Children often have a red tongue tip, a clear sign of strawberry tongue, and dry stools, indicating a state of yin deficiency and some heat in the heart and lungs. Some children may have a thick coating in the middle of the tongue, often accompanied by food stagnation.
If the tongue coating is thick, leading to dry stools and a red tongue tip, the key is to resolve food stagnation and clear heat. Previously recommended remedies such as Bao He Gao (Preserving Harmony Paste) or Jiao San Xian Pu Gong Ying Tea (焦三仙蒲公英茶) and Shan Zha Jin Yin Hua Tea (山楂金银花茶) can be consumed.
If the child does not have food stagnation and is careful with their diet but still has a red tongue tip and dry stools, it is important to tonify the spleen, nourish yin, generate fluids, and clear heat. In this case, Shan Yao Mai Dong Bai He Water (山药麦冬百合水) can be beneficial.
Shan Yao Mai Dong Bai He Water:
Ingredients:
9 grams of Huai Shan Yao (怀山药, Chinese Yam), 6 grams of Mai Dong (麦冬, Ophiopogon), 9 grams of Bai He (百合, Lily Bulb), and an appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Method:
Soak all ingredients for 30 minutes, place them in a clay pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes. Remove the solid ingredients, add some rock sugar to taste, and it is ready to drink.
This sweet water is suitable for children over two years old. Huai Shan Yao tonifies the spleen and stomach, enhancing their ability to transform food into fluids; Mai Dong nourishes yin and replenishes fluids; Bai He primarily clears heat and nourishes yin, driving away heat from the heart and lungs.
If the child’s stools are dry at first and then soft and sticky, with a greasy or slippery tongue coating, this indicates the presence of dampness in the body. Especially during the spring and summer seasons, adding 3-6 grams of Chen Pi (陈皮, Dried Tangerine Peel) can be beneficial when cooking. For children sensitive to the strong flavor of Chen Pi, it can be added in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Children with qi deficiency may also experience fluid deficiency and dry stools, as the generation of fluids relies on the propulsion and transformation by qi. Thus, TCM states, when qi is abundant, fluids are generated; when qi is deficient, fluids are depleted.
If a child is often lethargic, disinterested in activity, and easily fatigued, they may have a qi deficiency, which is often accompanied by dry stools. In this case, we can use Tai Zi Shen (太子参, Prince Ginseng) to tonify qi and generate fluids. Tai Zi Shen tonifies qi without causing heat and is gentle, making it suitable for children.
Of course, when experiencing abdominal bloating, it is not advisable to tonify qi, and during times of excess heat, supplementation should also be avoided.
When the child is in a healthy state, we can use about 6 grams of Tai Zi Shen cooked with millet to make porridge, which can tonify the spleen and stomach while also tonifying qi and generating fluids.
We can also pair Tai Zi Shen with pork ribs to make soup, providing moderate tonification of qi and fluids while nourishing yin.
Some mothers are very troubled; despite careful attention to their child’s diet, they still experience dry stools and internal heat. Apart from some children having weak spleen and stomach, others may be going to bed too late. Staying up late can deplete yin, harm fluids, and lead to excess fire, causing the child to be in a state of depletion and high heat.
Going to bed early allows the child’s body to be nourished each night; staying up late leads to daily depletion.
In spring, children need to grow taller and strengthen their constitution, staying away from excess heat. Early bedtime (by 9 PM) is essential.
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