"Why Does One Experience Excessive Liver and Heart Fire Alongside Weakness in the Spleen and Stomach?"
Addressing Liver and Heart Fire Excess and Spleen-Stomach Yang Deficiency through Diet
Excess liver and heart fire, along with spleen-stomach yang deficiency, are common conditions that manifest in various undesirable symptoms. Spleen-stomach yang deficiency, a term used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), refers to a weakening of the yang energy within the spleen and stomach, leading to an accumulation of cold and dampness within the body. To address these imbalances, attention to diet is crucial, incorporating foods that can alleviate liver and heart fire excess while nourishing the spleen and stomach.
Foods for Liver Fire Excess
The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of qi and the storage of blood, and its imbalance can manifest as irritability, frustration, and a tendency towards anger. Foods with a bitter taste are often recommended to cool liver fire. Some excellent choices include:
- Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia)
- Celery
- Mung Beans and Mung Bean Sprouts
- Soybean Sprouts
- Chrysanthemum Leaves
- Tomatoes, Radishes, Cabbage, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Mustard Greens, Garland Chrysanthemum, Kale, Luffa, Plums, Green Plums, Hawthorns, Oranges, Grapefruits, Citron, Buddha's Hands, Cucumbers, Apricots, Kukicha Tea, and Green Tea
- Carrots are also beneficial for supplementing vitamin B and preventing chapped lips.
Foods for Heart Fire Excess
Heart fire can manifest as both real and deficient fires. Real heart fire may present as mouth ulcers, thirst, yellow urine, and irritability. A simple recipe to clear heart fire involves:
- Peel and core 2-3 pears, cutting them into small pieces.
- Cut 1 block of tofu into small cubes.
- Whisk 2 eggs into an egg mixture.
- Boil the pears and tofu in water for 10 minutes, then add the egg mixture and continue boiling until cooked.
Foods for Spleen-Stomach Yang Deficiency
Spleen-stomach yang deficiency is characterized by a weakness in the yang energy of the spleen and stomach, leading to cold and damp symptoms. Causes can include improper diet, overconsumption of cold foods, exhaustion, or prolonged illness. Some dietary recommendations to warm and nourish the spleen and stomach include:
Ginger Porridge: Slice fresh ginger, add 2-5 red dates, and cook with japonica rice to make a porridge. Season with salt and oil as desired. This dish is warming to the spleen and stomach, dispels wind and cold, and is suitable for those with post-illness or age-related spleen-stomach yang deficiency, nausea, reduced appetite, vomiting of clear fluid, abdominal pain and diarrhea, headaches, nasal congestion, and chronic bronchitis with cold-induced coughing.
For common cold with wind-cold symptoms, omit the red dates and add 3 chopped green onions.
