What foods can quickly reduce excessive internal heat (fire) when you're experiencing heatiness?

Generally speaking, there is no specific food that can rapidly relieve excessive internal heat (commonly known as "fire"). However, foods such as bitter melon, cucumber, celery, pear, and mung beans can help alleviate symptoms of excessive internal heat. Additionally, medications such as Niuhuang Jiedu Pian (Calculus Bovis Detoxifying Tablets), Huanglian Shangqing Pills, Shuanghuanglian Oral Liquid, Sanhuang Pian, and Yangyin Qingfei Pills can be taken under a doctor's guidance to relieve excessive internal heat. The details are as follows:

I. Foods

1. Bitter Melon

Bitter melon has a bitter taste and cold nature, and it functions to clear heat and detoxify, as well as improve vision and relieve toxicity. Its alkaloid content helps reduce inflammatory responses in the body, alleviating symptoms such as red, swollen, and painful eyes and sore throat caused by excessive internal heat.

2. Cucumber

Cucumber is rich in water, vitamins, and minerals. It has a cool nature and can clear internal heat while replenishing fluids lost due to excessive heat. Additionally, the malonic acid in cucumbers inhibits the conversion of carbohydrates into fat, reducing the generation of internal heat. It helps relieve symptoms such as dry skin and constipation caused by excessive internal heat.

3. Celery

Celery is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Its cool nature helps clear heat and relieve irritability, while the dietary fiber promotes intestinal motility, accelerating the elimination of waste and toxins from the body, thereby reducing symptoms of excessive internal heat caused by heat accumulation. It is particularly effective for constipation caused by excessive internal heat.

4. Pear

Pears have functions of promoting saliva production, moistening dryness, clearing heat, and resolving phlegm. Stewed pears with rock sugar is a classic food therapy for moistening the lungs, relieving cough, nourishing yin, and reducing fire. It is suitable for symptoms such as fluid damage due to heat illness, thirst, and heat-induced cough.

5. Mung Beans

Mung beans have a sweet and cool nature and function to clear heat and detoxify, relieve summerheat, alleviate irritability, quench thirst, and improve digestion. Mung bean soup is a common summer beverage for reducing internal heat and helps eliminate heat toxins in the body, alleviating discomfort caused by excessive internal heat.

II. Medications

1. Niuhuang Jiedu Pian (Calculus Bovis Detoxifying Tablets)

Niu Huang Jie Du Pian mainly contains ingredients such as Calculus Bovis, gypsum, and borneol, and it functions to clear heat and detoxify. Its mechanism of action involves clearing internal heat, detoxifying, and dispersing nodules, thereby relieving symptoms such as sore throat and swollen gums caused by excessive internal fire.

2. Huanglian Shangqing Pills

Huanglian Shangqing Pills are composed of Coptis, Scutellaria, Gardenia, and other herbs. They function to clear heat, relieve constipation, dispel wind, and alleviate pain. By clearing heat toxins from the body and dispersing wind-heat, these pills improve symptoms such as dry stools and sore throat caused by excessive internal heat.

3. Shuanghuanglian Oral Liquid

Shuanghuanglian Oral Liquid contains honeysuckle, Scutellaria, and forsythia. Honeysuckle functions to dispel wind-heat and clear heat while detoxifying; Scutellaria clears heat, dries dampness, and detoxifies; forsythia clears heat, detoxifies, and reduces swelling while dispersing nodules. This medication regulates the immune system, inhibits inflammation, and reduces internal heat, primarily used to treat colds caused by external wind-heat, alleviating symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat associated with excessive internal heat.

4. Sanhuang Pian (Three Yellow Tablets)

Sanhuang Pian consists of rhubarb, berberine hydrochloride, and Scutellaria extract. Rhubarb clears fire, detoxifies, cools blood, and removes blood stasis; berberine hydrochloride has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects; Scutellaria extract clears heat, dries dampness, detoxifies, and clears fire. The mechanism of action involves clearing internal heat, detoxifying, and promoting bowel movements, allowing internal heat toxins to be expelled through the stool, thus relieving symptoms of excessive internal heat such as red and swollen eyes, mouth and nose sores, sore throat, irritability, thirst, dark urine, and constipation caused by excessive heat in the triple energizer.

5. Yangyin Qingfei Pills

These pills contain ingredients such as Scrophularia root, Rehmannia root, and Ophiopogon tuber. They function to nourish yin, clear the lungs, and soothe the throat. By nourishing lung yin and clearing lung heat, they improve symptoms such as dryness and pain in the throat caused by excessive internal heat.

In daily life, it is recommended to maintain good living habits and dietary patterns, avoiding spicy and irritating foods, which helps maintain the body's balance.