Sichuan peppercorns diaries: home remedy for reflux
Dr Hao Liu's recommendation for reflux:
Swallow 8-10 whole Sichuan peppercorns 花椒 huājiāo once daily before a meal to unclog your intestines and increase peristalsis. Do not cook with the peppercorns and then eat them. Peppercorns that have been heated until the aromatics are released (i.e., like the ones that came as a garnish on your dish at a restaurant) will create Stomach Heat before passing through to your intestines.
Monday, May 12, 2025 9:57am
So I haven't tried this recommendation personally yet, but I might, even though I don't have acid reflux. Just for the experience. I'm always curious about food grade herbal home remedies that people can do on their own (with a small purchase from an Asian grocery store or Oaktown Spice Shop), and this one seems to me to be applicable to more than just reflux cases.
Reflux is actually caused by slow intestines, like when your kitchen sink is stopped up because something is clogging the pipes underneath. Swallowing huājiāo whole is a little like pouring hot vinegar and baking soda down the drain to unclog the pipes. The huājiāo passes through your stomach and warms up your intestines without acting like fiber does (which is more like applying a scrubby brush to the pipes; fiber stimulates peristalsis by mildly irritating the intestinal walls). And it's not cold in nature like other laxatives: senna 番瀉葉 fānxièyè, rhubarb 大黃 dàhuáng, or magnesium citrate, none of which are recommended for long term use.*
A lot of people know about fiber intake (psyllium husk, glucomannan, vegetables) but if you don't have the qi to support the movement of your intestines, you could find yourself more constipated than ever (the stools bulk up but just sit there), or really exhausted/sleepy after eating (because your body is borrowing energy from elsewhere to accomplish digestion). And reducing the acid in the stomach itself with antacids like omeprazole, which blocks the enzyme needed for the final step in secreting gastric acid, will actually reduce the overall power of your digestive tract. This is similar to not chewing your food thoroughly enough to allow the enzymes in your mouth to begin the process of digesting the food you ingest.
Combining this with my understanding of sleep hygiene, which says that you want the core body temp to drop a little for sleep, I think I'm going to try this home remedy at high noon, and hope that the midday energy of the sun in the middle of the sky gets pulled into the lower half of my body, which has been increasingly susceptible to cold since my baby grew into a nursing toddler and I stopped having the leisure to take better care with my diet. Assuming it works, I would expect the cold spot on my lower belly near my belly button to grow warmer over the course of the week.
I suppose a similar effect can be accomplished by applying heat directly to the lower abdomen, either via a heat lamp, heating pad, hot water bottle, hot footsoak, or (like my dad does) simply lying with the top half of one's body in the shade and the bottom half in the sunshine. I'm curious to see if swallowing Sichuan peppercorns will work without other major changes to my diet.
Friday, May 16, 2025 7:11am
Ok, so I did 5 peppercorns on Monday, and 8 per day the rest of the week. This morning I tried 10. I had multiple incomplete bowel movements Monday evening.
Tuesday morning I was energized enough to do the 20 min workout my personal trainer customized for me.
Wednesday I started taking the peppercorns in the morning instead of at noon, because I have more patients scheduled Wed-Fri currently and didn't want to forget. I was inspired to sweep my entire house and vacuum away the dust bunnies.
Thursday I learned that 花椒 huājiāo by itself does not promote bowel movements for me, especially not when I leave the house immediately after preschool dropoff for a workday with 4 patients in 4 different locations. But I did have a bowel movement in the afternoon after drinking some chia seeds (I soaked 1 tablespoon, but did not finish the entire mug before I had to go.)
Other general observations:
I'm sleeping through the night despite drinking 1 cup of caffeinated tea in the morning with breakfast starting Wednesday. This entire week I've not had to get up and sit in a chair in the middle of the night once. And I am not taking magnesium glycinate or any other herbs for sleeping. (I am on 八珍湯 bāzhēntāng, 1-2x daily. I try to take all those tonic herbs before midafternoon though.)
My belly no longer feels cold, even though if I palpate around my 帶脈 Dài Mài I can still feel that the area around my belly button (神闕 shénquè Ren8) and my love handles (京門 jīngmén GB25) are cool to the touch. In general, I feel less susceptible to cold and wind. I have less irritability. I seem kinder to myself and others inside my own head, less critical. My appetite is reduced but I have more energy. And yes, that always happens when I exercise. And yes, there are many other factors besides the Sichuan peppercorn at play--I'm taking tonifying teapills and prenatal vitamins and I had sex Wednesday morning for like the first time all year, and the weather is warmer--sure. But the motivation to do things that might be helpful was lacking before. I feel more willing. Things that felt overwhelming or challenging feel easier. I have an easier time figuring out what to eat. I haven't improved my diet, but I am eating out less because I have the energy to cook for myself.
I think I will try this for another week or so, until I start my next period, and then see if the benefits hold (and how long they last). I think I might start swallowing huājiāo after I eat cold things, like salad or ice cream, as a preventative measure.
Thursday, May 29, 2025 7:18pm
Update on the Sichuan peppercorns as a home remedy: My period ran 3 days late this cycle, spotting on days 30-32 before starting properly on Tuesday (possibly because I blanked and took two doses of Bā Zhēn Tāng, which I'd forgotten to take Sat-Mon, the three days I was spotting). Don't know if that was related to swallowing peppercorns. I paused my huājiāo & supplements during menses and gradually went back to waking up in the middle of the night, but only once and not for longer than 1-2 hours at a time.
When I was swallowing huājiāo daily I managed an unprecedented 2 weeks of sleeping through the night without fully waking, dropping right back to sleep regardless of interruptions, even if I had to pee at night.
My cuticles seem to be more dry; I don't know if it's from swallowing peppercorns or swimming. I'm willing to use No-Crack in exchange for better sleep though.
Sadly, it does not help me cheat; my body seems more aware of (and averse to) cold foods and deep fried foods when I'm on the huājiāo, almost like 'now I've got things moving properly how dare you clog me up again!' So, nix the idea of taking it with ice cream like lactaid.
I'm going to carry on with the huājiāo until it stops helping me with sleep. BUT, I should add here that this is the last thing I layered on for my insomnia this year, after many sleep hygiene changes and a series of Organic Intelligence Dreamwork appointments, and that I do not think huājiāo will work as a sleep aid on someone who wasn't hot above and cold below. I also suspect it is a stopgap to poor eating habits; I have a patient who totally revamped her diet (working with a naturopath, please do not revamp your own diet based on what you read) and she is now sleeping way better with way less pain, hooray!
Change is possible. But if you are not ready, then wait.
