An Empirical Formula for Intractable Hiccups

The Chinese Materia Medica Dictionary (Zhongyao Da Cidian) records an empirical formula for diaphragmatic spasm (hiccups). Its composition is: Cimicifugae Rhizoma (shengma), Bupleuri Radix (chaihu), and Aurantii Fructus (zhike), equal parts, ground together into a fine powder. Take 4 g each time, washed down with warm boiled water. This formula treated 56 cases of hiccup, all of which recovered.

Hiccups are one of our most common symptoms, caused by functional disturbance of the diaphragm. In most cases they are transient and require no treatment. But some patients have long-standing, very frequent hiccups, which are generally caused by chronic digestive diseases — for example chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, reflux esophagitis, dyspepsia, or gastrointestinal tumors. In addition, anxiety can also cause hiccups.

In daily life, eating too fast, abdominal chilling, raw and cold foods, and emotionally triggering events can all increase hiccups, so avoiding them reduces frequency. But hiccups caused by chronic disease must be treated.

This formula is very simple in composition. Besides taking it as described above, one may also steep 3 g each of Cimicifuga, Bupleurum and Aurantium in boiling water as a tea for hiccups. Alternatively, the herbs may be decocted in the usual way and taken as a broth; the effect is much the same.