"Shanghuo" is likely one of the most familiar health concepts among Chinese people.
Eating a spicy hot pot, staying up late to work, or experiencing seasonal dryness can all lead to symptoms of internal heat, such as mouth and tongue sores, sore throat, swollen gums, dry stools, and dark yellow urine.
However, when too many people encounter oral ulcers, sore throat, or acne breakouts, their first reaction is to "put out the fire."
Thus, herbal tea, mung bean soup, Coptis Shangqing Pills, Sanhuang Tablets, honeysuckle granules... all kinds of heat-clearing and fire-purging remedies were deployed.
However, this method is not always correct, and often leads to misjudgment, or even going in the opposite direction, achieving the opposite effect
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the body's "fire" is divided into excess and deficiency types, much like a forest fire versus spontaneous combustion of dry wood, with different root causes and completely opposite methods of extinguishing them.
If one mistakenly treats "deficiency fire" as "excess fire" and aggressively purges it, it will only cause the body's intricate machinery to slide from "operating with water deficiency" to "energy depletion."
Next, I will explain the difference between "excess fire" and "deficiency fire" and how to deal with them
Excess fire is a real fire, it is like a pile of firewood burning too fiercely and too intensely, because the fuel in the body (yang qi) is absolutely excessive, burning violently.
Excess fire is often caused by external invasion or internal imbalance.
Eating too much spicy and greasy food, indulging in smoking and alcohol, staying up late, and having an irritable temper can all cause the body's fluids to be consumed too quickly. Moreover, the manifestations of excess fire are quite pronounced, not only appearing rapidly but also with relatively severe symptoms, such as mouth and tongue sores, sore throat, dry stools, dark urine, and a fast and strong pulse when felt.
Since excess fire is a true surplus of fire, the key to treatment lies in "draining," much like when a room is too hot, we need to open windows for ventilation or even splash some cold water. For example, one can choose to clear heat and purge fire.Coptis Upper Clearing Pills, Bezoar Detoxification Tablets, Isatis Root GranulesIt is particularly effective for treating upper jiao excess fire conditions such as mouth and tongue sores and sore throat.
False fire is a false fire, a false appearance of energy overdraft.
It is like water in a pot that is about to boil dry, the pot walls become hot, and there appears to be a heat sign, but the root cause is the lack of water, not an excess of fire.
I have observed that prolonged fatigue, recovery from a serious illness, or old age and physical weakness can lead to insufficient yin fluid in the body, much like trying to force a fire to burn with too little wood and a weak flame. It may appear as if there is fire, but in reality, it is a deficiency.
The symptoms of deficient fire tend to be more internal and restrained, such as heat in the palms and soles, night sweats, dry mouth without a strong desire to drink water, and a pulse that is both thin and rapid.
The root cause of deficiency fire lies in the insufficiency of yin fluid (lack of water), which leads to relative hyperactivity of yang (excessive fire). Therefore, the key to treatment is "tonification," that is, "adding water."
If cold and cool herbs are used to extinguish the fire at this point, it will further damage the spleen and stomach, deplete yang qi, leading to even less "water" and creating a vicious cycle. For example, selecting the "Zhibai Dihuang Pill," which nourishes yin and reduces fire, is suitable for symptoms such as tidal fever, night sweats, insomnia, and vivid dreams caused by yin deficiency with fire effulgence.
Additionally, for those with severe deficiency fire, the method of "guiding fire back to its origin" can be employed. This involves a series of approaches such as replenishing moisture, clearing pathways, and guiding the fire energy back, allowing the body to restore its own balance.
For example, a small method I often use follows this line of thinking: usingLarge dose of raw rehmannia root combined with a small amount of cinnamon barkto regulate many symptoms caused by deficiency fire.
Shengdi is like filling the bottom of a pot with water, replenishing yin fluid from the root; Rougui has a gentle nature and can guide scattered fire back to its proper place.
The combination of these two herbs, one replenishing water and the other guiding fire, is simple yet ingenious
There is a saying that nine out of ten cases of excessive internal heat are due to deficiency fire and this statement is not without reason
Especially for those who suffer from recurrent episodes, frequent insomnia, and long-term sleep deprivation, most of these conditions are caused by deficiency fire.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that when a person lies down, blood returns to the liver. Nighttime is a crucial period for the liver to nourish yin and store yang qi. Staying up late can deplete liver yin, causing yang qi to lose restraint and become hyperactive, leading to symptoms such as red, swollen, and painful eyes, headaches, dizziness, irritability, and anger. At the same time, staying up late can impair the spleen and stomach's transportation and transformation functions, resulting in the retention of water and dampness internally. When dampness stagnates, it transforms into heat, exacerbating the accumulation of pathogenic heat in the body.
When deficiency is present, tonify it; if the yin aspect within the body is replenished, it can suppress deficient fire.
In daily life, you can use some yin-nourishing and heat-clearing foods, such as mulberry leaf water, sour plum soup, beaten egg soup, lily soup, and other soups and beverages to replenish body fluids. For deficiency fire, the key to regulation is not to "clear" but to "guide" and "contain."
Qing Dynasty famous physician, also the founder of the Fuyang School Zheng Qin'an, he has a very famous idea for deficiency fire, called "subduing yang", which is to guide the floating yang qi downward, often used to treat upper symptoms such as mouth ulcers, headaches, and persistent acne; lower symptoms such as sore and cold waist and knees, cold lower abdomen, cold hands and feet, and susceptibility to diarrhea.
He founded the famous"Qian Yang Dan" [Sha Ren, Fu Zi, Gui Ban, Zhi Gan Cao]The approach to medication is quite interesting: using aconite to warm and tonify kidney yang, replenishing the fire source below; using amomum to regulate the qi movement in the middle jiao, allowing yang qi to descend smoothly; then using heavy and sinking herbs like turtle shell to pull the floating deficient fire downward; finally, using honey-fried licorice to "subdue the fire," stabilizing the medicinal properties and preventing excessive warming and tonification.
Later, he also combined the Hidden Yang Elixir with another ancient formula, the "Sealing Marrow Elixir" [Phellodendron, Amomum, Roasted Licorice], creating the "Hidden Yang Sealing Marrow Elixir." Although it seems like only one herb, Phellodendron, was added, its efficacy greatly increased!
The bitterness of Phellodendron can enter the heart, lowering heart fire, while also descending lung qi. Additionally, the yellow color of Phellodendron allows it to enter the spleen, promoting the movement of the spleen and stomach. This results in heart fire descending with lung qi, and lung qi descending with stomach qi.
Therefore, adding Phellodendron to 'Qian Yang Dan' means using the nature of Phellodendron to assist the descent of yang qi, storing it in the kidneys, thereby enhancing the effect of reducing fire and returning it to the kidneys!
