Qi Stagnation Body Constitution

Understanding Qi Stagnation Body Constitution

In a healthy person, the Qi flow is smooth and unobstructed.

Qi stagnation happens when the Qi can’t flow smoothly throughout the body, most particularly in the liver and heart meridian.

One of the most common causes for Qi stagnation is related to one’s emotion and mental state. Our world today is moving at a very fast pace and this causes a high level of stress and anxiety in people’s lives. Over time, this stress affects how Qi flows in the body and can lead to Qi stagnation.

Apart from stress, unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices such as sleeping late also contribute to Qi stagnation in the body.

The following symptoms are some of the obvious signs of a person with Qi stagnation body constitution:

  1. Get nervous or frightened easily

    If a same event were to happen to two people (one of Qi stagnation body type and the other of balanced body type), the person with Qi stagnation body type will get anxious or feel fearful more easily than the person with balanced body type.

  2. Emotionally fragile

    People with Qi stagnation body constitution are more emotionally fragile as compared to others. They are also more likely to sigh for no reason. This is because of Qi stagnation in the liver.

Common Issues With This Body Type

It is important that we learn how to bring our body (from Qi stagnation body constitution) back to a more balanced state. If left unmanaged, having Qi stagnation in the body can eventually lead to depression and other serious health issues in the long run.

The following body issues are commonly associated with the Qi stagnation body type:

  1. Heart palpitations

    One common issue that people with Qi stagnation body constitution will experience is heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat. In normal circumstances, a healthy person will not feel their own heartbeat, but a person of Qi stagnation body type can sense that their heart is beating heavily or irregularly.

  2. Chest tightness

    Another common issue they face is chest tightness. People of Qi stagnation body type will feel that their chest is blocked or stuffy. Some may feel the need to take a deep breath of air from time to time.

  3. Invisible blockage in the throat

    Some people with Qi stagnation body constitution may experience an ‘invisible blockage’ in their throat from time to time. They feel that something is in their throat, but they can’t swallow or purge it out. In Chinese terms, this is known as 梅核气 – the sensation is actually caused by Qi blockage and there is in fact no physical obstruction in the throat.

Bringing Your Body Back To Balance

You do not need to be overly worried if you have Qi stagnation body constitution (if you’re unsure of your body type, click here to take the TCM body constitution test).

By making adjustments to your eating and lifestyle habits, you can help your body to regain a state of balance and enjoy stronger immunity and better life quality!

Let’s check out what foods are suitable for your body constitution and the lifestyle changes you can make to improve your health!

Top Recommended Foods To Eat

Eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong foods (which will be covered in a later section) is the first step towards bringing your body back to a more balanced state.

Foods that can benefit people with Qi stagnation body type are those with Qi-regulating properties.

Adding these foods to your diet or increasing the intake of these foods will help to improve your body constitution and return your body to a more balanced state.

Following are the top 5 recommended foods that will benefit you if you have this body constitution (as a general rule of thumb, please consume all foods in moderation):

1. Rose (Chinese Name: 玫瑰花)

roseRose is a highly recommended food for people with Qi stagnation body constitution.

It has a strong property of harmonizing Qi flow in the liver, which helps to make you feel lighter and more relaxed.

For females, rose can also be used to relieve irregular menstruation.

A good way to enjoy the health benefits of rose is to put some dried roses in hot water and make it your daily drink!

For additional information on rose, check out our blog post here.

2. Kelp (Chinese Name: 海带)

KelpKelp is an excellent food for people of Qi stagnation body type as it has the property of regulating Qi and dispersing stagnation in the liver.

You can add Kelp to any soup or eat it as an appetizer.

Kelp is a food that is high in nutritional value and is rich in iodine, which helps to prevent thyroid-related diseases.

 

 

3. Long Yellow Daylily (Chinese Name: 黄花菜)

yellow lilyFor thousands of years, long yellow daylily has been known as ‘忘忧草’. In short, it refers to a herb that helps people to forget worry or sorrow. It is widely used for improving Qi stagnation in the older days.

Long yellow daylily can help to relieve chest discomfort and is especially suitable for people with Qi stagnation body constitution who experience chest tightness at times.

Long yellow daylily can also help to relieve insomnia.

4. Hawthorn (Chinese Name: 山楂)

HawthornHawthorn is an ideal food for people with Qi stagnation body type as it has the property of strengthening blood flow and dispersing clots.

In addition, hawthorn helps to relieve pain due to Qi stagnation.

For more information on hawthorn benefits and drink recipe, check out our blog post here!

 

5. Tangerine (Chinese Name: 橘子)

TangerineTangerine is a good fruit to eat for people with Qi stagnation issues. The reason is that tangerine has the property of relieving chest tightness due to Qi stagnation.

Some people of Qi stagnation body type may find that their appetite is affected. In this case, tangerine can also help to improve your appetite.

 

 

List of Recommended Foods

Apart from the top 5 recommended foods mentioned above, here are more food recommendations that are suitable for Qi stagnation body type.

Foods To Avoid

As mentioned earlier, avoiding the wrong foods is as important as eating the right foods in your journey towards achieving a more balanced body state.

It is best to avoid the following (or reduce intake as much as you possibly can):

  1. People with Qi stagnation body constitution should avoid spicy and oily foods as these may obstruct the Qi flow in the body.
  2. It is also advisable to avoid drinking coffee and strong teas.

Lifestyle Recommendations

Apart from making adjustments to your food choices, the following are additional advice to help you shorten the time to regain your body health:

  1. Do things that improve your mood

    Firstly, it is important to integrate activities that can brighten your mood into your lifestyle. Whether it’s listening to uplifting music, getting a good night’s sleep or watching comedy shows – do them as often as you can to lighten and boost your mood. Meeting friends and being more socially engaged will also help to relieve Qi stagnation body issues.

  2. Exercise

    Secondly, exercising regularly will also help to lift your spirits and make a positive change in your life and health. Leading an active lifestyle and most importantly, spending more time in nature will do you good.

All the above lifestyle recommendations will help to improve your quality of life. Do give it a try!


 

Thank you for visiting TCMFoodTherapy.net – we hope you find the above information helpful!

If you have any questions, feel free to post them at our Reddit page and we’ll be there to help you out 🙂

We sincerely wish you the very best of health!