TCM pattern · Heat and fire
Heart Fire
心火亢盛 Xin Huo Kang Sheng Heart system
Full heat in the Heart. Mouth and tongue ulcers that burn, a red face, agitation and insomnia, a bitter mouth, thirst, and dark burning urine, because the Heart's heat drains through the Small Intestine into the bladder. A red tongue tip is the flag.
The Heart opens into the tongue and drains into the bladder. When it burns, the tongue blisters at the tip and the urine scalds at the other end.
How to recognize Heart Fire
The signs that point most strongly to this pattern:
- Mouth and tongue ulcers that burn
- Agitation, restlessness, insomnia
- Red face, a feeling of heat in the chest
- Dark, scanty, burning urine
- A red tongue tip
Also common
- Bitter taste, thirst
- Palpitations
- Nosebleeds
- Manic or pressured talk in the extreme
- Tongue
- Red, especially the tip, with a yellow coat.
- Pulse
- Rapid and forceful.
Formulas for Heart Fire
Herbs that matter most for Heart Fire
- Huang Lian Rhizome of Chinese Goldthread Coptis drains Heart fire.
- Sheng Di Huang Fresh Rehmannia Root Raw rehmannia cools the blood and protects the yin.
- Mu Tong Akebia, Clematis Stem Clematis stem drains the heat through the urine; buy the clematis kind, never aristolochia.
- Dan Zhu Ye Lophatherum Herb Lophatherum clears Heart heat and irritability.
- Lian Zi Lotus Seed Lotus seed, especially its green heart, cools the Heart.
- Zhi Zi Gardenia Fruit Gardenia clears heat and agitation.
How Heart Fire differs from its look-alikes
- Heart Yin Deficiency Yin deficiency is empty heat: quiet, worse at night, a thin pulse, little coat. Fire is full and loud with a forceful pulse and a yellow coat.
- Stomach Fire Stomach fire goes to the gums and the appetite. Heart fire goes to the tongue tip, the mind, and the urine.
What drains into Heart Fire
- Emotional strain, especially long worry that turned hot
- Spicy food, alcohol, coffee
- Heat from another organ reaching the Heart
- A hot constitution under stress
Food and habits that help Heart Fire
- No coffee, alcohol, or spicy food while the tongue tip is red.
- Lotus seed heart tea, or lophatherum tea, in the afternoon.
- Cool the mind: less screen, less noise, less arguing, more sleep.
- Mung bean soup and bitter greens.
What should change as Heart Fire improves
- Mouth ulcers and the burning urine settle within days.
- Sleep follows within a week or two.
- Stop the cold formula once the tongue tip cools.
Conditions where Heart Fire shows up
Sources
- Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 3rd edition Heart fire blazing.
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Dao Chi San.
Important Note
A pattern is a picture, not a diagnosis. Most people carry two patterns at once, and the signs here are the classic ones, not a checklist. Use this page to recognize yourself, read a formula label with understanding, and ask a qualified practitioner a sharper question.