What is false fire and real fire

We all know that there are two kinds of fire in the body, one is false fire and the other is real fire. The difference between the two is the symptoms they cause. False fire is generally caused by imbalance of yin and yang, which causes the body to lose its normal function. It is an invisible fire, while real fire refers to the real symptoms of getting angry, such as eating too much hot food and having too much mood swings. Therefore, we should understand the symptoms caused by false fire and real fire.

What is getting angry

If you experience symptoms such as dry and sore throat, red eyes, hot nasal cavity, dry mouth and tongue pain, sore mouth corners, nosebleeds, toothache, etc., Chinese medicine believes that it is "getting angry".

How is "fire" produced? One is that it is directly invaded by the "heat evil" in nature, causing "getting angry" symptoms; the other is the invisible "fire" that exists in the body and can promote life functions. Due to the imbalance of yin and yang, it loses its normal latent function and causes "getting angry" symptoms. There are many specific factors that cause getting angry. Excessive emotional fluctuations, heatstroke, cold, addiction to tobacco and alcohol, excessive consumption of spicy foods such as onions, ginger, garlic, and peppers, greed for greasy foods such as mutton and dog meat, poisoning, lack of sleep, etc. can all cause "heat".

In traditional Chinese medicine, the symptoms of heat in the upper parts of the body, such as dizziness, sore throat, etc., are called "upper-burner fire", the symptoms of heat in the middle parts, such as irritability, thirst, and stomach pain, are called "middle-burner fire", and the symptoms of heat in the lower parts of the body, such as constipation and red urine, are called "lower-burner fire". According to the organs, red, swollen and painful eyes are called "liver fire", nasal flaring and shortness of breath are called "lung fire", mouth and tongue ulcers are called "heart fire", and so on. Combined with the internal conditions, these fires can be divided into two categories: "virtual" and "real". Those with severe symptoms and fierce onset are real fires; those with mild symptoms, long duration and accompanied by hot hands and feet, hot flashes, night sweats, etc. are virtual fires. This classification provides a basis for relevant treatment.

What is virtual fire? What is real fire?

First, let’s understand Yin and Yang. Anything that moves, is outward-looking, rises, is warm, bright, invisible, and exciting is Yang. Anything that is relatively static, introverted, descending, cold, dark, tangible, and suppressed belongs to "Yin". When the yin and yang of the body are balanced, people will not get sick, let alone get angry.

In traditional Chinese medicine, deficiency fire is called Yin deficiency and excessive fire. The so-called Yin deficiency and excessive fire does not mean that you really get angry, but that Yin is consumed too much or nutrition cannot keep up, resulting in a sharp decrease in Yin and relatively more Yang. This causes Yin deficiency and excessive fire, resulting in a series of uncomfortable symptoms of virtual fire, such as recurrent oral ulcers. At this time, many people would go to the pharmacy to buy gunpowder. This method is wrong. At this time, yin should be replenished (called nourishing yin in traditional Chinese medicine). It should be supplemented, not purged (reducing fire is purging). Foods that replenish yin include: pears, water chestnuts, sugarcane, loquat, white fungus, lily, lily flowers, polygonatum, ophiopogon, and asparagus. Once the yin is replenished and the yin and yang are balanced, the symptoms of getting angry will naturally disappear.

In traditional Chinese medicine, real fire is called Yang hyperactivity, which means that Yang is too strong. If the body's yin remains at a normal value and the yang rises, a series of symptoms of excess fire such as swollen and painful gums will appear. At this time, you can take anti-gunpowder. You should also eat more foods that can reduce heat, such as: bitter melon, loofah, cucumber, crab, etc.

Symptoms of real fire

Dry mouth and thirst, drink a lot of water, like to drink cold water, and have a large appetite; constipation, bad breath, acne on the face, the acne is so big that you can squeeze out white rice or yellow rice; some people also have smelly feet; easy to sweat, bad temper, and get angry; red and swollen eyes, swollen and painful gums; yellow and red urine, constipation.

Symptoms of deficiency fire

Frequent mouth ulcers, dry mouth and thirst, feeling thirsty no matter how much water you drink; heat in the five hearts (palms of hands, soles of feet, heart, collectively known as the five hearts), kicking the quilt when sleeping, hands and feet always unconsciously stretching out of the quilt; or insomnia and irritability, difficulty falling asleep; acne on the face, the kind that can't be squeezed out of rice; dry and even peeling lips; the neck creaks when moving, and the knee joints often creak; dry eyes, or blurred vision; toothache, sore throat, dry mouth and lips, redness of the cheekbones in the afternoon, dry mouth and throat, dizziness, and tinnitus.

How to distinguish between real fire and false fire

1. Look at the urine: if the urine is yellow and has a strong odor, and the tongue is red, it is real fire; if the urine is light and clear, it means there is cold in the body, which is virtual fire;

2. Look at the stool: dry stool and red tongue indicate real fire; dry stool, pale tongue and white tongue coating indicate false fire; loose stool or diarrhea indicates cold in the body, which is false fire;

3. Fever: If the body has fever symptoms, the whole body is hot and thirsty, it means that the internal heat is too great, which is real fire; when the fever occurs, the hands and feet are cold, the body is hot and cold, and there is no desire to drink water, it means that there is coldness in the body, which is virtual fire;

How to regulate real fire

In traditional Chinese medicine, excessive fire is called Yang hyperactivity. That is to say, the Yang is too strong, too much. A series of symptoms of excess fire will appear, such as swollen and painful gums. At this time, treatment requires taking anti-inflammatory medicine. You should also eat more foods that reduce heat, such as: bitter melon, loofah, cucumber, crab, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine's cupping, heavy scraping, and acupuncture drainage methods are very effective in removing heat.

How to regulate deficiency fire

In traditional Chinese medicine, false fire is called Yin deficiency and excessive fire. False fire does not mean that you are really getting angry, but that the Yin of your body is consumed too much, making the Yang appear more, thus causing Yin deficiency and excessive fire, which leads to a series of uncomfortable symptoms of rising false fire such as recurrent oral ulcers. At this time, you should replenish yin instead of removing fire. Foods that replenish yin include: pears, water chestnuts, sugarcane, loquat, white fungus, lily, lily flowers, polygonatum, ophiopogon, and asparagus. If you experience the symptoms I mentioned in the article on virtual fire, you should choose to eat these yin-replenishing foods in time. Once the Yin is replenished and balanced, the symptoms of getting angry will naturally disappear. Traditional Chinese medicine's gentle scraping, Zhang's rubbing of the eight sacral points, massage, acupuncture, and physical therapy are all the best choices for replenishing yin. If you have internal heat, do not go to the herbal tea shop to buy those anti-heat medicines. They are very cold things and the more you drink them, the more you damage your yin.