Q. I can't stop eating late-night snacks because of work stress. Can herbal medicine really help curb my appetite?

I remember when I was working, I used to relieve stress with spicy food or late-night snacks. It’s frustrating because it often feels like something beyond your willpower. In reality, this isn't a lack of willpower, but rather a problem with the body's internal 'signals.' In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), this condition is often viewed as 'Sim-Bi-Bul-Hwa' (心脾不和), or Disharmony between the Heart and Spleen. When these two organs lack harmony, stress translates directly into cravings. Specifically, 'Bi-Heo' (脾虛), or Spleen Deficiency, reduces nutrient absorption efficiency, leading the brain to send 'false hunger' signals. When this is coupled with the accumulation of 'Eo-Hyeol' (瘀血, blood stasis) or 'Dam-Eum' (痰飮, phlegm-fluid retention), the body feels heavy and sluggish, driving you toward more stimulating foods. Medicines that solely block appetite may work initially, but they often lead to binge eating due to a psychological rebound. Therefore, I prescribe a combination of herbs that stabilize the mind and those that enhance metabolic function. | Category | General Appetite Suppressants | Baek-Rok-Dam Personalized Herbal Medicine | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Approach | Forced appetite blockade | Restoring body balance and improving metabolism | | Psychological State | Potential for irritability and insomnia | Emotional stability and stress relief | | Mechanism | Central nervous system stimulation | Improving Spleen Deficiency and discharging waste | | Hunger | Strong suppression followed by rebound | Gradual reduction of false hunger | | Goal | Rapid weight change | Establishing sustainable eating habits | Maintaining a perfect diet is nearly impossible in a corporate environment. A realistic first step is reducing the obsession with late-night snacking. Let's figure this out together.