What are the symptoms of stagnant Qi flow, and what medications should be taken?
Symptoms of impaired qi movement include emotional depression, distending pain in the chest and hypochondrium, fullness in the epigastrium and abdomen, frequent belching, and menstrual irregularities. Commonly used medications include Chaihu Shugan San, Muxiang Shunqi Wan, Yueju Wan, Xiaoyao Wan, and Sini San. Treatment should be based on differential diagnosis to improve the flow of qi. If symptoms persist for more than one month or worsen, prompt medical consultation is recommended.
I. Symptoms of Impaired Qi Movement
1. Emotional Depression: Prolonged low mood, irritability, and quick temper, with outbursts triggered easily by minor issues. This may be accompanied by anxiety, restlessness, and reduced interest. It is primarily caused by unresolved emotions leading to stagnation of qi.
2. Distending Pain in the Chest and Hypochondrium: A sensation of distension or wandering pain in the chest and rib areas, with pain that shifts location. Symptoms may temporarily improve after belching or sighing. This is a typical manifestation of impaired qi movement.
3. Epigastric and Abdominal Fullness: A feeling of fullness and discomfort in the stomach and abdomen, worsening after meals, often accompanied by poor appetite. Palpation reveals no abdominal masses, and bloating improves after passing gas. This results from impaired qi flow in the spleen and stomach.
4. Frequent Belching: Persistent hiccups or belching, with breath that may be sour or odorless. Often associated with a sensation of a foreign body in the throat—feeling unable to spit it out or swallow it down—indicative of rebellious upward movement of qi.
5. Menstrual Irregularities: In women, this may present as delayed menstruation, scanty flow, or dysmenorrhea, with poor expulsion of menstrual blood and presence of clots. It arises from liver qi stagnation disrupting the flow of qi and blood in the Conception and Thoroughfare meridians.
II. Common Medications for Regulating Impaired Qi Movement
1. Chaihu Shugan San: Its primary functions are to soothe the liver, regulate qi, promote blood circulation, and relieve pain. It is suitable for distending pain in the chest and hypochondrium and emotional depression caused by liver qi stagnation, effectively relieving liver constraint and harmonizing qi and blood.
2. Muxiang Shunqi Wan: Focuses on promoting qi movement, resolving dampness, strengthening the spleen, and harmonizing the stomach. It is indicated for impaired qi flow in the spleen and stomach accompanied by internal dampness, improving symptoms such as epigastric and abdominal fullness, belching, and nausea.
3. Yueju Wan: Promotes qi movement and resolves depression, widens the middle jiao, and relieves fullness. It addresses the "six types of stagnation"—qi, blood, phlegm, fire, dampness, and food—and is especially suitable for those with impaired qi movement accompanied by food retention, chest tightness, and abdominal distension.
4. Xiaoyao Wan: Soothes the liver, strengthens the spleen, nourishes blood, and regulates menstruation. It is indicated for emotional depression and menstrual irregularities due to liver stagnation and spleen deficiency. By simultaneously soothing the liver and tonifying the spleen, it is ideal for individuals with deficient constitution experiencing qi stagnation.
5. Sini San: Functions to release trapped pathogens, resolve depression, and regulate the liver and spleen. It is used for conditions such as hypochondriac distension, epigastric pain, and cold extremities caused by constrained yang qi or liver-spleen disharmony, helping to alleviate discomfort due to qi blockage.
Management requires maintaining emotional well-being and avoiding emotional stress, adhering to regular sleep patterns without staying up late, eating a light and easily digestible diet while avoiding raw, cold, greasy foods, engaging in moderate exercise such as walking to promote liver qi flow, and following medical instructions strictly without self-adjusting dosage or prolonged use.
