{ "slug": "liver-qi-stagnation-with-heat", "name": "Liver Qi Stagnation Turning to Heat", "pinyin": "Gan Yu Hua Huo", "chinese": "肝郁化火", "organ": "Liver", "nature": "excess", "family": "heat", "summary": "Stress that has sat long enough to heat up. The moodiness of Liver qi stagnation becomes real anger, the face flushes, the mouth is dry and bitter, sleep is restless, acne flares, and periods come early or heavy. A dammed river that has started to steam.", "picture": "Anything held still long enough gets hot, including frustration. The dam of stagnation is still there; now there is steam coming off it.", "signs": { "key": [ "Irritability tipping into anger, outbursts", "Red face, hot flashes, a feeling of heat in the chest", "Dry mouth, bitter taste", "Restless sleep, waking hot and angry", "Early, heavy, or painful periods; acne before them" ], "common": [ "Headache at the temples, red eyes", "Tight ribs, sighing", "Constipation", "Dark urine", "Breast tenderness" ], "tongue": "Red at the sides with a thin yellow coat.", "pulse": "Wiry and rapid." }, "causes": [ "Long unexpressed frustration or anger", "Stress plus alcohol and spicy food", "Stagnation that was never treated", "Menopause meeting a stressful life" ], "tell_apart": [ { "slug": "liver-qi-stagnation", "how": "Plain stagnation is moody and tight without the heat: no red face, no bitter mouth, a normal tongue. Add the heat and the formula adds cooling herbs." }, { "slug": "liver-fire", "how": "Fire is a step further: a splitting headache, red eyes, rage, a thick yellow coat, a forceful pulse. Stagnation with heat is warm; fire is burning." } ], "formulas": [ { "slug": "jia-wei-xiao-yao-san", "role": "primary", "when": "The classic formula: Xiao Yao San plus two cooling herbs.", "pinyin": "Jia Wei Xiao Yao San", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/jia-wei-xiao-yao-san", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/jia-wei-xiao-yao-san" } }, { "slug": "xiao-yao-san", "role": "once cooled", "when": "Step down to the plain version when the heat signs are gone.", "pinyin": "Xiao Yao San", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/xiao-yao-san", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/xiao-yao-san" } }, { "slug": "long-dan-xie-gan-tang", "role": "if it turns to fire", "when": "Short course if the heat becomes full fire with red eyes and a thick yellow coat.", "pinyin": "Long Dan Xie Gan Tang", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/long-dan-xie-gan-tang", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/long-dan-xie-gan-tang" } } ], "herbs": [ { "pinyin": "Mu Dan Pi", "role": "Tree peony bark cools the Liver blood.", "herb_slug": "tree-peony-bark", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/tree-peony-bark", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/tree-peony-bark" } }, { "pinyin": "Zhi Zi", "role": "Gardenia clears restless heat and drains it through the urine.", "herb_slug": "fruit-of-cape-jasmine-2", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/fruit-of-cape-jasmine-2", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/fruit-of-cape-jasmine-2" } }, { "pinyin": "Chai Hu", "role": "Bupleurum opens the stagnation.", "herb_slug": "root-of-chinese-thorowax", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/root-of-chinese-thorowax", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/root-of-chinese-thorowax" } }, { "pinyin": "Bai Shao", "role": "White peony softens the Liver.", "herb_slug": "white-peony-root", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/white-peony-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/white-peony-root" } }, { "pinyin": "Xia Ku Cao", "role": "Selfheal clears Liver heat from the eyes and head.", "herb_slug": "fruit-spike-of-common-selfheal", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/fruit-spike-of-common-selfheal", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/fruit-spike-of-common-selfheal" } }, { "pinyin": "Ju Hua", "role": "Chrysanthemum cools the Liver and eyes.", "herb_slug": "chrysanthemum-flower", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/chrysanthemum-flower", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/chrysanthemum-flower" } } ], "conditions": [ "liver-qi-stagnation", "stress", "anxiety", "insomnia", "menorrhagia", "headache", "menopausal-syndrome", "breast-pain" ], "habits": [ "Move hard enough to sweat a little every day; stuck heat leaves through motion.", "Chrysanthemum or rose tea instead of coffee in the afternoon.", "No alcohol or spicy food until the tongue sides cool.", "Say what is bothering you, out loud, to someone." ], "watch": [ "Flushing and the bitter taste ease within a week or two.", "Sleep settles and the anger drops back to moodiness, then clears.", "The tongue sides lose their red and the yellow coat fades." ], "sources": [ { "title": "Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 3rd edition", "note": "Liver qi stagnation turning into fire." }, { "title": "Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition", "note": "Jia Wei Xiao Yao San." } ], "meta": { "status": "published", "last_updated": "2026-10-12", "reviewed_by": null }, "_links": { "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/pattern/liver-qi-stagnation-with-heat", "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/pattern/liver-qi-stagnation-with-heat", "index": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/patterns" } }