Astragalus Root, Cimicifuga and Silkie Chicken Soup

Why people make this soup

Gastroptosis — where the stomach drops lower than its normal position — is more common than many people realise, and it often goes undiagnosed for years. The pattern that leads to it is familiar: work stress, irregular eating, binge-and-fast cycles, and not enough rest. Common signs include a persistent feeling of fullness or pressure after meals, bloating, fatigue, irritability, and, in some cases, actual stomach pain or visible sagging of the abdomen. Traditional Chinese food therapy addresses this under the concept of “sinking qi” — the body’s upward-holding energy is insufficient, and the internal organs lose their proper tone and position. The classic remedy is to supplement and raise qi using astragalus (bei qi) paired with cimicifuga (sheng ma), a combination that appears repeatedly across classical Chinese medical texts for treating this exact pattern.

Nourilo notes that the same formula was previously featured for uterine prolapse — two very different anatomical locations, but the same underlying pattern of sinking qi. In Chinese medicine, this is described as “treating different diseases by the same method.”