Among many causes of insomnia, phlegm and blood stasis is a common one. People with phlegm and blood stasis insomnia usually have symptoms such as difficulty in falling asleep, easy to wake up, difficulty in falling asleep after waking up, dreaminess, dizziness, body pain, abdominal distension, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, indigestion, pale tongue with ecchymosis, thick and greasy tongue coating and so on. In addition, the existence of phlegm and blood stasis is often an important reason for recurrent insomnia, leading to chronic insomnia.
So, how does phlegm and blood stasis produce and lead to insomnia? How to effectively regulate this kind of insomnia and improve sleep from the root?
In fact, the term "phlegm" in Chinese medicine not only refers to the "tangible phlegm" that we can cough up in our daily life, but also includes the pathological products with fishy and sticky characteristics produced by the disorder of water and liquid metabolism in the body. This kind of phlegm is invisible to our naked eyes, but it really affects our health. This is called invisible phlegm. For example, in real life, many people will have puffiness, muscle weakness and edema, which is actually caused by invisible phlegm.
However, long-term emotional exhaustion, uncontrolled diet, fatigue or chronic illness, loss of viscera function, abnormal water-liquid metabolism and other effects will lead to water stagnation and phlegm accumulation; Phlegm and blood stasis are intertwined, the vein is blocked, the blood circulation is not smooth, and blood stasis is formed.
Among them, there are three main sources of phlegm:
One is spleen deficiency leading to phlegm turbidity. Our spleen is mainly responsible for the transportation of water and liquid in the body. Spleen is like a courier company. Because of express delivery, we can buy things all over the country without leaving home. The spleen plays a similar role in the body. It can transport excess water to the lungs for gasification, and then to the kidneys for excretion.
Therefore, spleen deficiency leads to stagnation of body fluid transport. Over time, stagnant liquid will turn into phlegm, just like the garbage data in mobile phones and computers, which will make our bodies dull and silted up, causing a series of problems.
Second, qi stagnation leads to phlegm. Our liver governs the discharge of qi and has the function of regulating qi in the body. If we are often depressed, anxious or in a state of great mental stress for a long time, the release function of the liver will also be affected, leading to stagnation of liver qi, which will also affect the transport function of the spleen, thus producing phlegm and dampness. Phlegm produced by qi stagnation develops for a long time, and it is most likely to manifest as lipoma and cyst in the body, which is particularly worthy of vigilance.
Third, blood stasis can also lead to phlegm. "Blood Syndrome and Pulse on Life and Death" also said: "The carrier of qi is also blood, and the carrier of blood is also qi." Traditional Chinese medicine believes that qi and blood interact, and qi deficiency leads to poor blood circulation and blood stasis; Blood deficiency leads to dry pulse, unfavorable blood circulation, and long-term accumulation leads to blood stasis. However, phlegm and blood stasis are two evils with different forms and the same harm, which can be transformed and bound together.
So, how do they cause insomnia?
Le Qisheng's TCM team pointed out that the basic pathogenesis of insomnia is disharmony between Yin and Yang, disharmony between camp and health, and its pathogenesis is closely related to phlegm and blood stasis blocking qi movement and disharmony between Yin and Yang leading to insomnia. Phlegm and blood stasis will consume qi and blood and yin and yang for a long time; Insufficient yin and blood, yin failing to converge yang, can also induce insomnia; If the yang is weak and floats out, then God will not be at peace and sleep abnormally.
This process is like a war to attack the city. The army of the castle is the mind that guards sleep, and phlegm and mud are equivalent to foreign enemies. Foreign enemies keep attacking, and the troops of the castle resist stubbornly, so the residents in the castle will naturally be unable to sleep or sleep uneasily.
In view of chronic insomnia, in fact, many people have tried Chinese patent medicines such as Xuefu Zhuyu Capsule and Chen Er Pill to remove blood stasis or phlegm and dampness, but insomnia still recurs and it is difficult to get a radical cure. What's going on here?
In fact, this is because the treatment should not only focus on resolving phlegm or removing blood stasis, but also pay attention to the spleen and stomach. As recorded in "Danxi Heart Therapy", "Treating phlegm and consolidating the foundation, transporting the spleen and consolidating the soil, and transporting the spleen to dry the dampness are the basis of treatment."
