Written By Jun Heo(許浚, 1539~1615), Translated by Namil Kim, Wung Seok Cha et al., Published by Ministry of Health & Welfare (Korea)
01 The Shape of the Stomach 胃形象 위의 형상
① The length from the throat to the stomach is 1 ja 6 chon. Unfolding the curved stomach, its length measures up to 2 ja 6 chon. Its circumference is 1 ja 5 chon and the diameter is 5 chon. It receives 3 mal 5 doe of food and water. Among those, food is 2 mal and water is 1 mal 5 doe.
② Weight of the stomach is 2 geun 14 nyang.
③ The stomach is the market. The note says, “The stomach is called the market because the stomach resembles the atmosphere of a market since food, water and the five tastes all go into the stomach.”
④ The stomach is called the huge storage and people call it the rice container. It can receive 3 mal and 5 doe of food and water. The normal person defecates twice a day, releasing 2.5 doe of feces at a time. After seven days, the normal person will have released 3 mal 5 doe of feces, and all food and water inside the stomach is released. Therefore, when there is no intake of food and water for seven days, the person dies because there is no more food, water, fluid, or humor left in the stomach.
02 Areas of the Stomach 胃部位 위의 부위
① The length from the throat to the stomach is 1 ja 6 chon. The stomach is located between the umbilicus and the xiphoid process. The stomach is 4 chon away from the xiphoid process and umbilicus.
② CV12 is the alarm point of the stomach. It is located in the middle of the xiphoid process and umbilicus. In the back, there are the transport points of the stomach (BL-21) below the 12th vertebra. These are the locations of the stomach.
03 Stomach Is the Sea of Food and Water 胃爲水穀之海 위는 수곡의 바다이다
① People receive qi from food and water. Food and water flow into the stomach, so the stomach is the sea of food, water, qi, and blood. The sea creates clouds and sends them out to the world. Likewise, the stomach sends qi and blood to the meridians. The meridians are the big collateral of the five viscera and six bowels.
② The stomach is the sea of the five viscera and six bowels. Food and water all enter the stomach, and the five viscera and six bowels all receive qi from the stomach. The five tastes enter where they are attracted to. Sour taste first enters the liver, bitter taste enters the heart, sweet taste enters the spleen, hot taste enters the lungs, and salty taste first enters the kidneys. When food qi and fluid and humor circulate well, nutrient, and defense become connected to each other. Remaining waste materials are moved down.
③ The stomach is the sea of food and water. The spleen is the organ for digestion. When water enters the meridian, blood is formed, and when food enters the stomach, the meridian starts to circulate. Blood should be nurtured and defense qi should be warmed. Therefore, when blood is warm and defence qi is harmonized, the person can live a healthy life for a long time.
④ When food enters the stomach, the stomach becomes full and the intestines become empty. When food moves down to the intestines, the intestines become full and the stomach becomes empty. When the stomach is full, the intestines are empty and vice versa. Therefore, qi can move upward and downward, and this enables the person to live without disease.
04 Size of the Stomach 胃腑大小 위부의 대소
The distance between the clavicle and ST25 is 8 chon. If the length is longer than 8 chon, then the stomach is large; if it is shorter than 8 chon, the stomach is small.
05 External Signs of the Stomach 胃外候 위의 외후
① The stomach is the sea of food and water. The person with big zygomatic bones, a thick neck, and broad chest has a stomach of large size.
② The spleen corresponds to flesh. So when the muscular prominence is firm and big, the stomach is thick, and when muscular prominence is thin and fine, the stomach is thin. When muscular prominence is thin and small, the stomach is not firm. When muscular prominence does not fit to the body, the stomach sags. When the stomach sags, the lower part of the
stomach is obstructed. When muscular prominence is not firm, the stomach is loose. When muscular prominence has no wrinkles, the stomach is stretched tight and when muscular prominence has many wrinkles, the stomach is bound. When the stomach is bound, the upper part of the stomach will be obstructed.
③ (Muscular prominence refers to the flesh above the knees and elbows).
06 Symptoms of Stomach Damage 胃傷證 위상증
① Overeating damages the stomach and intestines.
② Symptoms of a damaged stomach are as follow: loss of appetite, chest fullness and pain, nausea and vomiting, hiccups, belching, acid regurgitation, yellowish facial complexion, emaciation of body, drowsiness and a tendency to lie down, and frequent diarrhea.
