Deficient fire

　　Deficient fire belongs to the category of internal heat, and is often caused by insufficient essence and blood, severe injury to Yin fluid, and hyperactivity of Yang due to Yin deficiency. Generally speaking, internal heat due to Yin deficiency often manifests as systemic symptoms of deficiency heat. However, the clinical manifestations of deficient fire are often more concentrated in a specific part of the body. For example, dental pain, sore throat, dry mouth and lips, bone steam heat, red cheeks, dry stools, and short and red urine, all are due to the ascending of deficient fire.

　　Deficient fire often has a slow progression and a long course, with clinical symptoms mainly including restlessness of the five interiors, red cheeks, insomnia with night sweats, dry mouth and throat, dizziness, tinnitus, red tongue with little coating, and thready and rapid pulse.

　　The main function of Yin is not only to nourish and moisten various organs and tissues, but also to control Yang Qi to prevent its excessive external manifestation. Yang Qi is characterized by heat, activity, and rising, while Yin is correspondingly characterized by cold, stillness, and descending. If Yin is deficient, it lacks the power to control Yang Qi, leading to an excess of Yang Qi and a condition of internal heat, known as 'Yin deficiency leading to internal heat'. 'The Canon of Internal Medicine' states: 'By the age of forty, Yin Qi is half exhausted.' As one grows older, or after a feverish illness, or irregular sexual activity, it is easy to consume true Yin.

　　Yin deficiency and fire hyperactivity are prone to complications such as recurrent oral ulcers, irritability, night sweats, etc. Deficiency fire type insomnia is closely related to physique, often occurring in people who stay up late and the elderly. In addition to the main symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, early awakening, or frequent awakening during sleep, or frequent dreams, nightmares, or not being able to fall asleep all night, deficiency fire type insomnia patients often also have symptoms such as irritability, palpitations, hot palms and soles, night sweats, thirst, dry throat, aphthous ulcers, red tongue, little coating, thin and rapid pulse, etc., which are commonly known as 'being on fire'. However, this 'fire' is not the kind of 'real fire' that can be solved by simply drinking some cool tea, but the 'deficiency fire' spoken of in traditional Chinese medicine.

　　The internal organs mainly involved in deficiency fire type insomnia are the heart and kidney. According to the theory of the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine, the heart belongs to fire, and the kidney belongs to water. Water can control fire. In physiological conditions, kidney water nourishes heart fire, so that heart fire does not become excessive and disturb the mind. Frequent staying up late, excessive sexual activity, the decline of kidney qi in the elderly, etc., lead to insufficient kidney water to control fire, and the heart fire will become hyperactive, disturb the mind, kidney yin deficiency and heart fire hyperactivity, yin and yang not harmonious, thus causing insomnia. It can be seen that the general pathological mechanism of this type of insomnia is insufficient yin and excessive yang.

　　Insomnia is a chronic disease. Chinese medicine and acupuncture have the characteristics of non-addiction and no dependence, which are not possessed by sedatives, so insomnia patients choose Chinese medicine for differential treatment, and the effect is significant. Insomnia patients with deficiency fire type can try Chinese medicine health care therapy.

　　Symptoms of deficiency fire

　　Yin deficiency cannot control yang, leading to relative hyperactivity of yang and the development of deficiency fire syndrome. Deficiency fire syndrome can be more severe in different internal organs, and clinically, it is mainly heart, lung, liver, and kidney.

　　(One) Main symptoms: Dry throat and mouth, irritability, surging heat, red and dark tongue.

　　(Two) Clinical manifestations: Dry throat and mouth, surging heat, irritability, red and dark tongue, thin and rapid pulse. Or have many dreams at night, palpitations, broken tongue, short and red urine (heart fire), or headache, flushed face, dry and sore eyes, bitter mouth and dry stools, wiry pulse (liver fire), or dry cough with little phlegm, blood in sputum (lung fire), or bone steaming and heat, cheeks flushed, nocturnal emission in men, even easy to erection, women dreaming of sexual intercourse (kidney fire). The fire of each organ can appear in an alternating manner.

