Prone to internal heat yet afraid of cold and cold feet, six simple tips to clear heat above and warm below, specifically targeting upper heat and lower cold.
Hello everyone, I am Dr. Chen. Many people have such a contradictory constitution: they often get blisters on their lips, experience dry and bitter mouth, and suffer from acne and internal heat, yet their hands and feet are cold all year round, and their waist and abdomen feel chilly. Drinking cooling herbal tea to clear heat causes diarrhea, while consuming warming and yang-tonifying foods immediately triggers internal heat. This is a typical case of upper heat and lower cold syndrome. In fact, this is not simply a matter of excessive internal heat or yang deficiency. Instead, it is caused by the stagnation of qi in the middle jiao, the disruption of the ascent and descent of yin and yang, the floating of deficient fire upward, and the sinking of yang qi downward.
Today, I'm sharing six super simple daily tips. No need to brew medicine or take tonics. They help clear upper heat, warm lower cold, and unblock the middle burner, fundamentally regulating this contradictory constitution. First, understand the core pathogenesis: it's not excess fire or lack of yang, but the separation of yin and yang.
The key to upper heat and lower cold lies in the middle jiao spleen and stomach. Long-term staying up late, irregular diet, and consuming raw, cold, and spicy foods together can weaken the spleen and stomach and cause stagnation of qi. It is like a wall in the middle of the body, preventing the kidney yang from the lower jiao from warming the upper body, leading to cold hands and feet, cold waist and abdomen, and yang deficiency with cold stagnation. Meanwhile, the deficient fire from the upper jiao cannot descend, floating in the mouth, tongue, and face, causing heatiness.
Clearing heat harms the yang qi of the lower jiao, while warming yang exacerbates the deficient fire of the upper jiao. Only by clearing the upper and warming the lower, plus unblocking the middle jiao, can yin and yang reunite and restore the body's balance. These six clever tips all revolve around this core principle. They are simple and easy to perform, can be done anytime in daily life, and with persistence for 1-2 weeks, you will noticeably feel less internal heat and gradually warmer hands and feet.
6 Tips for Clearing Upper Heat and Warming Lower Cold to Combat Upper Heat and Lower Cold
Tip 1: Warm the Lower and Clear the Upper Tea Ginger and Ophiopogon Water, a cup to harmonize cold and heat. Method: 2 slices of peeled ginger + 6g of Ophiopogon japonicus, steep in boiling water for 10 minutes and drink as tea. Best consumed once a day after meals. Principle: Ginger is warm in nature, warming and unblocking the yang energy of the lower burner, warming the spleen and stomach, addressing issues like cold hands, feet, and abdomen. Ophiopogon japonicus is slightly cold in nature, nourishing yin and promoting fluid production, clearing deficiency fire in the upper burner, alleviating dry mouth, bitter taste, and mouth sores. The combination warms without fueling fire, clears without harming yang, perfectly harmonizing the cold and heat of the upper and lower body, while also nourishing the spleen and stomach without depleting body fluids.
Tip: Add 1 chrysanthemum petal when experiencing significant internal heat, or add 1 longan when hands and feet are severely cold, adjusting flexibly as needed.
Tip 2: Guiding Fire Back to Its Source with Foot Soak Soak feet with mugwort and ginger to direct deficient fire downward. Method: Boil 3g of mugwort and 3 slices of ginger in water for 10 minutes, then mix with warm water for foot soaking. Soak for about 15 minutes at a water temperature of around 40°C until the body feels slightly warm and the back of the feet turns red. Best done before bedtime. Principle: Mugwort warms the meridians and dispels cold, while ginger warms yang and unblocks the meridians. Foot soaking directly warms the lower jiao, allowing the deficient fire floating upward to descend with the flow of qi and blood. This is what traditional Chinese medicine calls "guiding fire back to its source." It not only addresses cold feet but also clears deficient fire from the root, doubling the effectiveness compared to simple foot soaking.
Tip: After soaking your feet, dry them and immediately massage the Yongquan point on the sole of your foot for 1 minute until you feel soreness and distension, which can enhance the effect of guiding fire back to its origin.
Tip 3: Massage 3 Acupoints to Unblock the Middle Jiao, Regulate Ascending and Descending, and Harmonize Yin and Yang Naturally. The root of upper heat and lower cold lies in the stagnation of the middle jiao. Massaging 3 key acupoints can unblock the qi mechanism of the spleen and stomach, restoring normal ascending and descending functions. This helps harmonize cold and heat without medication. Massage each point for 5 minutes daily until a sore and distended sensation is felt.
