What are the Chinese medicines that relieve anxiety and depression

Currently, there are no specific Chinese medicines that can directly "radically cure" anxiety and depression. Most of the commonly used prescriptions are used based on syndrome differentiation of different causes such as liver stagnation, qi deficiency, and yin deficiency. The more common ones include Xiaoyao Powder, Bupleurum Shugan Powder, Ganmai Dazao Decoction, Guipi Decoction and other classic ancient prescriptions. All medicines must be used under the guidance of a regular Chinese medicine practitioner. They must not be purchased and taken by themselves, nor can they replace regular psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.

Many people have polarized opinions on the effect of traditional Chinese medicine in regulating emotions. They either think it is safer than Western medicine and can remove the root cause, or they think it is just a placebo and useless. In fact, both views are a bit extreme. When I was consulting with a teacher in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I met two patients of the same age. Both were Internet operators in their 20s. They had been depressed for two or three months in a row and couldn't concentrate. They kept their eyes open until late at night before falling asleep. One of them always sighed and sighed. My chest felt like it was stuffed with half a ball of cotton and I couldn't eat. The diagnosis was liver stagnation and qi stagnation. The teacher prescribed Bupleurum Shugan Powder. After taking it for two weeks, I came back for a follow-up visit. She said that the pressure in the chest was basically gone, and I could sleep for more than 6 hours. I could even think of watching variety shows when I was fishing. Another girl saw her sharing and went to the drugstore to buy the same type of Bupleurum Soothing Gan Powder and ate it for a week. Instead, she developed sores on her mouth and tongue. She was still very energetic at two o'clock in the morning. When she came to see a doctor, her tongue was so red that there was almost no tongue coating. Only then did she find out that she has a constitution with a deficiency of yin and a strong fire. She usually has a dry mouth and is afraid of heat. Taking warm liver-soothing medicine is just adding fuel to the fire. She changed to the Zhibai Dihuang Wan prescription that adds lily and jujube kernels and slowly recovered.

In fact, for mild to moderate anxiety and depression, especially those accompanied by physical symptoms such as gastrointestinal discomfort, irregular menstruation, and chronic headaches, the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine conditioning are quite obvious. Many evidence-based studies have also confirmed that some traditional Chinese medicine compounds can regulate the levels of serotonin, dopamine and other emotion-related neurotransmitters. When combined with western medicine, they can also reduce side effects such as drowsiness and weight gain. Some patients with mild symptoms can adjust their state with symptomatic Chinese medicine alone. But if it has reached a severe level, such as having thoughts of self-harm, being unable to eat for one or two weeks and losing five or six pounds, and being completely unable to work and socialize normally, then it is definitely not possible to rely solely on traditional Chinese medicine. You must not delay taking Western medicine and psychological treatment as prescribed by your doctor.

Speaking of which, many people are aware of the Ganmai Jujube Soup, which contains licorice, wheat, and jujube. It has very mild medicinal properties. If you are just rushing to catch up on a project or have a lot of stress in exams, and you feel aggrieved and want to cry for no reason, you don’t have any other serious discomfort. You can cook it at home. It’s okay to drink some. It’s like putting a warm towel on the nerves that have been tense for a long time. It will make you feel better. However, if you still don’t feel better after drinking it for a week, or even your mood is getting worse, don’t rely on “diet therapy” to solve the problem. It is only right to seek professional evaluation by a professional doctor quickly.

To put it bluntly, Chinese medicine regulates emotions. It is never about prescribing medicine based on the words "anxiety and depression." It is about adjusting the balance of your whole person. Just like when a flower you raise is wilting, you can't just spray water on the petals. It depends on whether it is a lack of water or fertilizer, or whether the roots are swollen due to too much sun. Once the problem on the roots is solved, the flowers will naturally branch out, and the same goes for people's emotions.