TCM Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Pediatric Anemia
Pediatric Anemia: Strengthen Spleen and Tonify Blood
Pediatric anemia commonly occurs in children aged 6 months to 3 years, primarily due to iron deficiency. Iron and protein are the main substances for blood production. Infants are mainly fed milk after birth, so protein deficiency is rare. However, iron content in milk is very low, and some iron in food is poorly absorbed due to oxalates, carbonates, and phytic acid. This leads to iron-deficiency anemia. Newborns have iron reserves from their mothers, so anemia rarely occurs initially. These reserves are typically exhausted around 6 months, making children after 6 months prone to anemia. During this stage, infants grow rapidly—by age 1, weight triples, and blood hemoglobin carrying oxygen increases twofold, requiring more iron for hemoglobin synthesis. How to supplement iron?
Proper feeding is essential to ensure adequate iron and nutrients, and is crucial in preventing iron-deficiency anemia. “Proper” feeding means adjusting diet according to the child’s age. For infants under 6 months, introduce complementary foods to meet growth needs. Suitable options include egg yolk, lean meat paste, vegetable juice, fruit juice, vegetable puree, pork liver paste, etc., effectively preventing iron-deficiency anemia.
Children with iron-deficiency anemia often exhibit fatigue, irritability, poor appetite, bloating, diarrhea, malnutrition, and frequent colds—seriously affecting growth and development. If hemoglobin falls below 11 g/dL, it is considered anemia, requiring active treatment. TCM believes children have weak spleen-stomach function. Overeating harms the stomach; fasting harms the spleen. Without proper transformation of food essence, blood and qi cannot be generated, leading to anemia. Even with sufficient intake, poor digestive absorption can also cause anemia. Therefore, TCM advocates treating iron-deficiency anemia in children using methods to strengthen spleen, tonify qi, and nourish blood. Patent medicines include Xiao'er Jianpi Wan, Qi Pi Jiu, Jianpi Xiaoshi Wan. Herbal decoctions may use the following empirical formula:
Radix Codonopsis 10g, Poria 10g, Rhizoma Atractylodes 10g, Astragalus 10g
Angelica Sinensis 10g, Red Peony 10g, Polygonatum 10g, Raw Donkey-hide Gelatin 10g
Lablab Bean 10g, Yam 10g
Decocted and taken twice daily, 100ml each time.
Alternatively, use:
Angelica Sinensis 10g, Astragalus 10g, Hawthorn 10g, Shenqu 10g
Malt 10g, Tangerine Peel 10g, Chicken Blood Vine 10g, Safflower 5g
Chicken Gizzard 10g, Rehmannia 10g, Goji Berry 10g, Fo-ti 10g
Ginseng 10g, Rhizoma Atractylodes 10g, Yam 10g, 20 dates
Honey 50g
All herbs decocted three times, filtered, concentrated to 200ml, mixed with honey. Take three times daily, 10–20ml each time. This method is simple, easily accepted by children, and reliable in efficacy.
Besides medication, dietary therapy can also be used. Many medicinal herbs in TCM have nutritional benefits and are considered “food and medicine alike.” Use ingredients like Job’s tears, yam, dates, peanuts, lotus seeds, black sesame, red adzuki beans, longan flesh, honey to prepare nutritious meals.
1. 300g glutinous rice, 50g Job’s tears, 20 dates, 20g lotus seeds, 30g yam, 30g white lablab bean, cooked into porridge.
2. 3g black fungus, 30g red dates, boiled until soft, add a little brown sugar.
3. 25g black fungus, 100g lean meat, stewed with water, salted, eat meat and drink soup.
4. 10g longan flesh, 12g peanuts, 30g Job’s tears, 10g red dates, decocted and taken as soup.
These methods can assist in treating pediatric iron-deficiency anemia.
In daily life, when adding complementary foods, increase iron-rich and easily absorbable foods such as animal liver, lean meat, fish, egg yolks, etc. Also, include vitamin C-rich foods like oranges, tangerines, tomatoes, kiwi to enhance iron absorption. Encourage using iron cookware like iron pots and spatulas to increase iron intake.
Additionally, many childhood diseases—such as indigestion, chronic diarrhea, intestinal parasitic infections, tuberculosis—can lead to anemia. Prompt treatment of these conditions is thus a proactive measure for preventing pediatric anemia.