Insomnia

Underlying causes of insomnia

• anxiety, stress, depression
• restless leg syndrome, calf cramps
• drugs (stimulants, alcohol, nicotine, beta-blockers)
• sleep apnea
• snoring partner
• acid reflux
• thyroid disorder
• menopause
• enuresis, nocturia
• pain

Are you experiencing insomnia?

Have you considered exploring Traditional Chinese Medicine?

The aim of this article is to introduce you to Traditional Chinese Medicine and how a TCM practitioner might determine an herbal formula for you.

TCM is a comprehensive medical system that examines a broad range of indications and symptoms. It does not simply address "insomnia," but instead treats the underlying pattern of which insomnia is a part.

There are several patterns, but generally, five are recognized for the condition of insomnia according to Chinese classification:

1. Heart-spleen deficiency
2. Heart-kidney dissonance
3. Heart-gallbladder deficiency
4. Sputum-fire
5. Indigestion

So, what can be done about these patterns?

If you or someone you know suffers from insomnia, begin by identifying the correct pattern. For every corresponding sign or symptom, make a note of it. Then, add up the total number of marks in each column. Score a point(s) for EACH sign/symptom.

Identify a pattern by tallying up the signs and symptoms

Heart-spleen deficiency
Add 1	Add 2	Add 3
Abdominal swelling Discharge of watery thin stools Eating very little Impotence Many dreams Nervous spirits Night sweats Shortness of breath Sleeplessness and wake up easily Withering and yellowish complexion	Fatigue Forgetfulness Nervousness Palpitations	Poor appetite
Totals

Heart-kidneys dissonance
Add 1	Add 2	Add 3
deafness dizziness face becomes red when fatigued or working hard feeling miserable light but periodic fever not unlike the tide night sweats ringing in ears sleeplessness with forgetfulness	forgetfulness nervousness palpitations seminal emission	sleeplessness due to stress or depression
Totals

 

Heart-gallbladder deficiency
Add 2	Add 3	Add 5
Feeling miserable with love of darkness and dislike of light scared by events easily	Bitter taste in the mouth	Wake up at night easily due to shock insomnia due to nervousness
Totals

 

Sputum-fire
Add 2	Add 3	Add 10
Difficult defecation or urination; hungry with no appetite	Insanity; ringing in ears and deafness	Sleeplessness due to congested chest
Totals

 

Indigestion
Add 1	Add 5
Abdominal pain abdominal pain with a desire for massage abdominal pain with an aversion to massage belching of bad breath after meals chest and diaphragm congestion and discomfort Diarrhea and constipation Hot sensations in the middle of the palms Indigestion Lack of appetite Love of hot drink, but drink very little Nausea Pain in inner part of stomach with swelling and feeling of fullness Stomachache Stools with an extremely bad smell Vomiting of clear water	Abdominal distention
Totals

 

Have you recognized a specific pattern? Each pattern entails distinct principles, formulas, and dietary recommendations to restore the body's equilibrium.

Heart-spleen deficiency:

• Principle: to tone the heart and the spleen and to secure the heart and calm the spirits
• Formula: Gui-Pi-Tang or Yang-Xin-Tang
• Foods: beef liver, chicken egg, cuttlefish, oyster, pork liver, sea cucumber, water spinach, longan nut, mandarin fish, apple cucumber, chestnut, horse bean, Job’s-tears, Irish potato, rice, royal jelly, and yam

Heart-kidney dissonance:

• Principle: to water yin and clear fire and to promote communication between the heart and the kidneys
• Formula: Huang-Lian-E-Jiao-Tang
• Foods: asparagus, abalone, chicken, egg, white fungus, bog bean, wheat, banana, bamboo shoot, bitter endive, oyster, royal jelly, and pork

Heart-gallbladder deficiency:

• Principle: to strengthen energy, overcome nervousness, and secure the spirits
• Formula: An-Shen-Ding-Zhi-Wan
• Foods: corn silk, cow’s gallbladder, air bladder of shark, water spinach, abalone, asparagus, dried ginger, and cinnamon

Sputum-fire:

• Principle: to transform sputum and harmonize the middle region
• Formula: Wen-Dan-Tang
• Foods: salt, cattail, agar, radish, bamboo shoot, crown daisy, date, fresh ginger, leaf or brown mustard, black and white pepper, white or yellow mustard seed, asparagus, and pear

Indigestion:

• Principle: to promote digestion and harmonize the middle region
• Formula: Bao-He-Wan
• Foods: asafoetida, buckwheat, castor bean, jellyfish, peach, radish, water chestnut, cardamom seed, cayenne pepper, coriander, grapefruit, jackfruit, malt, sweet basil, tea, and tomato