What are the symptoms of excessive liver fire?

Generally, excessive liver fire presents various obvious symptoms, commonly including dry mouth and throat, red and dry eyes, irritability, poor sleep, bitter taste and bad breath. If discomfort symptoms occur, it is recommended to seek timely diagnosis and treatment at a regular hospital. Detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Dry Mouth and Throat

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), excessive liver fire easily injures body fluids, leading to fluid deficiency and resulting in dry mouth and throat. Patients often feel dryness in the mouth, frequently desire to drink water, but symptoms are difficult to relieve even after drinking. The tongue may become dry and red; some individuals may also experience chapped lips and sore throat.

2. Red and Dry Eyes

In TCM theory, "the liver opens into the eyes." When liver fire is excessive, heat easily disturbs the eyes, affecting their nourishment, causing redness and dryness. Patients' eyes may show redness, accompanied by dryness, itching, photophobia, and fatigue after prolonged visual tasks. Severe cases may involve blurred vision, swollen and painful eyes.

3. Irritability

The liver governs the smooth flow of qi and regulates emotions. Excessive liver fire leads to dysfunction in this process, reducing emotional control and manifesting as irritability. Patients easily become annoyed or angry over trivial matters, experience significant mood swings, have difficulty calming down, and may even develop anxiety or depression. Disputes may arise easily during interpersonal communication due to differing opinions.

4. Poor Sleep

Excessive liver fire easily disturbs the mind, causing mental restlessness and affecting sleep quality, leading to insomnia. Patients may experience difficulty falling asleep, excessive thoughts while lying in bed, frequent awakenings during sleep, difficulty returning to sleep after waking, or frequent dreams and nightmares. They may still feel tired and have a poor mental state upon waking in the morning.

5. Bitter Taste and Bad Breath

Excessive liver fire may affect spleen and stomach function, causing digestive disturbances. Prolonged retention of food in the body produces turbid qi, or abnormal bile secretion flows upward, causing bitter taste and bad breath. Patients often experience significant bitterness in the mouth upon waking in the morning, and their mouths emit unpleasant odors while speaking. Even after brushing teeth and rinsing the mouth, the odor is difficult to completely eliminate.

In addition, some patients may also experience headaches, dizziness, constipation, and other symptoms. If the above symptoms appear, timely adjustment of lifestyle habits is necessary, and medical consultation for regulation should be sought when necessary to improve the condition of excessive liver fire.