The weather is very dry in autumn and winter, and many people experience symptoms of excessive liver fire. What to do about excessive liver fire? Once the body's balance is disrupted by internal heat, various health risks follow. To get rid of excessive liver fire, the editor has some clever tips.
1. Hydrating more helps the liver detoxify
As the body's largest detoxification organ, almost all toxins in the body must be metabolized by the liver and excreted. This process requires a lot of water. If there is not enough water, toxins in the body are not easily diluted and difficult to excrete, which is also a considerable burden on the liver.
At this time, we should drink more water to replenish the water lost in the body. First, drinking more water is to replenish the loss of body fluids caused by the dry autumn, preventing internal organs from lacking water. Secondly, replenishing water in a timely manner promotes blood circulation and accelerates the excretion of metabolic waste. The toxins produced by these metabolic wastes are excreted from the body, reducing the damage to the liver and playing a role in cleansing the body internally.
2. Soothe your emotions and reduce anger
Pay attention to soothing your emotions. As the saying goes, "to fly into a rage," which often describes a state of sudden anger. This means that excessive liver fire is related to external stimuli. Excessive liver fire leads to irritability, but emotional ups and downs, irritability, and anger can also easily stimulate liver depression transforming into fire, leading to a rise in liver fire. Therefore, one of the most important methods to reduce liver fire is to soothe your emotions and remain calm, that is, to pay attention to adjusting your mood and stabilizing your emotions. In addition, reduce bad lifestyle habits like staying up late.
3. Lo Han Guo tea is most suitable for reducing fire
Lo Han Guo Five Flower Tea has functions such as removing phlegm-fire and relieving dry cough. It is generally served cool and is often drunk during weather changes. At the same time, this tea has a rich floral flavor from five types of dried flowers, which feels very special for people in the north. In the hot summer, drinking it regularly can have a good effect on promoting saliva production, quenching thirst, removing dampness and heat, and moistening the intestines for detoxification.
Rinse the Lo Han Guo under running water, then put it together with brown sugar, honeysuckle, kudzu flower, egg flower, kapok flower, and pagoda tree flower into a soup pot. Add cold water to the pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 2 hours. When only one-third of the soup water remains in the pot, strain out the dregs of the Five Flower Tea.
4. Massage the three major acupoints
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the human body has three major "fire-reducing acupoints." Massaging these three acupoints frequently can relieve dryness and reduce liver fire.
Neiting acupoint is the Ying-spring point of the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. Ying-spring points can be said to be the nemesis of heat symptoms and internal heat. If you have discomforts such as bad breath, constipation, sore throat, toothache, abdominal bloating, or acid regurgitation, you can press Neiting acupoint more often. Neiting acupoint is at the intersection of the webbing between the second and third toes. Massage it 100 times with your thumb every morning and evening.
5. Soak goji berries in water to nourish liver yin
Goji berry water is very beneficial for both the eyes and the liver. For people who often stay up late, the liver is a key organ to protect. Taking 10 grams of goji berries daily to make tea (which is about a small handful) is very beneficial for nourishing liver yin and repairing liver cells. The key is persistence.
6. Ensure enough sleep time every day
Rest time affects liver health. From 11 PM to 3 AM, blood flows to the liver and gallbladder, and the body should be in a state of complete rest for the liver's metabolism and repair to proceed smoothly. People who lack sleep for a long time are prone to problems of rising liver fire.
Experts recommend going to bed around 10 PM every night to ensure 8 hours of sleep. It is not advisable to engage in mentally strenuous work at night, as overexertion can easily affect sleep quality. In addition to enough rest at night, proper and timely rest should also be taken during the day. When the body is tired, it is best to adjust as needed, for example, taking a nap at noon.
7. Eat purple cabbage often
Cruciferous vegetables include beets, radishes, cabbage, purple cabbage, arugula, or vegetables containing sulfur, such as onions, garlic, and cauliflower. They can all enhance the body's detoxification function. Eating two servings of cruciferous vegetables daily can enhance the liver's detoxification function.
In addition, various powerful antioxidants in cruciferous vegetables can help us eliminate pollutants and speed up our own detoxification process. They also contain natural chemicals called glucosinolates, which can eliminate various toxins, including carcinogens. Studies have shown that eating cruciferous vegetables three times a week can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 60%.
8. Use moderate and nourishing diets, avoid warming and dry foods
Autumn's dietary supplements should be chosen as moderate and nourishing; one should not eat warming and dry foods that aggravate liver fire, nor choose cold, greasy, or sticky foods that can damage the spleen and stomach's yang energy. The air in autumn is dry, and dryness can easily consume body fluids. At this time, one should supplement more water, and drinking warm water in small, frequent amounts is best.
For people with internal heat, you can eat congee with Job's tears, red bean congee, lotus seed congee, or lily bulb congee. These congees are cool, plain, and easy to digest. Turtle soup can nourish yin and reduce fire. Stir-fried river snails have the effect of clearing the liver and reducing fire. Toona sprouts with tofu can clear liver and stomach fire. Shepherd's purse can be eaten cold, in soups, in dumplings, or as a filling for spring pancakes, and can also be used to make congee.
9. Adjust your sleeping posture
Side sleeping is a common sleeping posture for many people, and it's easy to turn to a side position when lying on your back. Because the liver meridian runs along both sides of the body, sleeping on your side, whether on the left or right, can nourish liver qi. When a person is lying on their side, blood naturally returns to the liver meridian. "The liver governs the storage of blood." Once the blood enters the liver meridian, the body can fall asleep peacefully and begin the day's blood production function.
A full and fluffy pillow is the best choice, as it can provide enough support for your head and neck without lifting your head too high. A thick pillow can prop up your shoulders to a certain height when sleeping on your side. When sleeping on your side, the pillow should support your head and neck to the same level as your spine.