Preserve Harmony
保和丸 · bǎo hé wán
TCM's after-the-feast formula for when food just sits there and won't move.
What it's for
Built for the kind of bloated, stuck, sour-belching aftermath of eating too much or too fast. Hawthorn breaks down meat and fats, radish seed moves stuck qi downward, and the supporting herbs settle the stomach and clear lingering heaviness. Practitioners reach for it for short-term food stagnation, the kind that follows a big holiday meal more than a chronic condition.
This formula is for you if…
Food just sits there after a big meal
bloated and full, especially after meat, alcohol, or rich food
Burping that smells sour or rotten
acid coming up, the taste of yesterday's dinner
Off food, queasy, maybe loose stools
can't face eating more, sometimes diarrhea that helps
Best fit if at least 2 of these sound like you, especially linked to overeating.
You might also notice
- Belly aches that ease after passing stool
- Yellow, greasy tongue coating
Not your match if…
- You have chronic weak digestion with constant fatigue
- You feel cold and have no appetite from being run-down
- The bloating has lasted weeks or months. This is for acute relief.
What's in it
How to take it
Preserve Harmony is sold ready-made as Bao He Teapills (保和丸).
Standard dose: 8 pills, 3 times a day.
We're working on a Field Guide–recommended source for this formula. In the meantime, look for Plum Flower brand at a TCM pharmacy or specialty retailer.
Talk to a qualified TCM practitioner before taking this regularly, especially if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or take medication.
Safety
- Designed for acute food stagnation, not chronic weak digestion. If you regularly feel bloated even when you haven't overeaten, the underlying pattern is usually qi deficiency and a different formula fits better.
- Not appropriate during pregnancy. Hawthorn and radish seed can be too moving.
- Talk to a qualified TCM practitioner before using this regularly, especially if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or take medication.