　　(Three) Analysis of the condition: The mechanism of this syndrome producing various symptoms, one is yin deficiency with heat, yin deficiency leads to dryness, yin deficiency leads to less movement and more stillness, and the other is the fire of one or several internal organs being excessive.

　　(Four) The development and influence of this syndrome: This syndrome is mostly manifested as a chronic process. Its further development, the more yin is deficient, the easier the fire becomes, and the stronger the fire becomes, the more the yin is injured, forming a vicious cycle, the condition becomes more and more serious, often leading to exhaustion of kidney yin and essence, even resulting in a critical condition of yin exhaustion and yang overflow.

　　Manifestations of deficiency fire

　　Afternoon heat or night fever, not wanting to get close to clothes when feverish, palms and soles of the hands and feet feeling hot, or bone steaming and heat, irritability, difficulty falling asleep, frequent dreams, cheeks flushed, night sweats, dry mouth and throat, dry and hard stools, dark yellow urine, dry and red tongue with cracks, little or no coating, thin and rapid pulse. Or accompanied by recurrent oral ulcers, pain, dizziness, lumbago, fatigue, etc.

　　The onset of oral ulcers is due to 'heat in the heart and spleen' and is also closely related to damp-heat, especially recurrent and habitual oral ulcers, which are usually caused by kidney Yin deficiency and heat in the heart and spleen. That is to say, while regulating damp-heat, oral ulcers can also be cured.

　　(1) Abstain from sexual activity, as most damp-heat is due to the deficiency of Yin essence.

　　(2) Avoid eating warm and dry fruits, spices, etc., such as litchi, longan, durian, mango, star anise, Sichuan pepper, cassia, etc., and also avoid high-fat and high-calorie greasy foods, such as those from McDonald's and KFC. It is better to avoid them.

　　(3) Avoid drinking刺激性饮料 such as coffee. A little green tea can be drunk. You can also drink mung bean soup to quench your thirst, but those with cold spleen and stomach and loose stools should avoid it.

　　(4) Eat less dinner.

　　Damp-heat is a diagnosis based on TCM syndrome differentiation, mainly using TCM syndrome differentiation methods for diagnosis, and Western medicine examination cannot determine it. Yin deficiency cannot control Yang, causing relative hyperactivity of Yang, which develops into a damp-heat syndrome. The damp-heat syndrome can be more pronounced in different zang-fu organs, and in clinical practice, it is mainly the heart, lung, liver, and kidney.

　　(1) Clearing heat and detoxifyingSuch as chrysanthemum, cucumber, isatis root, tomato, bamboo shoot, mung bean, tofu, celery, water chestnut, water caltrop, dentate pigweed, chrysanthemum flower, etc., have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and are suitable for various symptoms of real fire.

　　(2) Bitter and cold to control fireSuch as bitter melon, bitter vegetable, toad lily, loofah, eggplant, millet, buckwheat, etc., can transform heat and reduce fire due to their cold nature, and are often used for symptoms of real fire.

　　(3) Draining dampness and reducing fireSuch as winter melon, watermelon, Job's tears, mung bean, barley, amaranth, melon, red bean, lettuce, asparagus, and mung bean sprouts, etc., are suitable for various symptoms of real fire.

　　(4) Draining and reducing real fireSuch as rhubarb, anemarrhena, coptis, scutellaria, banana, celery, potato, peach kernel, white radish, etc., are suitable for symptoms such as short and yellow urine, dry stools, dry mouth and bitter taste, and abdominal distension with poor appetite.

　　(5) Cool blood and constrict bloodSuch as lotus root, pear, water chestnut, raw earth, mushroom, glutinous rice, lotus root powder, shepherd's purse, corn silk, mango, bamboo leaf, white mugwort root, and dentate pigweed, etc., can be used for symptoms such as epistaxis, hematochezia, hematuria, and gum bleeding due to blood heat.

　　(6) Sweet and warm to expel heatSuch as Codonopsis, Atractylodes, cabbage, litchi, chestnut, jujube, walnut kernel, lily, sorghum, fennel, dolichos lablab, mustard, cherry, pomegranate, plum, etc., are suitable for conditions with deficient Qi and excessive fire.

