Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
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: Toothache Headaches
Pulse type(s): Floating (Fu), Slippery (Hua)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Red
Treatment
Common formulas: Qing Wei San Yu Nu Jian
Pathology
Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat 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 Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat gives rise to such diverse symptoms as toothache, headaches, breast distention and breast lumps (as well as twenty five others).
To diagnose a pattern, analyzing a patient's pulse as well as their tongue is common practice. In the case of Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat patients tend to exhibit floating (Fu) or slippery (Hua) 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 Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat is thought to sometimes induce conditions such as morning sickness, breast engorgement or mastitis (as well as six others).
Diagnosing Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
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): Floating (Fu) or slippery (Hua)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Red
Main symptoms: Fever Thirst Blister Red eyes Red face Toothache Headaches Dry mouth Dry throat Breast pain Breast heat Malar flush Breast lumps Restlessness Constipation Breast eczema Bleeding gums Swelling gums Breast redness Breast nodules Breast hardness Vomiting of food Breast distention Uneven milk supply Breast skin cracks Breast pus discharge Breast skin ichiness White spots on nipples Scanty clear urination
Treating Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
Herbal formulas used to treat Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
Wen Dan Tang
Source date: 1174 AD
Number of ingredients: 8 herbs
Key actions: Clears Phlegm. Clears Gallbladder. Regulates Qi. Harmonizes the Stomach.
Formula summary
Wen Dan Tang is a 8-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1174 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that dry Dampness and transform Phlegm.
Besides Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat, Wen Dan Tang is also used to treat Phlegm Misting the Heart or Gallbladder Deficiency.
Qing Wei San
Source date: 1336 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Key actions: Drains Stomach Fire. Cools the Blood. Nourishes the Yin.
Formula summary
Qing Wei San is a 5-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1336 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat from the Organs.
Besides Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat, Qing Wei San is also used to treat Stomach Heat or Fire.
Yu Nu Jian
Source date: 1624 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Key actions: Drains Heat from the Stomach. Nourishes Yin.
Formula summary
Yu Nu Jian is a 5-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1624 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat from the Organs.
Besides Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat, Yu Nu Jian is also used to treat Kidney Yin Deficiency.
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 Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat, 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.
Morning sickness Breast engorgement Mastitis Trigeminal neuralgia Stomatitis Periodontitis Glossitis Diabetes Viral myocarditis
Special highlight: the link between mastitis and Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
Snake Gourds (Gua Lou) is the key herb for Gua Lou San, a formula used for mastitis caused by Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
Typical symptoms for mastitis caused by Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat: Fever Thirst Blister Red eyes Dry mouth Breast pain Breast heat Malar flush Breast lumps Restlessness Constipation Breast redness Breast hardness Breast distention Uneven milk supply Breast skin cracks Breast pus discharge Breast skin ichiness White spots on nipples Scanty clear urination
Recommended herbal formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Gua Lou San
If the nursing mother doesn't follow a suitable diet and consumes excessive amounts of hot and greasy food after birth giving, the heavy-to-digest food brews in the Stomach and it creates toxins and Heat.
The breast belongs to the Stomach channel (also called Bright Yang channel), so the toxic Heat will naturally flow from the Stomach to the breasts. It clogs milk ducts and creates heaviness, heat, hardness, boil, swelling, pain, redness and nodules or lumps in the breasts. When this situation...Read more about mastitis
Special highlight: the link between breast engorgement and Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
Snake Gourds (Gua Lou) is the key herb for Gua Lou San, a formula used for breast engorgement caused by Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat
Typical symptoms for breast engorgement caused by Stomach Fire or Stomach Heat: Thirst Red eyes Dry mouth Breast pain Breast heat Malar flush Breast lumps Breast eczema Breast nodules Breast hardness Breast distention Uneven milk supply
Recommended herbal formulas: Unblock Nursing Tea, Gua Lou San
If the nursing mother consumes excessive amount of Hot food (not the actual temperature but the Chinese Medicine nature of food) and greasy food after giving birth, the heavy-to-digest food brews in her Stomach and creates toxins and Heat.
The breast belongs to the Stomach Channel (also called Bright Yang channel), through which the Heat flows to the breasts. It clogs milk ducts and creates heaviness, hardness, boils, swellings, pain, redness and nodules or lumps in the breasts. When this...Read more about breast engorgement