What are the causes of excessive liver fire?
Disease description:
I have been getting angry easily lately, and also experiencing dryness and bitterness in the mouth. Someone mentioned it might be due to excessive liver fire. May I ask what causes excessive liver fire?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Xiuhong
Excessive liver fire refers to heat-related symptoms caused by dysfunction of the liver. The main causes include:
1. Poor emotional state: Long-term depression, anxiety, or emotional instability such as frequent anger can easily lead to stagnation of liver qi, which then transforms into fire.
2. Improper diet: Overconsumption of spicy, greasy, or stimulating foods such as tobacco and alcohol, or binge eating, can damage the spleen and stomach, impair digestion and absorption, subsequently affecting the liver and generating internal heat, which triggers liver fire.
3. Irregular lifestyle: Frequently staying up late or overworking can disrupt the body's yin-yang balance, deplete yin fluids, and lead to excessive yang qi, easily generating internal heat and triggering liver fire.
4. Constitutional factors: Some individuals, due to innate deficiency or improper postnatal care, have a constitution that is naturally prone to heat, making them susceptible to hyperactive liver fire.
5. Invasion of external pathogens: For example, external pathogens such as wind-heat or damp-heat may directly attack the liver, leading to excessive liver fire.
6. Other factors: Heat pathogens from other organs, such as heart fire or stomach fire, may also transmit to the liver meridian, resulting in excessive liver fire.
Prevention and treatment of excessive liver fire requires not only medication but also attention to emotional regulation, maintaining a calm mindset, improving dietary habits, and avoiding excessive intake of irritating foods.
