Holistic Health Liver Fire in Traditional Chinese Medicine By Cathy Wong facebook twitter Cathy Wong is a nutritionist and wellness expert. Her work is regularly featured in media such as First For Women, Woman's World, and Natural Health. Learn about our editorial process Cathy Wong Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Arno Kroner, DAOM, LAc on March 24, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin Arno Kroner, DAOM, LAc, is a board-certified acupuncturist, herbalist, and integrative medicine doctor practicing in Santa Monica, California. Learn about our Medical Review Board Arno Kroner, DAOM, LAc on March 24, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With Liver Fire Liver fire blazing (gan huo shang yan) is one of the traditional liver syndromes according to Chinese medicine. The liver is associated with both wood and wind. It stores blood at rest and commands the ministerial fire. Strong emotions, especially anger, increase blood flow. Wood qi has upward momentum. If there is a constitutional yin deficiency, the liver yang can flare upwards and call for calming treatments. Hero Images/Getty Images Liver Fire Symptoms These are said to be signs and symptoms of liver fire: Red face and eyes Irritability Outbursts of anger Dizziness Ringing in the ears Dry mouth and thirst Bitter taste in the mouth Muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders A headache, especially on the sides of the head Feeling hot Blood pressure rises with stress Migraine Dark, scanty urine Insomnia Constipation Dream-disturbed sleep Bloody nose (epistaxis) Causes Difficulty in managing stress and anger appropriately is attributed as a cause of the liver fire. Alcoholism and chronic liver imbalances can also result in a heat pattern. These may be conditions that require appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment to prevent serious medical complications. Diagnosis Traditional Chinese medicine often looks at the tongue and pulse as two easily conducted diagnostic tests. The tongue is an indicator of the hot or cold nature of the imbalance and it is less affected by immediate circumstances than the pulse. Analyzing the pulse takes greater skill, training, and practice. The practitioner may take the pulse at three locations on each wrist to feel three different levels of depth. This is a summary: Tongue appearance: A red tongue that may have red sides can indicate a liver fire. The coating is yellowish and dry. However, the tongue may also be normal. Pulse: Full, wiry, rapid pulse Treatment The type of treatment you receive will depend on the type of practitioner. Acupuncture and acupressure may be recommended for liver fire, especially if you visit a practitioner who specializes in those treatments. Herbs for Liver Fire Two formulas are indicated for liver fire: Long dan xie gan tang and dang gui long hui wan. Practitioners may modify those formulas in order to adapt them to a specific patient. Pu gong yin (dandelion) clears the liver and clears the eyes. But jue ming zi (cassia seeds) has the same function and also subdues liver yang. Xia ku ciao (prunella) clears liver fire and brightens the eyes. Lu hui (aloe) also clears liver fire and is a purgative. However, it's not a central herb for liver fire. Foods Used for Liver Fire These are just some of the foods that are believed to help liver fire: Seaweed Spinach Chestnut Rye Vinegar Asparagus Egg Royal jelly Aloe leaf (dried juice concentrate) Bitter melon Burdock root Celery Dandelion greens Lemon Peppermint Spinach Tomato Water chestnut Zucchini These treatments should not be substituted for appropriately addressing medical risk factors and conditions that require medical diagnosis and treatment. Essential Oils Used for Liver Fire Oils used include: Lavandin Lemon Chamomile Valerian Living With Liver Fire Since symptoms of imbalances in alternative medicine may be linked to a number of medical conditions, it's important to consult your physician if you have any health concerns. Self-treating a health condition and avoiding or delaying standard care may have serious consequences. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Dashtdar M, Dashtdar MR, Dashtdar B, Kardi K, Shirazi MK. The concept of wind in traditional Chinese medicine. J Pharmacopuncture. 2016;19(4):293-302. doi:10.3831/KPI.2016.19.030 Luo JW, Lin CH, Zhu YB, et al. Association of tongue bacterial flora and subtypes of liver-fire hyperactivity syndrome in hypertensive patients. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018;2018:9536924. doi:10.1155/2018/9536924 Additional Reading Kaptchuk TJ. The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine. Chicago: Contemporary (McGraw-Hill) 2000 Lu, H. Chinese Natural Cures, New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, 1994.