Heart Palpitations — TCM Food Therapy & Dietary Approach

In TCM theory, palpitations are located in the heart and related to the spleen, kidneys, lungs, and liver.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns

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

Heart Deficiency with Timidity

Formula: Anshen Dingzhi Wan (Calm the Spirit and Settle the Will Pill) — from *Yi Xue Xin Wu*

Heart Blood Insufficiency (Deficiency of Both Heart and Spleen)

Formula: Guipi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) — from *Formulas to Aid the Living*

Deficiency of Both Qi and Yin

Formula: Zhigancao Tang (Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction) — from *Treatise on Cold Damage*

Yin Deficiency with Effulgent Fire

Formula: Tianwang Buxin Dan (Celestial Emperor's Heart-Tonifying Pill) — from *A Complete Book of Effective Prescriptions for Women*

Devitalized Heart Yang

Formula: Guizhi Gancao Longgu Muli Tang (Cinnamon Twig, Licorice, Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell Decoction) — from *Treatise on Cold Damage*

Fluid Retention Attacking the Heart

Formula: Linggui Zhugan Tang (Poria, Cinnamon Twig, Atractylodes and Licorice Decoction) — from *Synopsis of the Golden Chamber*

Heart Blood Stasis Obstruction

Formula: Xuefu Zhuyu Tang (Blood Mansion Stasis-Expelling Decoction) — from *Corrections of Errors in Medical Classics*

Phlegm-Fire Disturbing the Heart

Formula: Huanglian Wendan Tang (Coptis Gallbladder-Warming Decoction) — from *Liu Yin Tiao Bian*

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

Steamed Longan and Lily Bulb: 100 g longan, 250 g fresh lily bulbs; steam with sugar for 20 minutes.
Lotus Seed, Longan, Lily Bulb, and Schisandra Soup: 10 g lotus seeds, 15 g longan, 12 g lily bulbs, 9 g schisandra (wuweizi); drink warm before bed.
Sour Jujube Seed and Lily Bulb Congee: 100 g lily bulbs, 15 g sour jujube seed (suanzaoren), polished round-grained rice (jingmi); cook into congee.
Lily Bulb and Lotus Seed Soup: dried lily bulbs and lotus seeds simmered with rock sugar until soft.

Dietary Principles

Prefer foods that may support blood, calm the spirit, and benefit the heart and spleen: longan, Chinese dates, grapes, honey, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, black rice, milk, pig heart.
Eat small, frequent meals.
Avoid warming tonics that may consume qi and lead to qi stagnation and blood stasis: pepper, white radish, dog meat, mutton, cinnamon bark, persimmon, donkey-hide gelatin.
For heart blood deficiency, avoid spicy and dry foods; for weakened heart yang, avoid cold foods; for phlegm-fire disturbance, avoid rich and greasy foods that may aggravate fire.

Understanding the Condition

In TCM theory, palpitations are located in the heart and related to the spleen, kidneys, lungs, and liver. They reflect deficiency in the root with excess in the branch: the root is deficiency of qi, blood, yin, and yang with malnourishment of the spirit, while the branch is qi stagnation, blood stasis, turbid phlegm, and retained fluids disturbing the spirit.

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.