The Different Types of ‘Heatiness’ – Excessive Heat
There are many factors for feeling feverish or ‘heaty’ (发热/上火) during the Spring Festival.
Getting ‘heaty’ is the layman understanding for having ‘excessive internal heat’ symptoms in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
‘Heatiness’ can be divided into Excessive Heat and Heat Deficiency.
Excessive Heat
Symptoms of excessive heat are:-
Experiencing a heaty body can lead to various discomforts.
Primary heatiness symptoms include swollen gums, sore throat, bad breath, bitterness in the mouth, mouth and tongue redness, frequent ulcers, and red, dry eyes.
Secondary symptoms of excessive heat encompass conditions like erosion of the corners of the mouth (angular cheilitis), increased eye crust, thirst and tongue pain, dry nose and throat, nosebleeds, constipation or dry stools, dark yellow urine, irritability, increased appetite, and hemorrhoid attacks.
Main symptoms of excessive heat:
Main symptoms of excessive heat
- Swollen gums：Gums that appear enlarged, puffy, and sometimes painful.
- Sore throat：A persistent pain or irritation in the throat that may worsen when swallowing.
- Bad breath：Unpleasant odor from the mouth that doesn’t go away with brushing or mouthwash.
- Bitterness in the mouth：A constant bitter taste that can affect your sense of taste.
- Mouth and tongue redness：Red and inflamed appearance of the mouth and tongue, often accompanied by discomfort.
- Frequent ulcers：Recurrent small, painful sores inside the mouth that make eating and talking uncomfortable.
- Red and dry eyes：Eyes that appear bloodshot and feel dry, itchy, or gritty.
Secondary symptoms of excessive heat:
Secondary symptoms of excessive heat
- Erosion of the corners of the mouth：rashes, cracks or red, swollen patches in the corners of your mouth aka Angular cheilitis.
- increased eye crust：also known as eye discharge, or “sleep” in your eyes, eye gunk, or eye goop.
- Thirsty and tongue pain： Persistent thirst accompanied by pain or discomfort in the tongue.
- Dry nose and throat and nosebleeds occurrences：A dry feeling in the nose and throat, with frequent nosebleeds.
- Constipation or dry & solid stools： Difficulty in passing stools, which are hard, dry, and infrequent.
- Dark Yellow urine：Urine that appears darker than usual, indicating dehydration or concentration of waste products.
- Irritability：A heightened state of irritability or easily getting annoyed.
- Increased appetite and easily hungry：A noticeable increase in hunger and frequency of eating.
- Haemorrhoid attacks：Pain, swelling, and discomfort in the anal area due to inflamed hemorrhoids.
To address external heat (excessive fire) we must cleanse and detoxify the heat:
To address external heat (excessive fire) we must cleanse and detoxify, and to do so, we can use Chinese ready-made medicine, such as Sanhuang pills, Niuhuang Shangqing pills and so on in the market.
Chinese herbs to detoxify heat and treat Excess Heat
The foods that make up the constituents of the above mentioned Chinese Medicine also have the same effect of heat detoxification, and you can easily include them in your daily diet, either as foods or tea. These foods that detoxify heat include:
Chinese herbs to detoxify heat and treat Excess Heat
- Chrysanthemum,
- andrographis paniculata (Chuan Xin Lian ‘穿心连’),
- Tomato
- Bamboo shoots
- white radishes
- Winter melon soup or drink
- Romaine Lettuce (油麦菜)
- Spinach
- Purple spinach aka Amaranth
- black locust flower
Dietary care is one of the most effective and conducive methods to removing excessive heat and relieving internal heat buildup.
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This post is a part of a three-part series, you can read the other parts here:
Heatiness Part 1 – What is Heatiness & What Causes Heatiness
Heatiness Part 2 – What is Excessive Heat & How to Treat it
Heatiness Part 3 – What is Heat Deficiency & How to Treat it
We hope the tips shared in this series help to explain how to diagnose and treat ‘Heatiness’ from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective. If you notice these small methods above do not improve your condition, it may be due to more complex factors not addressed in these articles. You may need to consult a TCM physician so that you can properly diagnose the root cause.
