Chinese New Year is a time of reunion, celebration, and abundance. Our tables are filled with festive snacks, sweet drinks, and mandarin oranges symbolising luck and prosperity. However, from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, overindulgence can easily disrupt the body’s balance, especially in children and the elderly, whose digestive systems are more sensitive.

Common Post-CNY Symptoms

• After days of visiting and feasting, many people experience:
• Heatiness: sore throat, dry mouth, mouth ulcers
• Cough with phlegm, often sticky
• Indigestion and bloating
• Constipation, particularly in kids and elders
• Crankiness or frustration, sometimes with poor sleep

In TCM, these symptoms commonly relate to:

• 食积 (Food stagnation)
• 湿热 (Damp-heat) from sweet, oily, and fried foods
• 痰火扰心 (Phlegm-heat disturbing the mind), which may affect mood and rest

Why Festive Foods Cause Imbalance

During Chinese New Year, frequent snacking on baked, fried, and sugary foods places extra strain on the Spleen and Stomach, the organs responsible for digestion in TCM. When digestion is overwhelmed, heat and phlegm accumulate, leading to the symptoms above.

Children may show this through coughing, constipation, or irritability, while elders may experience bloating, reduced appetite, or sluggish digestion.

Mandarin Oranges: Enjoy in Moderation 🍊

While mandarin oranges are festive and auspicious, they are warming and sweet in nature. Consuming them daily or in excess can contribute to heatiness, phlegm, and constipation.

Reduce fried, baked, and rich foods, particularly for kids and elders. Frequent intake of heavy meats (including steamboat with fatty broth) and rich dishes can overwork the digestive system and contribute to heatiness and phlegm — in TCM seen as internal damp-heat and stagnation, and in Western terms linked to slower metabolism and accumulation of metabolic waste that contributes to bloating and discomfort.

Support digestion proactively

A traditional herbal formula like 保和丸 (Bao He Wan) is commonly used in TCM to relieve food stagnation, ease indigestion, and help regulate the stomach after overeating.

For example: Common Chinese herbs such as hawthorn and tangerine peel in the formula help break down heavy foods and harmonize digestion.
(Always use under guidance from a qualified practitioner.)

Instead of sweetened canned drinks, serve a digestive, heat-clearing tea to guests. Traditional recipes include hawthorn, tangerine peel, and chrysanthemum, which support digestion and clear internal heat.

Consult your physician or TCM practitioner early

If you are prone to digestive issues or heatiness, consider speaking with your physician before the festive season. Your practitioner knows your body constitution best and can prescribe personalised support to help you navigate the Chinese New Year period comfortably.

A TCM Practitioner’s Note

In the clinic, I often see a similar pattern after Chinese New Year, children with cough or constipation, elders feeling bloated and fatigued, and adults experiencing irritability or poor sleep. These are usually early signals that the body is struggling with excess heat and digestive burden. Supporting digestion early and making small dietary adjustments can prevent minor imbalances from becoming larger health concerns. Celebration and good health do not need to be at odds; with mindful choices, we can honour tradition while caring for the body.

As we welcome the new year, may we also nurture balance within. We, at Real Health, wish you and your loved ones a healthy, harmonious, and prosperous Chinese New Year 🧧✨

References

• TCM Pocketguide — Bao He Wan (保和丸): overview and food stagnation symptoms
  This explains how Bao He Wan is traditionally used for indigestion and food stagnation after overeating or heavy meals.
• What Damp Heat Means in TCM & How Diet Contributes: explains how greasy, fried, sugary foods impair the spleen’s ability to process fluids, leading to damp accumulation that transforms into heat in the body.
• Association Between Digestive Symptoms & Sleep Disturbance (2019)