Q. I experienced heart palpitations and insomnia after taking herbal diet medicine. Why do these symptoms occur?

When consulting on herbal diet medicine, these 'discomforts' are what patients worry about most. Even as a practitioner, I’ve experienced these symptoms while testing prescriptions on myself, so I truly understand that dizzying sensation. From a Western medical perspective, diet herbs stimulate the sympathetic nervous system to boost metabolism. Your body feels like it's sprinting even while sitting still, causing your heart rate to rise and body temperature to increase as fat burns—think of it as preheating an engine. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), we view this through the lens of Qi circulation and Heat. If the body is blocked by waste products like 'Phlegm-fluid' (Dam-eum) or 'Blood Stasis' (Eo-hyeol), the medicine's attempt to force circulation meets resistance. Furthermore, individuals with 'Spleen Deficiency' (Bi-heo) struggle to process the medicine’s potency into usable energy. This causes 'Heart Fire' (Sim-hwa) to flare up, leading to insomnia or a dry mouth. Ultimately, it’s not that the medicine is toxic, but rather a 'mismatch' between the prescription's strength and your body's metabolic capacity. The goal of TKM weight loss is not just using strong herbs, but accurately diagnosing your state to refine the formula for a balanced flow of energy.