-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
mental/emotional
insomnia
nutrition

dietary guidelines

therapeutic foods:
• increase foods that calm the Shen (Spirit), tonify the Heart, harmonize the Stomach and Spleen
• foods high in tryptophan: nuts, eggs, meat, fish, dairy
• if supplementing tryptophan: give with cofactors (Vitamins B3, B6, and C) and whole wheat toast, bananas, walnuts, pineapples that are high in serotonin
• increase foods high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B-complex
» insomnia due to Xue Xu (Blood Deficiency): chicken, duck, and other Xue (Blood)-building foods
» insomnia due to Heart and Kidney Not Communicating: oysters, celery, sesame seeds, walnuts

fresh juices:
• lettuce and celery (Shefi)
• carrot and spinach (Walker, p. 144)
• carrot and celery (Walker, p. 144)

specific remedies:
• Liver Yang Rising Insomnia: celery juice or decoct fresh celery 15 minutes and drink
• 2 oz. fresh walnuts, 2 oz. black sesame seeds, crush and mix together, make into 1/8 oz. pills. Take 3 pills three times daily (Butt and Bloomfield, p. 143)
• 3 oz. wheat kernels, 15 dried dates, 1 oz. honey. Boil them together in 1 pt. water until reduced to half. Eat and drink the results of this. (Butt and Bloomfield, p. 143)
• 3 oz. fresh oysters, 3 oz. peanuts, 2 oz. celery. Boil in 2 pt. water until reduced to half. Eat and drink half and of this twice daily. Continue for 7 to 14 days (Butt and Bloomfield,
p. 143)
• Boil 1 oz. fresh mulberries in 6 fl. oz. water until reduced to half. Drink and eat three times daily(Butt and Bloomfield, p. 143)
• insomnia caused by anemia: 10 oz. duck meat, 4 oz. pork, 1/2 oz. fresh ginger. Boil in 2 pt. water until reduced by half. Eat and drink the results. Do this 2-3x/week. (Butt and Bloomfield, p. 144)
• insomnia caused by hypertension: boil 4 oz. celery in 1 pt. water until reduced by half. Drink before bedtime. (Butt and Bloomfield, p. 144)

avoid:
• meat, alcohol, hot sauces, spicy foods, fried foods, fatty foods, rich foods, salty foods, coffee, caffeine, sweet foods and sugar


supplements

• myo-inositol 500 mg per day (Pfeiffer, 1975)
• niacinamide 1000 mg at bedtime (if can fall asleep readily but cannot return to sleep after waking)
• L-Tryptophan 1-4 g 30-45 minutes before bedtime with carbohydrates, no protein
(Fitten LJ et al, p. 294)
• Calcium 500 mg before bedtime with 250 mg mg
Avoid B-complex after 5 pm, esp. B6
• Vitamin B12 IM 1 cc/week


footnotes