I accidentally got "heatiness" again, with a sore and swollen throat, unable to eat or sleep well. Many of you have been asking how to adjust your diet to manage this condition. Today, I'm sharing this secret guide with you all...
What exactly is "fire"?
"Fire" can be categorized into excess fire and deficient fire. Excess fire refers to a condition of excessive yang-heat. It is most commonly seen in the liver, gallbladder, stomach, and intestines. Symptoms include high fever, headache, red eyes, a preference for cold drinks, irritability, abdominal bloating and pain, constipation, dark yellow urine, a red tongue with a yellow, dry coating, or a prickly tongue, a rapid and forceful pulse, and in severe cases, vomiting blood or nosebleeds. The treatment principle is to use bitter and cold herbs to subdue the fire, clear heat and toxins, and purge excess fire.
Deficient fire is often caused by internal injuries from overwork or chronic illness, which can lead to organ imbalance, weakness, and the generation of internal heat, which then transforms into deficient fire. The treatment principle should be to promote fluid production and nourish the blood, and to nourish yin and reduce fire. For those with qi deficiency and fire excess, symptoms include generalized dry heat, worse in the morning, aversion to cold and wind, preference for heat over cold, fatigue and listlessness, shortness of breath and reluctance to speak, excessive sweating, clear urine and loose stools, a large but weak pulse, and a pale tongue with a thin coating. The treatment principle should be to tonify the middle jiao and benefit qi, strengthen the kidneys and invigorate yang, and use sweet and warm herbs to eliminate heat.
Solutions for "Heatiness":
For a dry throat and hoarseness: Drink light salt water; take honey pear paste; drink tangerine peel sugar tea. For a sore and swollen throat: Eating raw pears can prevent and treat mouth sores and a sore throat; Gargling with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water can alleviate pain; Mash tender loofah, squeeze out the juice, and gargle with it frequently. For a sore throat, you can gargle with a spoonful of soy sauce for about a minute, then spit it out. Repeat 3-4 times for a therapeutic effect.
For mouth sores: Chew a few slices of ginger to gradually reduce the sores; Before bed, wash your face and apply a small amount of eye ointment to the sore area on your lips. The pain will be reduced the next day. Continue for a few days to make the pain disappear.
For nasal congestion: If the left nostril is blocked, lie prone or on your right side. Support the back of your neck with your right hand, with the base of your palm near your earlobe, lifting your head to face the right. Extend your right elbow upward as far as possible. Due to the stretching effect of the meridians, your nostril will clear in as little as ten seconds or up to a minute. If the right nostril is blocked, do the opposite. If both nostrils are blocked, alternate the movements.
There are principles to "eliminating fire":
"Inappetence" indicates fire in the upper jiao (heart and lungs), manifesting as a dry mouth, sores on the tongue, chapped lips, red eyes, tinnitus, and a slight cough. Adults can choose Niuhuang Qingxin Wan (Pills), while children can choose Zhuhuang San.
"Intolerance" indicates fire in the middle jiao (spleen and stomach), manifesting as alternating symptoms of excessive stomach fire with insatiable appetite, and hiccups, abdominal bloating, and loss of appetite. Zhizi Jinhua Wan, Niuhuang Weiwan Wan, Qingwei Huanglian Wan, or Qingwei San are suitable. For children, Qizhen Dan is recommended.
"Constipation" indicates fire in the lower jiao (liver, kidneys, bladder, large and small intestines), manifesting as dry stools, scanty urine, dark yellow and turbid urine with a strong odor, itching in the genital area, increased vaginal discharge in women, which may be yellow. Commonly used Chinese medicines include Sanhuang Pian, Danggui Longhui Wan, Zhizi Jinhua Wan, and Longdan Xie Gan Soft Capsules.
Additionally, there is "deficient fire," which is yin deficiency with heat, primarily manifesting as emaciation, soreness in the lower back and knees, dry throat and mouth, dizziness and tinnitus, forgetfulness and insomnia, or a dry cough with shortness of breath, blood-streaked sputum, dry mouth and throat, hoarseness, tidal fever and irritability, a red tongue with little moisture, and a thready and rapid pulse. In this case, one can choose to take Zhibai Dihuang Wan or other similar medicines based on the specific symptoms.