Hello everyone, I'm Dr. Li. Did you know? Baohe Wan, which is often kept at home, is far from just a minor player for aiding digestion! Older generations often say to take two pills when you've overeaten and feel indigestion. However, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, its uses are much broader. Today, let's talk about what other common minor ailments it can help us resolve.

The first is bad breath. If you wake up in the morning with a sticky sensation in your mouth, a particularly strong odor when you open your mouth, and stool as dry as sheep droppings, this isn't just a simple oral issue. From the TCM perspective, food that has over-fermented in the intestines—like over-fermented dough—causes odors to rise upward. Ingredients in Baohe Wan, such as Pinellia (Banxia) and aged tangerine peel (Chenpi), can help clear these over-fermented food residues. Once stomach qi flows smoothly, breath naturally becomes fresh.

Another common issue is oral ulcers. When white blisters appear in the mouth, gums become swollen and painful, and even acne flares up on the face, many people assume it's due to excessive internal heat. However, the root cause may actually lie in the gastrointestinal tract. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) suggests that when food stagnates, it can transform into heat. If undigested food accumulates in the abdomen for too long, it will generate heat, and this "heat" rises upwards to the mouth and face. This is the perfect time to use Baohe Wan (Indigestion-Resolving Pill). Ingredients like hawthorn and medicated leaven in Baohe Wan are specifically designed to clear food stagnation, effectively "cleaning up" the waste in the intestines. Once the gastrointestinal tract is clear and unobstructed, the internal heat naturally subsides.

Then there's poor gastrointestinal health. Those who suffer from it are all too familiar with the discomfort: loss of appetite, feeling bloated after just a few bites, belching, acid reflux, or experiencing either constipation for several days or frequent diarrhea. According to TCM, this is a sign of gastrointestinal disharmony and impaired spleen-stomach transformation and transportation function. It's akin to a clogged drain at home. Ingredients like poria and forsythia in Baohe Wan help restore the spleen-stomach's transformative and transport functions. When digestion improves, problems like abdominal bloating and diarrhea naturally decrease.

Lastly, there's insomnia. Many people find themselves tossing and turning at night, unable to fall asleep. Sometimes, even after eating very little, they feel bloated upon lying down. TCM holds that "a disturbed stomach leads to restless sleep." If the gastrointestinal tract is unsettled, how can the mind find peace? In such cases, taking two Baohe Wan pills before bed can help "tidy up the mess" in the intestines and stomach. Once the abdomen feels comfortable, a sound night's sleep follows naturally.

However, it's important to remind everyone that the content of this article is for informational purposes only. While Baohe Wan is practical, individual constitutions vary. For those with spleen-stomach deficiency cold (manifesting as frequently cold hands and feet), the elderly, or children, it's best to consult a professional TCM practitioner for pattern differentiation before use. Adjusting the usage according to one's constitution ensures greater safety.