Is Dry Mouth and Throat a Sign of Liver Fire?

1. Dry mouth and throat may indicate excessive liver fire.

2. Excessive liver fire is caused by hyperactivity of liver yang qi, manifesting in two different conditions: liver yang hyperactivity and liver-kidney yin deficiency. Liver yang hyperactivity belongs to excessive heat in the liver meridian, where liver fire burns yin fluids internally, leading to a reduction in body fluids. Patients may experience dry mouth, as well as irritability, dizziness, and headaches. Liver-kidney yin deficiency, on the other hand, is a deficiency fire, where yin deficiency in the body causes the deficient fire to rise, presenting with symptoms such as tidal fever, night sweats, and five-palm heat, with the body feeling relatively weak. Due to the loss of body fluids, patients may also feel dryness in the throat and mouth.

3. When excessive liver fire leads to dry mouth, medications such as Longdan Xiegan Pill, Danzhi Xiaoyao Powder, or Zhibo Dihuang Pill, and Dabu Yin Pill can be taken for conditioning based on whether it is excessive fire or deficiency fire. It is also important to drink more water and avoid spicy and stimulating foods.

4. Dry mouth can also occur in other conditions, such as external wind-heat, damp-heat, and yin-blood deficiency. If symptoms of dry mouth continue to worsen, medical attention should be sought promptly for syndrome differentiation and diagnosis to identify the specific disease and then proceed with targeted treatment.