I've heard that diet herbal medicine can cause heart palpitations or insomnia. Why exactly do these side effects happen?
These symptoms occur because the medicine activates the sympathetic nervous system to increase your metabolic rate and accelerate energy burning. As metabolism-boosting ingredients raise your heart rate and body temperature, you may experience palpitations or difficulty sleeping. In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this is viewed as 'Sang-gi' (upward rushing of Qi) or a state where heat arises due to a deficiency of body fluids.
To put it simply, diet herbal medicine acts like a catalyst that speeds up your body's 'engine.' By increasing your basal metabolic rate, it allows your body to consume more energy even while at rest; however, this process naturally elevates the heart rate and can make your nerves more sensitive—much like the feeling you get after drinking too much caffeine.
From a TKM perspective, this is interpreted not merely as a side effect, but as a temporary imbalance in the body's homeostasis. For instance, those with a 'Bi-heo' (Spleen deficiency) constitution may struggle to utilize energy efficiently, making them more sensitive to these symptoms. Additionally, if 'Eo-hyeol' (blood stasis) or 'Dam-eum' (phlegm-fluid retention) obstructs the flow of Qi, the medicinal effects may not distribute evenly and instead surge upward, exacerbating heart palpitations.
The key is that every individual's 'engine' size and tolerance are different. A dose that provides a mild stimulus for one person may be an excessive stressor for another. This is why a detailed consultation to finely calibrate the concentration of herbal ingredients is essential. Enduring these symptoms is not the answer; if you feel uncomfortable, please let us know so we can adjust the prescription to help your body adapt comfortably.
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