Zhongwan point 4 cun above the navel the alarm point of the spleen and stomach pressing and kneading can strengthen the spleen and stomach and unblock the middle jiao pivot it is the core point for harmonizing cold and heat. Zusanli point 3 cun below the outer knee eye the he sea point of the stomach channel strengthens the spleen and stomach raises yang and lifts prolapse allowing clear yang to ascend and deficient fire not to float. Sanyinjiao point 3 cun above the tip of the medial malleolus the intersection point of the liver spleen and kidney channels warms and nourishes the lower jiao harmonizes the three yin allowing turbid yin to descend and yang qi to consolidate.
Trick 4: Dietary Management: Eat Cooling Foods for Upper Heat and Warming Foods for Lower Cold, Avoid Mixing. People with upper heat and lower cold should avoid mixing raw, cold, and spicy foods, as this can burden the spleen and stomach. Follow the principle of clearing the upper without chilling the lower and warming the lower without fueling the fire for separate dietary adjustments.
To clear deficiency fire in the upper energizer, consume light and yin-nourishing foods such as tremella, lily bulbs, pears, and lotus roots. Prepare tremella and lily bulb soup or pear soup to relieve dry mouth and internal heat. Avoid fried foods, barbecued items, chili peppers, and other strongly heat-inducing foods. To warm yang qi in the lower energizer, consume mild and yang-warming foods such as millet, Chinese yam, pumpkin, and a small amount of lamb. Prepare millet and Chinese yam porridge or pumpkin porridge to warm the spleen and stomach and warm the lower energizer. Avoid cold drinks, sashimi, cold salads, and other raw and cold foods.
Key meals should focus on warm and spleen-nourishing ingredients. When experiencing upper body heat, consume a small amount of cooling and moistening foods. Avoid eating solely heat-clearing or warming foods to prevent clashes between cold and heat.
Tip 5 Minimalist Exercise to Regulate the Spleen and Stomach Single Arm Lift to Unblock Middle Jiao Qi Flow No need for intense exercise practice the Single Arm Lift from the Eight Section Brocade for 5 minutes daily specifically to unblock the middle jiao qi flow allowing the spleen and stomach to ascend and descend normally and yin and yang to naturally converge After practicing you will immediately feel less chest tightness and abdominal bloating and after a week you will notice a harmonious balance of cold and heat
Method Stand naturally with the left hand raised upward and the right hand pressed downward, palms facing each other, arms straightened, hold for 3 seconds, then switch to raising the right hand upward and pressing the left hand downward, repeat as needed. Perform the movements slowly and gently, coordinating with deep breathing. Principle The up-and-down motion stretches the spleen and stomach meridians, raises clear yang and lowers turbid yin, directly unblocks stagnation in the middle jiao, allowing the floating deficient fire to descend and the sunken yang qi to rise, simple and effective.
Tip 6: PreSleep Habits Warm the Abdomen and Cool the Mouth to Regulate Cold and Heat Overnight Spend 5 minutes before bed doing two small movements to warm the lower jiao and clear upper deficiency fire. Wake up with reduced internal heat and warm hands and feet. Longterm adherence yields significant results.
Warm the abdomen by rubbing the palms together to generate heat, then massage the abdomen clockwise for 3 minutes. The warmth from the palms can warm and nourish spleen yang, warm the lower jiao, and relieve cold abdomen and feet. Cool the mouth by gargling with light salt water twice without swallowing, to clear oral deficiency fire, relieve dry mouth and mouth sores, clear upper heat without damaging spleen and stomach yang qi.
Avoid These 3 Things Daily to Prevent Upper Heat and Lower Cold
Avoid drinking herbal tea alone to clear heat as most herbal teas are bitter and cold in nature which can damage the spleen and stomach yang qi making the lower jiao colder and causing recurrent heatiness
Avoid blindly taking potent yang-tonifying herbs such as deer antler and aconite as they may exacerbate deficiency fire in the upper jiao leading to more severe heat symptoms and worsening stagnation in the middle jiao
Avoid staying up late and sitting for long periods Staying up late depletes yin fluids and exacerbates deficiency fire in the upper burner while prolonged sitting leads to stagnation of qi in the middle burner making it harder for yin and yang to converge This is the root cause of heat in the upper body and cold in the lower body and must be eliminated
Doctor Chen summarizes in one sentence: frequent heatiness yet cold feet are not due to excess fire or lack of yang, but rather a blockage in the middle jiao causing separation of yin and yang. Six simple tips to clear the upper body, warm the lower body, and unblock the middle jiao—no need to brew herbs or take tonics. Just incorporate them into daily life and persist. With this, deficient fire will subside, hands and feet will warm up, and the condition of heat above and cold below will naturally improve.
