Have you ever experienced this: a persistent feeling of phlegm in the throat, producing a lot of sputum that won’t clear, along with chest tightness and palpitations, poor appetite, abdominal bloating after eating a little, a sticky mouth, and a white, thick tongue coating? This may actually be due to spleen deficiency causing excessive phlegm-dampness in the body.

Don’t worry. Today I’ll introduce a simple formula you can brew as a daily decoction to help regulate these problems: it’s Zhizhu Decoction.

Zhi Zhu Decoction is quite powerful; it uses only two herbs—Zhi Shi (Aurantii Fructus Immaturus) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma). Bai Zhu is a star herb for tonifying qi and strengthening the spleen; it can strengthen the spleen and tonify qi, as well as dry dampness and promote urination, like giving the spleen and stomach a bath to restore their function.

Zhi Shi, on the other hand, is an expert at breaking up qi stagnation and resolving accumulation; it can also transform phlegm and disperse the spleen, lowering the phlegm-dampness in the spleen and stomach to be expelled from the body via the stools. In this way, by unblocking and tonifying, it not only clears away phlegm-dampness but also eliminates the source of phlegm production, and it does so without injuring the spleen and stomach—truly achieving two goals with one action!

So, if you have the symptoms mentioned above, you might try this little prescription. Of course, it's best to consult a physician before taking any herbs to see if your constitution is suitable.