Dietary Therapy Based on Syndrome Differentiation for Pediatric Oral Ulcers
Stomach-Spleen Heat Accumulation Type: Oral ulcers appear as irregular yellowish-white spots of varying sizes on lips, tongue, inner cheek, gums, or soft palate, round or oval, slightly red edges, painful, making eating difficult, accompanied by irritability, thirst, red urine, dry stool. Treat with clearing heat and detoxifying. Recommended: Sugar-marinated watermelon flesh: Remove seeds from watermelon flesh, cut into strips, sun-dry until half-dry, mix with sugar, marinate, then sun-dry again, add a little more sugar.
Heart Fire Rising Type: Ulcers on tongue, red in color, painful, difficulty eating, irritability, constant crying, dry mouth wanting to drink, short red urine. Treat with clearing heart fire and draining heat. Lotus leaf and winter melon soup: Use one fresh lotus leaf, 500g fresh winter melon, boil with water, add salt for seasoning, drink soup and eat melon.
Deficient Fire Rising Type: Oral ulcers, fewer spots, pale yellow surface, faint red surrounding area, fatigue, flushed cheeks, restlessness, dry mouth, recurrent episodes. Treat with nourishing yin and lowering fire. Recommended: Rock sugar silver ear jelly: Soak 10–12g silver ear in cold water for about one hour until swollen, then add more cold water and appropriate rock sugar, steam until cooked, consume in one meal or divided meals, once daily.
In addition to dietary therapy, proper oral hygiene should be maintained, frequently offer fluids to keep oral mucosa moist, reducing opportunity for pathogenic factors to linger in the mouth.<Oral Ulcer>