What Cravings Say About Your Hormones: A Chinese Medicine Approach to Sugar, Stress & Balance

Sugar at 3 p.m.? Late-night carb hunts? Cravings aren’t random. They’re signals from your body. The good news? By understanding what your cravings mean, you can support your body at the root and end the rollercoaster of cravings.

Why TCM Uses Cravings as Diagnostic Clues

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cravings aren’t about willpower, they are messages. That afternoon sugar fix or late-night chip attack points to imbalances in your body. Each flavor you crave connects to a specific organ system, and repeated cravings are your body’s way of asking for more support.

Rather than silencing cravings with quick fixes, TCM encourages you to listen, interpret, and nourish your body holistically. This insight can guide long-term improvements in digestion, metabolism, and hormone balance — all central to healthy weight management and sustained energy.

Why TCM Focuses on Sugar Cravings and the Spleen

In TCM, sugar and carb cravings are more than a habit. They often point to an imbalance in the Spleen organ system, which governs digestion. These cravings are linked to Spleen Qi Deficiency—a pattern where digestion is sluggish and the body struggles to transform food into energy. 

When the Spleen is weak, the body reaches for quick-fix energy like sugar or bread. But those choices often trigger more blood sugar crashes, hormone imbalance, and fatigue—creating a vicious cycle.

What Is Spleen Qi Deficiency?

Common signs:

• Afternoon energy dips or “crashes”
• Bloating, brain fog, or digestive issues
• Sugar cravings after meals or during stress
• Difficulty maintaining a healthy weight 
• Fatigue or feeling tired after eating

Gut-Boosting Herbs for Cravings, GLP-1 & Metabolism

TCM has long used herbs to strengthen digestion, improve gut health, and regulate appetite. Today, many of these herbs are being studied for their potential influence on GLP-1 pathways, the same appetite and metabolism signals that modern weight-loss drugs target.

Key Herbs in Elix’s Craving Support:

1. Chinese Yam (Shan Yao): Food-based herb that supports healthy digestion and helps maintain stable energy and blood sugar. Preliminary studies suggest it may influence GLP-1 secretion, aiding the feeling of fullness.
2. Cinnamon Bark (Rou Gui): Supports digestion and healthy insulin sensitivity. Clinical trials show it supports blood sugar and appetite control.
3. Codonopsis (Dang Shen): Builds Qi (aka energy) and stress resilience. An adaptogen known for improving stress-related cravings and helping modulate blood sugar response.

TCM Tip: Roast root vegetables like sweet potatoes or carrots to satisfy sweet cravings and nourish your Spleen—without the crash.

How Cravings Reflect Hormone Imbalance & Stress

When digestion is weak, it impacts every organ system—especially hormones. A weak Spleen can’t properly transform nutrients, which contributes to:

• Hormonal fluctuations
• Irregular cycles
• Cravings
• Fatigue and sluggish metabolism

That’s why Spleen Qi deficiency is often at the root of hormone imbalance, stress eating, and difficulty maintaining a healthy weight.

Other TCM Cravings Clues 

Sour Cravings → The Liver 

Sour cravings (vinegar, citrus, tangy foods) may signal Liver Qi stagnation, often tied to stress or hormonal fluctuations, especially before your period.

Herbs that support the Liver 

• Bupleurum (Chai Hu): Soothes the Liver and eases daily stress

TCM Tip: Start your day with warm lemon water to gently move Liver Qi.

Salty Cravings → The Kidneys 

Constant salty cravings can point to Kidney Deficiency, often linked to burnout or hormonal transitions hormonal transitions like perimenopause or menopause.

Herbs that support the Kidney:

• Rehmannia (Shu Di Huang): Nourishes Kidney and supports hormonal balance

TCM Tip: Protect your Kidney energy with an early bedtime (before 11 p.m.) 

Bitter Cravings → The Heart 

Reaching for coffee, dark chocolate, or bitter greens? This connects to the Heart system, which in TCM relates to circulation, emotional balance, and sleep. Bitter cravings often appear with emotional burnout or poor sleep.

Herbs that support the Heart:

• Lotus Seed (Lian Zi): Calms the mind while supporting digestion 

TCM Tip: Try heart-opening breathwork in the evening to calm the mind. 

Spicy Cravings → The Lung 

Cravings for spicy or pungent foods (garlic, radish, chili) connect to the Lung system in TCM, which governs breath, immunity, and the skin. These cravings often arise during dry autumn weather or while moving through periods of grief.

Herbs that support the Lung:

• Schisandra (Wu Wei Zi): Supports Lung Qi and stress resilience

TCM Tip: Add fresh ginger, radish, or Asian pear to your routine to counter autumn dryness.

Cravings Deserve Care, Not Control

In TCM, cravings are wisdom, not weakness. They show where your body needs attention. 

If you’re dealing with stress, emotional, or fatigue driven cravings herbal support can help you naturally nourish cravings with what your body really needs. Elix’s Craving Support formula modernizes a classic Spleen-tonifying blend with herbs that studies show may:

• Support natural GLP-1 activity
• Improve overall metabolism, including blood sugar and insulin balance
• Regulate appetite and curb cravings
• Boost energy and gut health 
• Improve the gut-brain connection 

Is Craving Support Right for You?

You may benefit if you:

• Experience frequent sugar or carb cravings or emotional eating
• Crash after meals or low energy
• Struggle with bloating, irregular cycles, or metabolism issues
• Are looking for a natural, root-cause way to support healthy weight and hormone balance 

 Shop Craving Support

Sources:

National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubMed Database. PMID: 33244311. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33244311/

National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubMed Database. PMID: 38140371. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38140371/

National Center for Biotechnology Information. PMC Database. PMC9269353. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9269353/

Royal Society of Chemistry. Food & Function Journal. DOI: 10.1039/D1FO03761G. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1039/D1FO03761G

This article was reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Fine.

Dr. Elizabeth Fine is the Dean Emeritus at Emperor’s College, the #2 ranked colleges for TCM. She has been practicing Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine for over 20 years, with a specialization in women’s reproductive health.