What symptoms are associated with excessive liver fire?
Disease description:
Hello doctor, I'm a 28-year-old female. Recently, I've been very irritable and often suffer from insomnia. I suspect I may have excessive liver fire. What symptoms can excessive liver fire cause?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Excessive liver fire can lead to various physical abnormalities. Emotionally, individuals may become easily irritable and angry, with significant mood swings, often reacting angrily to minor issues. This occurs because the liver's function of free coursing is affected, leading to stagnation of qi. Regarding sleep, individuals may experience difficulty falling asleep, vivid dreams, frequent awakenings, or even insomnia throughout the night. Additionally, symptoms such as dizziness, headache, flushed face, and red, bloodshot eyes may occur, as liver fire disturbs blood circulation in the head and causes eye problems like redness, dryness, and blurred vision. Other common symptoms include a bitter or dry mouth, bad breath, and constipation, which result from liver fire impairing the spleen and stomach's digestive functions, leading to gastrointestinal dysfunction.
When noticing these symptoms, start by adjusting your diet: eat less spicy, greasy, or warming foods, and consume more heat-clearing and fire-purging foods such as mung beans, bitter melon, and celery. Maintain a regular sleep schedule, avoid staying up late, and go to bed earlier in the evening to support liver detoxification. Schedule 30 minutes of daily exercise, such as jogging or tai chi, to promote circulation of qi and blood. If symptoms persist, seek medical advice promptly and take prescribed liver-fire clearing medications under a doctor's guidance to help restore balance to the body.
