Today, let's talk about an untold secret in treating spleen deficiency—replenishing fire to generate earth. Many people, when discussing spleen deficiency, think only of tonifying spleen qi. Actually, the key is to replenish fire to generate earth. So, how exactly do we replenish fire to generate earth? It mainly involves two methods: tonifying kidney yang and tonifying heart yang.

Let's first talk about why we need to tonify kidney yang. Kidney yang is of utmost importance in our body; it is the root of the body's yang qi. Think about it: if kidney yang is chronically weak, it's like the big stove at home has no firewood to burn, and the firepower is insufficient. Then, the "pot" of the spleen and stomach cannot warm up. Without sufficient warmth, spleen yang becomes deficient. When spleen yang is deficient, people tend to have no appetite, losing interest in even delicious food. After eating, they are prone to diarrhea, and their bellies become as bloated as a balloon. They also feel weak-hearted, lacking energy in everything they do, as if their tendons have been pulled out. At this point, merely tonifying spleen qi won't work. It's like only adding water to the pot without strengthening the fire; the water remains cold, and the food simply won't cook. Only by replenishing the yang qi in the kidneys and using the strong fire of kidney yang to warm the spleen and stomach can the spleen and stomach return to normal function.

People with kidney yang deficiency show very obvious symptoms. Their hands and feet are always cold, as if just taken out of the refrigerator. They often feel soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, lack strength when walking, get exhausted easily from a little work, and are particularly afraid of cold. Even in the hottest summer days, when others are wearing short sleeves and shorts, they still need to bundle up in thick clothes. At night, they often get up with diarrhea, and their stools are loose and unformed. If you have these symptoms, you can consider using Yougui Wan (Right-Restoring Pill) or Jinkui Shenqi Wan (Golden Chamber Kidney Qi Pill) for syndrome differentiation and modification to add fire to kidney yang.

Now, let’s talk about tonifying heart yang. In the theory of the five elements, the heart belongs to fire, and the spleen belongs to earth. Fire can generate earth, just like the heart is a "little sun" that provides energy to the spleen and stomach. If heart yang is weak, the "earth" of the spleen and stomach cannot receive sufficient heat, leading to deficiency-cold conditions, which is known as "fire failing to warm the earth." Many patients with chronic stomach issues actually develop the condition due to insufficient heart yang. People with heart yang deficiency often feel a sense of oppression and pain in the chest, as if a heavy stone is pressing on it. Their spirits are low, and they feel listless all day. Taking a few steps can easily cause heavy panting and sweating profusely. In severe cases, the lips may even turn bluish-purple.

For such conditions, the approach in regulation should focus on tonifying heart yang, strengthening the heart fire, while also supplementing with spleen-strengthening methods. Herbal formulas such as Baoyuan Tang (Origin-Preserving Decoction) and Zhigancao Tang (Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction) can be considered for reference, with modifications based on individual conditions through syndrome differentiation. It’s like adding firewood to the "little sun" to make it shine brightly again, then loosening and fertilizing the "earth" to restore the health of the spleen and stomach.

Friends, if you encounter spleen deficiency issues in the future, don’t just focus on tonifying spleen qi. Try this method of "adding fire to generate earth," and it might just solve the problem! Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, using different formulas for different symptoms to achieve a cure with the right medicine. If you have similar conditions, the first step is to examine the tongue. Send a photo of your tongue coating along with your symptoms, and I’ll provide a free syndrome differentiation to determine the general direction for regulation.