On the other hand, it is also insomnia caused by phlegm and blood stasis, but different people will use different drugs because of their inducing factors, age, symptoms and course of disease. Moreover, the disease is not caused by a single factor, but is often the result of multiple factors. Therefore, Chinese medicine also emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, and pays attention to the overall dialectical conditioning, such as spleen deficiency. While regulating the spleen and stomach, the liver and other viscera are often regulated at the same time, so as to treat both the symptoms and root causes.
For example, I would like to share with you an insomnia case with Erchen Decoction and Danshen Decoction.
Mr. Zhou, 40 years old, complained of "insomnia 1 year or more, and it has worsened recently 1 week"; Self-report 1 years ago, due to depression, it was difficult to fall asleep, easy to wake up, difficult to fall asleep after waking up, and fond of dreaming. Since then, insomnia has been repeated. Recently, due to overwork, insomnia symptoms are aggravated, and I can only sleep for 3-4 hours every night, accompanied by dizziness, abdominal distension, nausea and anorexia, dry stool and dark yellow complexion. The tongue picture shows that the tongue is dull, with ecchymosis and thick and greasy fur. Body fat.
According to Mr. Zhou's condition, TCM syndrome differentiation is insomnia with phlegm and blood stasis. Therefore, the treatment is to strengthen the spleen and eliminate phlegm, promote blood circulation and soothe the nerves.
Prescription: Pericarpium Citri Tangerinae, Rhizoma Pinelliae, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Lignum Santali Albi, Fructus Amomi, Poria, Semen Ziziphi Spinosae and Glycyrrhrizae Radix tablets. 7 doses, daily 1 dose, after breakfast and dinner 1 hour.
The second diagnosis: Mr. Zhou reported that the symptoms of insomnia were obviously improved, and he could sleep for about 6 hours, and he was not easy to wake up at night. He occasionally had many dreams, dizziness and body pain were better than before, abdominal distension, nausea and anorexia, dry stool and a slightly dark complexion. The tongue picture shows that the tongue is red, the ecchymosis disappears, and the tongue coating is thin and white, slightly greasy. Radix Aucklandiae, Rhizoma Dioscoreae, and Radix Angelicae Sinensis are added, with a total of 7 doses.
Diagnosis 3: Insomnia symptoms are basically controlled. You can sleep for 7-8 hours every night, dizziness and physical pain are obviously relieved, abdominal distension, nausea and anorexia are obviously improved, stool is basically normal and the effect is not good. I was told to continue taking 7 doses to consolidate the curative effect.
It can also be seen from this case that the prescription selection is not limited to one prescription, but is flexibly adjusted according to Mr. Zhou's insomnia. Pinellia ternata was used for initial diagnosis to eliminate dampness and phlegm, regulate stomach and reduce adverse flow; Pericarpium Citri Tangerinae has the functions of regulating qi, resolving stagnation, eliminating dampness and resolving phlegm, both of which are monarch drugs. Salvia miltiorrhiza promotes blood circulation and removes blood stasis, sandalwood Amomum villosum warms the middle warmer, promotes qi circulation and relieves pain, and * * * is the minister medicine. Poria cocos strengthens the spleen and permeates dampness, which helps to resolve phlegm, strengthen the spleen and produce phlegm; Ziziphus jujuba seed calms the heart and calms the nerves, converges the mind, nourishes the painstaking efforts, and calms the nerves. * * * is an auxiliary medicine. Gancao tablets strengthen the spleen and nourish the heart, and reconcile various drugs to become medicine. The compatibility of various drugs has the effects of invigorating spleen, resolving phlegm, promoting blood circulation and calming the nerves. In the second diagnosis, according to Mr. Zhou's improvement, the prescription was adjusted, and Radix Aucklandiae, Rhizoma Dioscoreae and Radix Angelicae Sinensis were added to regulate qi and relieve bloating, strengthen spleen and stomach, nourish blood and moisten intestines. At the third diagnosis, spleen deficiency was healthy, qi and blood were active, qi and blood were nourished, and the mentality was peaceful. All symptoms were basically eliminated.
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