07 Symptoms of Stomach Disease 胃病證 위병증
① When the person has a stomach illness, the abdomen swells, and the pain starts from the gastric cavity to the heart. There is also ribcage pain and obstruction of the diaphragm. The person will have an obstructing sensation in the throat and not be able to swallow food.
② Food not moving down and being congested in the diaphragm is because the pathogen is in the stomach.
③ When the stomach is cold, the collaterals of the thenar eminence of the hand becomes blue. When heat is inside the stomach, the collaterals of the thenar eminence of the hand become red.
④ Heat on the face results from disease in foot yang brightness. Dorsal pedal pulses on both feet becoming prominent results from disease in foot yang brightness. These are all where the stomach meridian passes through.
08 Deficiency and Excess of Stomach Disease 胃病虛實 위병의 허실
① When the stomach pulse is excess, the stomach swells. When it is deficient, the person experiences diarrhea.
② When original qi inside the stomach is full, the person can eat well and hardly gets hurt. Also, the person does not feel hungry even after meal time. When the stomach and spleen are both strong, the person eats well and gains weight. On the other hand, when the stomach and spleen are both deficient, the person becomes thin because he or she cannot eat properly, or gains weight from eating a small amount but will not be able to move the limbs freely.
09 Treatment Methods for Stomach Disease 胃病治法 위병 치료법
① For humankind, food and water are the basis of life. The stomach and spleen belong to soil and govern the intake of food and water. Thus, they are the basis of humankind.
② When the five tastes are bland, the spirit and qi of the person becomes fresh and clear.
③ Treatments for stomach illness are as follows. Control food intake and temperature, clear the mind, stop thinking and wait quietly. Then genuine qi will recover to the normal condition.
④ When the stomach is excessive, use Calm Stomach Powder and when the stomach is deficient, use Extraordinary Result Powder or Tonify the Center to Augment the qi Decoction. (The prescriptions are seen in the chapter on Internal Damage). When the person cannot eat food, use a Maintain Stomach and Aid Ingestion of Food Decoction.
- Calm Stomach Powder 平胃散 평위산: ① It treats various symptoms caused by disharmony in the spleen and stomach. Symptoms include loss of appetite, swelling in the pit of the stomach, nausea and vomiting, hiccups, uncomfortable stomach, belching, acid regurgitation, yellowish facial complexion, emaciation of the body, drowsiness and a tendency to lie down, and frequent diarrhea. It treats sudden turmoil, the five types of obstruction of swallowing in the throat, eight types of stuffiness, and regurgitation and dysphagia. Cut 2 don of Atractylodis Rhizoma (蒼朮), 1.4 don of Citrus Unshius Pericarpium (陳皮), 1 don of Magnoliae Cortex (厚朴), and 6 pun of Glycyrrhizae Radix (甘草) and boil in water with 3 pieces of ginger and 2 dates. Grind and take 2 don of each herb to decoct with ginger and date. ② Calm Stomach Powder (平胃散) is a prescription that consumes and spreads very powerfully. It does not actually tonify the stomach. It purges thick soil qi to make it more harmonious. Therefore, after stomach qi is harmonized, it should not be taken any more. It is not for everyday use.
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Extraordinary Result Powder 異功散 이공산: It treats loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and diarrhea due to a weak spleen and stomach. Cut 1 don of Ginseng Radix (人蔘), Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba (白朮), Poria Sclerotium (白茯苓), Citrus Unshius Pericarpium (陳皮), and Glycyrrhizae Radix (甘草), and boil in with water with 3 pieces of ginger and 2 dates.
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Maintain Stomach and Aid Ingestion of Food Decoction 養胃進食湯 양위진식탕: It treats the loss of appetite and weight, yellowish face, discomfort due to blockage of the chest, and indigestion due to a weak spleen and stomach. It also treats belching and acid regurgitation. Cut 2 don of Atractylodis Rhizoma (蒼朮), 1 don of Ginseng Radix (人蔘) and Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba (白朮), 7 pun of Citrus Unshius Pericarpium (陳皮), Magnoliae Cortex (厚朴), Poria Sclerotium (白茯苓), and Glycyrrhizae Radix (甘草) (roasted), 5 pun of Massa Medicata Fermentata (神麴) (stir-fried) and Hordei Vulgaris Fructus (麥芽) (stir-fried), and make these as 1 package. Boil with 3 pieces of ginger and 2 dates.