　　(7) Nourishing Yin and reducing fireSuch as kelp, purple seaweed, spinach, brown sugar, pumpkin, silver ear, etc., are often used for symptoms such as damp-heat, restlessness, night sweats, and inability to sleep at night.

　　(8) Supplementing the organ and extinguishing fireSuch as black beans, yam, peanuts, Job's tears, white fungus, mulberry, etc., are suitable for various symptoms of damp-heat caused by weakened zang-fu organs and insufficient yang.

　　The commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for treating damp-heat includes Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill, Zhipei Rehmannia Pill, Yu Nianjian, etc. Whether to take medicine and which medicine to take should be determined by a TCM doctor after diagnosis.

　　The Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill is a famous formula for nourishing Yin and replenishing the kidney, and it is easy to buy in the market. If it is combined with the syndrome of fire deficiency, it can be taken, but it is not suitable to take during a cold. In addition to taking medicine, the best way to nourish Yin is of course a healthy lifestyle, because overwork, lack of sleep, and excessive thinking all consume the Yin. As can be seen from the 'Internal Classic': 'Do not overwork' is indeed the key to nourishing Yin and maintaining health.

　　Oral ulcers caused by fire

　　Oral ulcers caused by fire can be treated with the formula of raw earth and Angelica sinensis.

　　Composition of the medicine: 15g of raw earth, 10g of Chinese olive, 10g of Chinese yam, 10g of Moutan bark, 10g of Astragalus, 10g of Angelica sinensis, 10g of ligusticum, 10g of achyranthes, 10g of Chinese hawthorn, 10g of Poria.

　　Preparation and administration: Boil the above ingredients in water to 300ml, take one dose per day, divided into two servings, taken warm, for a course of 4 weeks.

　　Indications: Oral ulcers, Yin deficiency in the liver and kidney, and the type of fire mixed with blood stasis. Symptoms include recurrent oral ulcers, pain, accompanied by dizziness, lumbago, and fatigue.

　　Treatment mechanism: 'The Comprehensive Record of Saint Ji · Mouth and Tooth Gate' says: 'Oral ulcers are caused by heat in the heart and spleen, which rises to the upper part of the body, repeatedly attacks the mouth and tongue, and therefore ulcers are formed.' The initial disease starts in the heart and spleen, but if the disease does not heal or is not cured for a long time, the lesion is in the kidney. Or because of the accumulation of heat in the heart and spleen, the heat is excessive, it injures the Yin, the disease affects the kidney for a long time; or because of the excessive use of bitter and cold drugs to purge fire during treatment, the excessive attack consumes Qi and Yin, then the虚 fire becomes more intense; or because of overwork, sexual indulgence, and physical exhaustion, the original liver and kidney deficiency. Therefore, although the disease is related to the dysfunction of the whole body organs, it is mainly due to kidney deficiency, insufficient kidney Yin, the upward inflammation of虚 fire, the obstruction of Qi and blood stasis as the basic, so the treatment is mainly to nourish the kidney Yin, supplemented by promoting blood circulation through the activation of blood and removal of blood stasis. The ingredients in the formula, such as raw earth, Chinese hawthorn, Chinese olive, Chinese yam, Moutan bark, and Poria, nourish the kidney Yin, nourish without retaining evil, and descend without injuring the healthy; Add Astragalus to invigorate the Qi and expel toxins, contract sores and promote blood circulation; Add Angelica sinensis, achyranthes, and ligusticum to nourish blood, activate blood, and remove blood stasis, and guide the fire downward. The function of this formula is to nourish the kidney Yin, activate blood and remove blood stasis, and promote the growth of sores and muscle. When applying this formula, attention should be paid to adding fried Gardenia, Chinese cinchona, and Lophatherum grass for those with heat accumulation in the heart and spleen; adding Codonopsis, Atractylodes macrocephala, and ginger for those with deficiency cold in the middle-jiao; adding cinnamon, psoralea, and Cynanchum for those with kidney Yang deficiency; adding hemp seed and Prunus salicina for those with constipation.