Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder
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?
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Headaches Dizziness Irritability Short temper Red and sore eyes and eight other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Full (Shi)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Red
Treatment
Common formulas: Long Dan Xie Gan Tang
Pathology
Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder is a pattern of disharmony in Chinese Medicine.
Chinese Medicine views the human body as a complex system that tends toward harmony. A pattern of disharmony is a disorder that prevents that harmony from occurring.
Patterns give rise to symptoms that may at first glance seem unrelated from a Western standpoint but that actually make a lot of sense when one understands Chinese Medicine theory. For instance here Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder gives rise to such diverse symptoms as fixed pain in the hypochondria, headaches, dizziness and red and sore eyes (as well as nine others).
To diagnose a pattern, analyzing a patient's pulse as well as their tongue is common practice. In the case of Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder patients tend to exhibit full (Shi) pulses as well as a red tongue with yellow coating.
Patterns aren't exactly the Chinese Medicine equivalent to Western diseases, they're rather the underlying causes behind diseases or health conditions. Here Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder is thought to sometimes induce conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, conjunctivitis or eczema (as well as sixteen others).
Diagnosing Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder
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): Full (Shi)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Red
Main symptoms: Headaches Dizziness Irritability Short temper Red and sore eyes Painful urination Diminished hearing Swelling in the ears Foul-smelling leukorrhea Bitter taste in the mouth Fixed pain in the hypochondria Shortened menstrual cycle in women Swollen and itchy external genitalia
Treating Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder
Herbal formulas used to treat Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder
Long Dan Xie Gan Tang
Source date: 1682 AD
Number of ingredients: 10 herbs
Key actions: Clears Heat and Fire from the Liver and Gallbladder. Clears and drains Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner.
Formula summary
Long Dan Xie Gan Tang is a 10-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1682 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat from the Organs.
Besides Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder, Long Dan Xie Gan Tang is also used to treat Damp-Heat in the Liver or Stagnant Liver Qi turning into Fire.
Related conditions
Please keep in mind that a Western Medicine condition can be caused by several Chinese Medicine patterns of disharmony and vice versa. As such a patient suffering from one of the conditions below will not necessarily be suffering from Heat Excess in the Liver or Gallbladder, it is just one pattern that's commonly associated with the condition. Click on a condition to learn what other patterns it's associated with.
Pelvic inflammatory disease Conjunctivitis Eczema Polycystic ovaries Hyperthyroid Orchitis Furuncles Purulent otitis Rhinitis Acute viral hepatitis Acute cholecystitis Acute pyelonephristis Acute cystitis Vulvitis Herpes zoster Retinal haemorrhage Haemorrhagic glaucoma Cushing's syndrome Adrenal cortex hyperpalsia