Heart Fire blazing
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
At a glance
Preliminary reading: What is a pattern? The Heart in Chinese Medicine The concept of Fire
Key attributes
Chinese name: 心火亢盛 Pinyin name: Xīn Huǒ Kàng Shèng
Pattern nature: Full
Pattern hierarchy: Specific pattern under Heat and Fire
Causes
Precursor patterns: Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Fire Liver Fire Blazing Full-Heat in the Small Intestine
Common causes: 1. Emotional stess, 2. Diet
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Thirst Anxiety Insomnia Red face Dark Urine and seven other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Overflowing (Hong), Rapid (Shu), Full (Shi), Hasty (Cu)
Tongue description: Red tongue with redder tip and swollen red points, yellow coasting and tongue ulcers. There may be a midline crack reaching to the tip.
Treatment
Treatment principle: Drain the Fire, clear the Heart and calm the Mind.
Common formulas: Xie Xin Tang Zi Xue Dan Qing Xin Lian Zi Yin and one other formulas
Pathology
Different from Heart Yin Deficiency which is an Empty-Heat pattern, the Heart Fire blazing here is a Full-Heat one. The typical manifestation of Full-Heat are thirst, red face, feeling of heat, red tongue and Rapid Overflowing or Hasty Pulse.
The Heart opens to the tongue, therefore Heart Fire give rise to mouth and tongue ulcers, which usually causes a lot of pain. These ulcers normally have a red raised rim. The rim color will be rather white if they are caused by Empty-Heat of Heart Yin Deficiency.
Full Heat in the Heart can also cause bitter taste in the mouth as the Heart governs taste. The symptom happens only when the patients have had a bad sleep the night before. It is different from the bad taste caused by Liver Fire, which occurs every day.
The entire face appears to be red, as apposed to only the cheekbones are red (malar flush) in the case of Empty-Heat of Heart Yin Deficiency. It is because the Full Heat goes upwards and manifests itself on the whole face.
The Heart houses the Mind, which lose its residence in case of Heart Fire. Thus severe mental restlessness occurs. There are also insomnia as the Heart Fire disturbing the Mind at night. The patients may also wake up several times during the night with disturbed dreams.
Causes
Precursor patterns: Heart Fire blazing can derive from Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Fire Liver Fire Blazing Full-Heat in the Small Intestine
Emotional stess : The Heart houses the Mind and it can feel the emotional stress such as chronic anxiety, constant worrying and depression. If these emotional problems last a long time, they lead to Qi Stagnation As viscous circle, long term Qi Stagnation worsens mental depression. Both actions give rise to Fire as consequence.
Diet: This pattern can also be the result of overconsumption of 'high energy' foods such as spices, red meat or alcohol.
Diagnosing Heart Fire blazing
Diagnosing a pattern in Chinese Medicine is no easy feat and should be left to professional practitioners. In particular one has to know how to differentiate between different types of pulses and tongue coatings, shapes and colors as well as learn to read from a long list of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Pulse type(s): Overflowing (Hong), rapid (Shu), full (Shi) or hasty (Cu)
Tongue description: Red tongue with redder tip and swollen red points, yellow coasting and tongue ulcers. There may be a midline crack reaching to the tip.
Main symptoms: Thirst Anxiety Insomnia Red face Dark Urine Palpitations Mouth ulcers Bloody urine Tongue ulcers Restlnessness Feeling of heat Bitter taste in the mouth
Diagnosis commentary: Key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are the red tongue with ulcers (with red rim around them), thirst and palpitations.
Treating Heart Fire blazing
Treatment principle
Drain the Fire, clear the Heart and calm the Mind.
Herbal formulas used to treat Heart Fire blazing
Zi Xue Dan
Source date: 752 AD
Number of ingredients: 17 herbs
Key actions: Clears Heat. Opens the sensory orifices. Controls spasms and convulsions. Extinguishes Wind.
Formula summary
Zi Xue Dan is a 17-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 752 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat and open sensory orifices.
Besides Heart Fire blazing, Zi Xue Dan is also used to treat Liver Wind agitating Internally due to Liver Fire or Pericardium Fire.
Xie Xin Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 3 herbs
Key actions: Drains Fire. Resolves Toxicity. Dries Dampness.
Formula summary
Xie Xin Tang is a 3-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 220 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat and resolve toxicity.
Besides Heart Fire blazing, Xie Xin Tang is also used to treat Pericardium Fire.
Qing Xin Lian Zi Yin
Source date: 1107 AD
Number of ingredients: 9 herbs
Key actions: Clears the Heart. Augments the Qi and Yin. Stops turbid painful urinary dribbling.
Formula summary
Qing Xin Lian Zi Yin is a 9-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1107 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat from the Organs.
Besides Heart Fire blazing, Qing Xin Lian Zi Yin is also used to treat Kidneys And Heart Not Harmonized.
Diet recommendations
As for recommendation on food: No fruit or vegetable juices. No meat (especially red meat) or maximum 24 oz of meat per day for a couple of weeks. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nuts, avocados, cheese, hot and greasy foods or any iced or cold drinks directly from the fridge.
It is recommended to take some sort of martial arts as they helps consume excessive energy.
Other therapies such as meditation or cupping cover the upper back is also recommended.
Consequence patterns
Heart Yin Deficiency can be the consequence if Heart Fire lasts a long time without being treated properly.
Heart Fire can have negative impact on the Stomach and cause Stomach Fire. It can also cause Spleen Heat as the Stomach and the Spleen are closely related.
Full Heat in the Small Intestine
Heart Fire may lead to Full Heat in the Small Intestine as the Heart and Small Intestine are related within the Fire Element in the Five Phases theory.