Hernia — TCM Food Therapy & Dietary Approach

Food Therapy & Diet

Dietary Therapy Recipes

• Lychee Seed Congee: First decoct 30g lychee seeds and take the juice, then add 50g polished rice and cook into congee; eat freely. Warms the middle, regulates qi and relieves pain; for cold hernia pain and cold pain in the lower abdomen.
• Fennel and Fig Drink: Decoct 2 figs with 9g fennel seeds in water; take twice daily. For hernia; warms the middle and dispels cold.
• Paper-Baked Sparrows: Remove the feathers and innards of 3 raw sparrows, stuff with 9g fennel seeds, 3g pepper, 6g amomum fruit (suosharen) and 6g cinnamon bark, wrap in wet paper and bake until cooked. Take on an empty stomach with wine. For unilateral cold pain of the testicle and hernia; warms and tonifies the liver and kidney and dispels cold.
• Tangerine Seed and Fennel Powder: Stir-fry appropriate amounts of tangerine seeds and fennel seeds and grind into fine powder, mix in equal parts. Take 4-5g once daily before bed mixed with yellow rice wine. Warms and tonifies the liver and kidney and dispels cold; for small-intestine hernia and swelling pain of the testicle.
• Stuffed Pig Bladder: Wash 1 pig bladder and stuff it full with equal parts of fennel seeds, cumin, psoralea fruit (buguzhi) and Sichuan chinaberry fruit (chuanlianzi), add an appropriate amount of salt and cook until done. Eat the meat; dry the herbs over fire and grind into powder, take 2g each time washed down with wine. Tonifies the liver and kidney and dispels cold; for dragging hernia pain.
• Fennel and Milk Decoction: Decoct 9g each of fennel seeds and cumin with a little milk in water; take once daily and sweat afterward. Warms yang and dispels cold; for dragging pain of small-intestine hernia.

Understanding the Condition

Hernia refers to a condition in which the contents of a body cavity protrude outward, often accompanied by qi-pain symptoms. In TCM the occurrence of hernia is mostly related to the liver meridian; liver qi stagnation or cold stagnating in the liver meridian can both cause hernia, and there are also cases due to congenitally weak organ qi that fails to hold and contain. Treatment may favor herbs that warm and tonify the liver and kidney and dispel cold.

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.