tang

Ring in the holidays with some Gan Mai Da Zao Tang. This 1800-year-old formula is powerful kitchen medicine combining licorice ( Gan Cao ), wheat (Xiao Mai ), date ( Da Zao ). A clever cook could slip these ingredients into a mincemeat pie. This formula is traditionally used to treat sadness, depression, weeping, and restless sleep. Other symptoms are tight abdominal muscles, lack of mental focus and irritability. The causes are excessive worry, anxiety or overthinking. ⁽¹⁾ Gan Mai Da Zao Tang cheers and protects. Research shows Gan Mai Da Zao Tang to be a gentle and effective formula for depression.⁽²⁾ Additionally, it protects the brain from the repercussions of stress-induced depression.⁽³⁾

Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan

Burning the candle at both ends?  Already hectic schedules can get overloaded with added shopping, parties and whatnot.  Too much of everything can lead to feeling overheated and exhausted.  TCM calls this Kidney Yin Deficiency with Fire.  And this fire is not a happy festive one.  Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, irritability, night sweats, and a flushed face.  Other symptoms can be dry mouth, throat and tongue, low back pain, vertigo, tinnitus, and muscular weakness.  The formula to treat this condition is Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan.  This is Lui Wei Di Huang Wan’s super cool big sister.  Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan is Lui Wei Di Huang Wan plus two herbs, Huang Bai and Zhi Mu.  Huang Bai contains berberine, which is effective in treating anxiety and depression.  A study showed that berberine reversed “behavioral despair” in stressed rats even at very low doses (4).  A 2018 study showed good results with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  This was a rat study, but I think we can all relate.  In this study, PTSD was induced in rats by prolonged stress.  In case you are wondering how rats are given PTSD, this is how.  Six-week-old rats were allowed to adapt to a 12 hour light/dark cycle with controlled temperature and humidity.  On the seventh day, the rat were placed in plexiglass containers for 2 hours.  After this they were forced to swim for 20 minutes, dried off, and allowed to recuperate for 15 minutes.  Then they are exposed to ether gas until they lost consciousness.  This was repeated for 14 days.  For another 14 days, they are housed separately and PTSD symptoms arose.  All this sounds very much like my holiday.  For this study, the behaviors recorded were grooming and maze behavior.  A rat with PTSD will spend more time grooming, a self-comforting activity, and less time exploring than a regular rat.  Berberine treated rats spent less time grooming and more exploring.    Additionally, researchers found the changes typical in PTSD in the prefrontal cortex of the brain were marginally ameliorated in treated rats.  That along with the observed behavior changes make berberine an important ally in the treatment and prevention of PTSD. (5)  Zhi Mu is used to treat the heat, nurture Yin, and relax tension.  The literal English translation for this herb is “know about mother”.  Mother is so very Yin, Yin being the female component of the balanced duo Yin and Yang.  She brings cooling and stability where ever she goes.  Perfect for treating frenetic holiday heat and tension.  Zhi Mu has been shown to behave an antibiotic effect, inhibiting staph, salmonella, and E. Coli. (6) (1) 

Caution with weak digestion and diarrhea.

Bao He Wan

This formula was first recorded in 1481. Bao He Wan translates to “Preserve Harmony Pill”. Feel free to offer it to your guests when serving a holiday meal of quantity. In fact, they can have some before and after the meal. Bao He Wan was developed to ameliorate the effects of excessive consumption of alcohol, meat, and fat. This inhibits digestion and leads to food stagnation, causing fullness and sometimes pain in the upper abdomen. There can be acid reflux and bloating as well. TCM does not encourage excessive alcohol consumption, but when it happens Bao He Wan is here to help. Take a dose before and after the party, and be sure to have a safe ride home. Bao He Wan also treats diarrhea, gastroenteritis, motion sickness, and food poisoning. ⁽¹⁾ Similar formulas are “Curing Pills” “Quiet Digestion” both of which may be used for all of the above.

Run Chang Wan

Travel constipation is a common holiday gremlin. Bowels should move 1-3 times a day. Constipation causes toxins to build up in the colon and be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. This in turn negatively affects digestion, mood, and energy levels. Traveling to another time zone can throw off the internal clock, or circadian rhythm of the bowels. Anxiety can cause constipation, as can dehydration, and irregular meals. Long-distance travel requires much-extended sitting, and this too inhibits regular bowel movement. Run Chang Wan combines herbs to help your bowels to run smoothly no matter what the cause of constipation. ⁽¹⁾ Abdominal massage is helpful for constipation (7).  Using even pressure (not pressing hard, but you should feel your hand) massage your stomach in a clockwise circle (up on your right and down on the left). The circle should span the edge of the ribs and the top of the pelvis.  Do this for a minute or more a couple of times a day (or more!).

Serving size: For all the formulas mentioned consume according to label directions or instructions from your knowledgeable healthcare practitioner.

Holidays can bring harmony and balance to our lives, but when they don’t – bring your own.  Tempting as it is to push through and go everywhere and do everything, take a break and sink into some quietude.  At this most Yin time of the year, we have the opportunity to tune into that cool, solid, stillness, replenishing that which was used earlier in the year. 

Disclaimer: Use herbs wisely. If you have questions or special considerations, work with your practitioner. If symptoms worsen or you have concerns, contact a knowledgeable practitioner. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References

1 Bensky, Scheid, Ellis, Barolet Formulas and Strategies. Portable 2nd edition. Eastland Press Inc. 2015

2 Ji Hee Jun, Ju Ah Lee, Tae-Young Choi, Kyung-Jin Yun, Hyun-Ja Lim, Myeong Soo Lee, Herbal medicine (Gan Mai Da Zao decoction) for depression: a systematic review protocol, BJM Open 2014

3 Jian-Shu Lou, Chang-Yu Li, Xiao-Chun Yang, Jie Fang, Yuan-Xiao Yang & Jian-You Guo, Protective effect of gan mai da zao decoction in unpredictable chronic mild stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations, Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology, Vol. 48, 2010, Issue

4 Kulkarni SK, Dhir A., On the mechanism of antidepressant-like action of berberine chloride. European Journal of Pharmacology, 2008 Jul 28

5 Bombi Lee, Bongjun Sur, Mijung Yeom, Insop Shim, Hyejung Lee, and Dae-Hyun Hahm, Effect of Berberine on Depression- and Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Activation of the Noradrenergic System Induced by Development of Morphine Dependence in Rats, Korean J Physiological Pharmacology. 2012 Dec

6 Beyerl P. The Master Book of Herbalism. Custer, WA: Phoenix Publishing Co., 1996

7 Turan N, Ast TA. The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Constipation and Quality of Life. Gastroenterol Nurs. 2016;39(1):48-59.