Liver fire blazing (gan huo shang yan) is one of the traditional liver syndromes according to Chinese medicine. The liver is associated with both wood and wind and it houses the ministerial fire of the blood, which they believed returned to the liver during rest. Strong emotions, especially anger, increase blood flow. Wood qi has upward momentum. If there is a constitutional yin deficiency,
the liver yang can flare upwards and call for calming treatments.Difficulty in managing stress and anger appropriately is attributed as a cause of the liver fire.
Alcoholism and chronic liver imbalances can also result in a heat pattern. These may be conditions that require appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment to prevent serious medical complications.
Traditional Chinese medicine often looks at the tongue and pulse as two easily conducted diagnostic tests. The tongue is an indicator of the hot or cold nature of the imbalance and it is less affected by immediate circumstances than the pulse.
