The efficacy of water boiled with hawthorn, malt, and grain buds includes eliminating food stagnation (promoting food digestion), dredging the liver and activating blood circulation. 1. Elimination of food stagnation: Hawthorn, malt and grain buds are commonly used Chinese medicines for eliminating food stagnation (digesting stagnant food) and inducing stagnation. Hawthorn has a sour flavor and is good for strengthening the spleen and eliminating food stagnation, and is often used to eliminate stagnation of meat; malt and grain buds are good for promoting qi, strengthening the spleen, harmonizing the stomach, and eliminating flatulence, and are often used to treat stagnation of starchy foods such as rice, noodles, potatoes, and taro. 2. Sparing the liver and activating blood: Hawthorn can not only eliminate food stagnation, but also activate blood circulation and eliminate blood stasis (promoting blood circulation and eliminating blood stasis in the body), treating chest tightness and gastro-intestinal discomforts due to liver stagnation and stagnation of qi (poor qi and blood circulation in the liver and emotional depression) and blood stasis. Malt can dredge the liver and regulate qi (regulating stagnation of liver qi), return breast milk and eliminate flatulence. Hawthorn, malt and grain buds boiled in water can dredge the liver and activate blood circulation to relieve depression, for symptoms such as abdominal distention and pain and breast milk accumulation caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis (blood stagnation due to lack of qi circulation). Hawthorn should be taken with caution by those with weak spleen and stomach. The adverse reactions and contraindications of the above drugs are not known. Caution should be exercised during pregnancy and lactation. Patients who feel unwell are advised to consult a doctor and follow the doctor’s instructions for treatment.