Cholecystitis and Gallstones — TCM Food Therapy & Dietary Approach

Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns

In TCM, this condition is differentiated into several patterns, each with a classical herbal formula:

These formulas are for reference under TCM syndrome differentiation and should only be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner.

Food Therapy & Diet

Dietary Therapy Recipes

• Chicken gizzard lining (jineijin) and rice porridge: polished round-grained rice 100g, chicken gizzard lining 6-10g, white sugar to taste. Wash and drain the jineijin, stir-fry on low heat until yellowish-brown then grind into fine powder; cook the rice in about 800ml water on low heat until the grains open but the soup is not yet thick, add the jineijin powder and sugar and cook until thick.
• Dandelion rice porridge: fresh dandelion as needed, polished round-grained rice as needed. Wash and chop the dandelion, decoct in water for juice; rinse the rice and cook it in the dandelion juice into thin porridge.
• Corn silk stewed with clam meat: corn silk as needed, clam meat as needed. Wash and drain the corn silk, put with the clam meat in a clay pot with water and salt, stew on low heat until the clam is soft, season with a little MSG.
• Carp, adzuki bean and tangerine peel soup: 1 carp, adzuki beans as needed, tangerine peel as needed. Scale and gut the carp, wash, put with adzuki beans and tangerine peel in a pot with water and salt, cook until the beans are soft, season with MSG to taste.
• Danshen and frog soup: danshen (salvia miltiorrhiza) 30g, Chinese dates 10g, field frog 250g. Wrap the danshen in cloth, pit the dates, skin and wash the frog, stew together with water until the frog is cooked, remove the herb bag, season with salt and MSG and eat, 1 dose daily.
• Fig, wood ear and date stewed lean meat: lean pork 250g, fig 60g, Chinese dates 5 pieces, black fungus 15g. Wash and slice the pork, pit the dates, soak and wash the black fungus, put with the fig in a pot with water, bring to a boil then add scallion, ginger, pepper and salt; season with MSG when done, 1 dose daily.

Understanding the Condition

The gallbladder concentrates and stores bile. Cholecystitis is often caused by parasites or bacterial infection in the biliary tract, bile stasis, or reflux of pancreatic juice into the bile duct, and it frequently develops secondary to gallstone irritation and obstruction. Cholecystitis and gallstones often coexist and are mutually causal; the inflammatory exudate of cholecystitis can become the nidus of a gallstone. Cholecystitis is divided into acute and chronic forms. Gallstones are classified by location into common bile duct stones, intrahepatic bile duct stones, and gallbladder stones, and by composition into cholesterol stones, pigment stones, and mixed stones. The main clinical manifestation is right upper abdominal pain; in acute attacks it is colicky, often occurring at night or in the early morning after greasy food or a heavy meal, while in chronic patients the pain is dull. Patients may also have nausea, vomiting, aversion to greasy food, and belching. When the gallbladder suppurates there may be high fever and chills, and bile duct obstruction may be accompanied by jaundice. The condition generally recurs periodically.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.