Digestive weakness is the most common cause of muscle atrophy.  Most cases occur in the elderly and in young children, and it can be an especially devastating condition for both patients and family in cases where there is thought to be no known cause.

According to TCM, since the blood nourishes the muscles, simply combining herbs from the digestive group and the blood-nourishing group can help heal this problem.  Be sure to add strong pure tonics like dang gui root, astragalus root, Siberian ginseng root bark and ginseng root. In severe cases, I also recommend stronger pancreatic digestive enzyme pills.

In the elderly, sometimes insufficient cardiac output can cause weight loss and atrophy. In this case the patient may need help opening blocked vessels and strengthening the heart. Use arjuna bark, CoQ10, and the generate the pulse formula (ginseng root, ophiopogon root and schisandra berries).

In children that fail to thrive, Ayurvedic doctors use milk or yogurt preparations mixed with ashwagandha root and digestive herbs like ginger.