Anxiety, Zhi Zi and Dan Dou Chi

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Chinese medicine considers the body as an interconnected system – a shared environment where organs can influence each other, even if they don’t seem related at first glance. If disease-causing factors enter the body (or emerge inside of it), it can produce a wide range of symptoms that may not immediately seem related.

One such disease-causing factor is “heat” in Chinese medicine. Heat is one of several common pathogenic categories that Houston practitioners consider, and it can cause numerous symptoms, including emotional symptoms such as irritability and anxiety. There are Chinese herbs, though, that can be used to treat excess heat, including Zhi Zi and Dan Dou Chi.

How Does Heat Influence Anxiety in Patients?

Heat may enter the body due to a viral or bacterial invader, or it may arise in the body due to kidney yin depletion. Depleted yin energy may be the result of age, as kidney yin naturally declines as we get older, or it may be caused by overwork, poor diet or insufficient rest.

When heat is trapped in the body, you may feel it as excess warmth wherever it is trapped. When this occurs in the chest and influences the heart, it can result in emotional symptoms such as anxiety and irritability. From a Chinese medicine perspective, the body and mind are not compartmentalized like they are in western medicine. As they can influence each other, disruption to particular organs can cause mental symptoms to take hold.

How Can Zhi Zi and Dan Dou Chi Help with Internal Heat and its Related Symptoms?

Zhi Zi (Gardenia) and Dan Dou Chi (prepared soybean) are a popular combination for clearing excess heat from the body. Zhi Zi is a very cold herb that drains heat from the chest and filters it out through the urine. Dan Dou Chi also clears heat from the chest but does so by dispersing it using the lungs.

With their upward and downward heat-clearing effects, Zhi Zi and Dan Dou Chi are frontline options for treating anxiety, irritability, and related symptoms, like insomnia.