Mouth Ulcers — TCM Food Therapy & Dietary Approach
In TCM this falls under the category of oral sores (kou chuang).
Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns
In TCM, this concern is differentiated into several patterns, each with a classical herbal formula:
Heat Accumulating in the Heart and Spleen (Heart Fire Flaming Upward)
Formula: Dao Chi San (Red-Guiding Powder) — from *Key to Therapeutics of Children's Diseases*
Heat Accumulating in the Heart and Spleen (Blazing Stomach Fire)
Formula: Qing Wei San (Clear the Stomach Powder) — from *Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach*
Yin Deficiency with Effulgent Fire
Formula: Zhibai Dihuang Wan (Anemarrhena and Phellodendron Rehmannia Pill) — from *Golden Mirror of Medicine*
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
- Rehmannia and Green Plum Drink: 15 g raw rehmannia root, 10 g dendrobium, 2 g licorice root, 30 g green plums; simmer for 20 minutes.
- Rehmannia and Lotus Plumule Soup: 9 g raw rehmannia root, 6 g lotus plumule, 6 g licorice root; simmer into a soup.
- Lotus Seed and Licorice Tea: 15 g lotus seeds, 2 g licorice root, 5 g green tea leaves; steep.
- Glutinous Rice and Lotus Seed Thick Soup: 30 g lotus seeds, 100 g glutinous rice, honey; cook into a thickened soup.
- Mung Bean Stuffed Lotus Root: 2 spoonfuls mung beans, 6 lotus root sections, honey; stuff the lotus root with mung beans and cook.
- Fresh Lotus Root and Radish Drink: fresh radish and 500 g fresh lotus root; juice and use as a mouth rinse.
Dietary Principles
- Favor light foods and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins B and C: pear, apple, tomato, kiwi, watermelon.
- Drink plenty of water, keep bowel movements regular, and get adequate sleep.
- Avoid spicy, rich, fried foods and warming meats such as beef and lamb.
- Avoid tobacco, alcohol, raw and cold foods, staying up late, and overwork.
- For yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity, avoid overly bitter-cold remedies such as Niuhuang Jiedu Pian and Huanglian Shangqing Wan.
Understanding the Condition
In TCM this falls under the category of oral sores (kou chuang). Emotional factors transforming into fire with heart fire flaring upward, improper diet with accumulated heat in the heart and spleen ascending along the meridians, and long-term illness with insufficient kidney yin allowing deficiency fire to rise were traditionally associated with mouth ulcers. Clinically it is divided into two main patterns: accumulated heat in the heart and spleen, and yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity.
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.