Alternatively, grind and mix with honey, and make into pills. Eat 2 don of this with gruel.
10 Signs of Exhaustion of Stomach Qi 胃絶候 위기가 끊어지려는 징후
① The stomach is the foot yang brightness meridian. When qi of this meridian is exhausted, the eyes and mouth will tremble and the facial complexion will become yellow. The person will also speak thoughtlessly. When pulses along the foot yang brightness meridian become strong, and the skin becomes numb, the person will die.
② When stomach qi is exhausted, the person will die in five days. How do we know this? We know this by observing the patient having spinal pain and heaviness and not able to bend or extend the lower back.
11 Simple Prescriptions 單方 단방
There are 27 kinds in total.
- Gypsum Fibrosum 石膏: It removes heat in the stomach. It only purges heat in the stomach. Grind and put 1 nyang in water and boil. Or levigate and put 2 don in water and drink.
- Puerariae Radix 葛根: It stimulates the appetite and digests food. It detoxifies alcohol poison. Boil in water and drink. Or levigate in water and collect the floating powder to mix with water.
- Ginseng Radix 人參: It tonifies stomach qi. It stimulates the appetite and digests food. Decocted or ground forms are both good.
- Amomi Fructus Rotundus 白豆蔲: It is commonly used for the cool stomach. It promotes the digestion of food and water. Grind and decoct in water or just grind and take.
- Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba 蒼朮: It strengthens the stomach. It removes dampness in the stomach. Decocted or ground forms are both good.
- Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba 白朮: It tonifies the stomach. Decoct or grind.
- Glycines Macis Semen 大豆: ① It removes the heat impediment in the stomach. ② Glycines Macis Semen (大豆黃卷) controls stomach qi. Decoct or grind and mix 2 don with water and take.
- Syzygii Flos 丁香: It treats cold in the stomach by warming it. Decoct or grind before taking.
- Amomi Fructus 縮砂: It warms the stomach and promotes the digestion of food. Decocted or ground forms are both good.
- Zingiberis Rhizoma Crudus 乾薑: It stimulates the appetite and warms the stomach. Decocted or ground forms are both good.
- Zingiberis Rhizoma Crudus 生薑: It stimulates the appetite. Decoct before taking.
- Hordei Vulgaris Fructus 大麥: It evens stomach qi and opens the stomach. Make into steamed rice or gruel with this. Both are good to take all the time. ② Hordei Vulgaris Fructus (麥芽) stimulates the appetite and promotes the digestion of food.
- Oryzae Semen 粳米: It tonifies stomach qi. Make gruel with this and take all the time.
- Panicis Semen 稷米: It helps stomach qi to circulate well. Make steamed rice or gruel with this. Both are good.
- Setariae Semen 靑梁米: It is commonly used for a stomach impediment. Make into gruel and take.
- Bovis Calculus 牛肚: ① It tonifies the stomach. Boil this for a long time before taking. ② Milk soup removes heat in the stomach. It is good to take this all the time.
- Ovis Caro 羊肉: ① It stimulates the appetite. Boil this for a long time and make soup with this. ② The stomach of sheep tonifies the stomach.
- Canitis Caro 黃狗肉: It tonifies the stomach and strengthens the stomach and intestines. Boil this for a long time and eat. Or slice and grill.
- Galli Femininus Caro 黃雌雞: It tonifies the stomach. Boil this for a long time and make into soup.
- Carassius auratus 鯽魚: It evens stomach qi and tonifies the stomach. Make into soup or eat raw.
- Mugil cephalus Linnaeus 鯔魚: It stimulates the appetite. Make into soup or eat in raw state. Both are good.
- Pseudosciaena crocea, P. Polyactis Bleeker 石首魚: It stimulates the appetite. It can be taken all the time.
- Taro 芋: It stimulates the appetite and broadens the stomach and intestines. Make into soup and take all the time.
- Citrus Unshius Pericarpium 橘皮: It stimulates the appetite. Make into tea or grind and take with water decocted with ginger.
- Zizyphi Fructus 大棗: It evens stomach qi and strengthens the stomach and intestines. It can be taken all the time.
- Dried Persimmon 乾柿: It stimulates the appetite and strengthens the stomach and intestines. It can be taken all the time.
- Allium tuberosum Rottl. ex Spreng 韭: It removes heat in the stomach. It can be taken all the time.
