"Spleen deficiency" refers to the underfunctioning of the spleen, meaning the spleen system is unable to regulate and allocate appropriate amounts of water, digestive fluids, oxygen, and energy for the body's digestion and absorption processes. The result is poor digestion and absorption of food, manifesting in symptoms such as soft stools, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or abdominal pain. Over time, this leads to weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. The nutrients absorbed also stagnate and are difficult to distribute to all body cells. For example, a certain type of diabetes is due to the ↓↓ function of the pancreas, insufficient insulin secretion, leading to sugar retention outside the cells and inability to utilize it.
"Spleen dampness" is a further deterioration of "spleen deficiency," where the yang qi in "dampness," such as the sunlight and geothermal heat, is insufficient, leaving only cold moisture in the "earth." Beyond the symptoms of spleen deficiency, some "cold signs" can also be observed, such as loss of appetite, nausea, loose stools with undigested food, cold hands and feet, body swelling, edema, watery leucorrhea, etc.
Overconsumption of cold and cool-natured foods can easily lead to spleen deficiency or spleen dampness. Those already suffering from spleen deficiency or spleen dampness will worsen their condition by consuming more cold and cool foods (see "the harmful effects of cold beverages and foods"). Spleen deficiency leads to insufficient internal nutritional supply, naturally resulting in poor physical strength and immunity↓. Spleen deficiency also easily causes liver fire, which is fire caused by deficiency, the so-called "deficiency fire" (see "What is 'Excessive Internal Heat' (heatiness)?"). Liver fire↑ is the liver accelerating its operation, extracting stored nutrients to burn, trying to help you, that is, to compensate for the part of spleen deficiency, allowing your physiology to barely maintain operation; overwork and late sleep can also cause liver fire↑. Intestinal bloating is poor intestinal function and abnormal fermentation, also one of the symptoms of spleen deficiency.
Patients with spleen deficiency should eat less raw and cold foods, and can add more Fresh Ginger Rhizome when cooking. Those with concurrent liver fire↑ should eat less grilled, fried, biscuits, candies, and junk food, must sleep early (lie down by 10pm) and rise early, and avoid overwork. Patients prone to "deficiency fire" often have a deficient spleen, so foods that are too cold or too hot in nature are not suitable. Blindly taking medicine to purge fire is like drinking poison to quench thirst, only making the spleen more deficient, and the "deficiency fire" will subside and then rise again.