Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Obesity from "Orchids to Eliminate Stagnant Qi" / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Obesity is a chronic， recurrent， and progressive metabolic disorder characterized by the abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat caused by multiple factors such as genetics， dietary structure， lifestyle and behavior， psychology， environment， and society， leading to an energy surplus. Obesity is a major risk factor that increases the risk of developing various chronic diseases， including type 2 diabetes， hypertension， cardiovascular diseases， stroke， and certain malignancies. The global incidence of obesity is increasing year by year. With the continuous improvement of people's living standards， more than half of adults in China are now overweight or obese， posing a serious threat to people's health and increasing the social and economic burden. It has become a pressing major public health issue that needs to be addressed urgently. The concept of obesity can be traced back to the Huangdi’s Internal Classic （Huang Di Nei Jing）， which describes it as "the problems in fat and affluent people are caused by excessive taking of rich food"， and suggests that ''frequent intake of rich and greasy foods can produce interior heat. Sweet flavor causes chest fullness. That is why its spleen-Qi flows upwards and changes into consumption-thirst disease. It can be treated by Eupatorii Herba which is used to remove stagnant Qi''. The stagnant qi is caused by the transformation failure of rich and greasy food and wine， so obesity is the disease of stagnant qi. Obesity is caused by indulging in rich and greasy food， wine， spicy and flavorful foods， raw and cold foods， and sweet and greasy foods， or overeating and leading a sedentary lifestyle， staying up late， or experiencing emotional imbalances such as excessive joy， anger， worry， pensiveness， and fear. It can also be caused by congenital abnormalities， leading to improper functioning of the spleen and stomach， dysregulation of the absorption and secretion of the small intestine， and the accumulation of stagnant Qi in the organs and muscles， resulting in a plump physique. The intake of food and drink depends on the functions of the stomach in receiving and decomposing， the small intestine in absorbing and secreting， and the spleen in transforming and transporting. The affected organs in obesity are the spleen， stomach， and small intestine. Orchids， specifically Eupatorii Herba and Lycopi Herba， are aromatic herbs that can regulate the smooth flow of Qi， eliminate stagnation， and cleanse impurities. In a broader sense， any aromatic and pungent substance that can invigorate the spleen， promote clarity， harmonize the stomach， reduce turbidity， and assist in the normal secretion and absorption functions of the small intestine， thereby eliminating excess， is referred to as orchid. Therefore， the treatment principle for obesity is to use ''orchids to eliminate stagnant Qi''， aiming to regulate the functions of the spleen， stomach， and small intestine using aromatic and pungent substances， gradually eliminating excessive dampness， phlegm， turbidity， and heat， and restore the balance of the middle energizer. This way， individuals who are obese can achieve a non-obese state.