Craving for food, also known as food addiction, can generally be divided into two situations. One is the craving for certain foods or beverages, such as a preference for rich and sweet foods, alcohol, or tea. The other is the craving for non-food items like soil, paper, coal, etc., which is referred to as pica.

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Malnutrition Syndrome︰The body is thin and weak, with a sallow complexion, a preference for eating dirt, tea, or salty substances, abdominal pain, diarrhea, a thin and red tongue with little moisture, and a fine, rough pulse. The main condition is spleen deficiency leading to emaciation, and the treatment should focus on strengthening the spleen and resolving malnutrition. The recommended prescription is Yihuang Powder.
2. Parasitic Accumulation︰Abdominal pain around the navel, occurring intermittently, possibly vomiting roundworms, passing worms in stool, craving raw rice, raw meat, mud, or charcoal, poor appetite, pale tongue texture, patchy tongue coating, slow or wiry pulse. This indicates abdominal pain primarily due to worm accumulation. Treatment should focus on killing worms and expelling parasites. Prescriptions include Parasite-Exterminating Pill or Mume Pill with modifications.
3. Emotional Disorder︰Feeling unhappy, depressed, alternating between crying and laughing or dysphoria manic raving, tearing clothes, craving strange objects, poor appetite (anorexia), thin or thick tongue coating, wiry pulse. This is caused by excessive mental stimulation, liver depression and discomfort, disturbance of qi movement, leading to fullness and distension in the chest and hypochondrium, dysphoria and irritability, or sudden shifts between joy and fright. In severe cases, the liver fails to store the ethereal soul, and the spirit loses its anchor, manifesting as mental derangement, uncontrolled crying and laughing, or manic raving and erratic behavior, biting clothes, or dull-mindedness, silent and unresponsive, craving raw food, paper, etc. This syndrome often has clear mental triggers and abnormal emotional expressions, making it easy to distinguish. Treatment should focus on emolliating the liver and nourishing the heart, tranquilizing the spirit and calming the mind. The recommended formula is Peripatetic Powder with added Zizyphi Spinosi Semen (sour jujube seed), Milkwort Root, and Albizziae Flos (mimosa flower).

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Jingyue Quanshu．Miscellaneous Disease Discussions: "Those who enjoy eating tea leaves or raw rice often have latent fire in the stomach, which enables them to digest these substances," and "Those who enjoy eating charcoal must have a cold and damp stomach, hence their preference for this drying and dampness-removing substance."