Good harmony between water and fire in the heart and kidneys leads to a healthy and long life with fewer diseases

Water and fire are both very common and important substances in nature. As "Shang Shu" said: "Water and fire are what the people eat and drink." Water and fire have their own characteristics. Mainly quiet, cold and cool in nature, moistening and hiding when going down; fire is active, warm and hot in nature, rising and burning upward and warming. The "water" and "fire" mentioned in the water-fire theory of traditional Chinese medicine are metaphors based on the characteristics of water and fire in nature to explain the life activities and pathological phenomena of the human body, and to guide clinical syndrome differentiation and treatment.

In nature, water and fire are the source of life. It is said that "the sky creates water and the earth creates fire"; but sometimes it can also bring disasters such as floods and fires. In the human body, water and fire also have physiological and pathological differences.

Physiological water is an important material basis for the human body, manifested in the body's body fluids, yin essence, blood, etc.; physiological fire is the yang energy that maintains the normal life activities of the human body. It warms and promotes the internal organs of the human body. Function, maintain normal life activities of the human body, and become the driving force of life activities.

Under physiological conditions, water and fire maintain mutual unity and balance, maintaining the life activities of the human body "silently". This is what traditional Chinese medicine often calls "water and fire are both harmonious" and "water and fire balance" "state. The common saying "water and fire are incompatible" emphasizes the mutual opposition between water and fire, that is, the "balance of water and fire" relationship is destroyed, and "water and fire are not in harmony" occurs. At this time, the human body will behave as follows Symptoms of "excessive heart fire" such as sores on the mouth and tongue, swelling and pain in the throat, carbuncles, sores, and boils, may also appear as symptoms of "overflowing water and dampness" such as edema due to Yang deficiency.

Each of the five internal organs has its own water and fire. The most common "water and fire balance" or "water and fire imbalance" often refers to the water and fire relationship between the heart and kidneys. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the heart governs the yang of the body, located at the top, and its nature is fire; the kidney governs the yin of the body, located at the bottom, and its nature is water. This relationship of fire above water and water and fire intersecting is called "water and fire both harmonize" and "heart and kidney intersect" in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, which is a manifestation of human health. If the heart yang is weak, the cold water will not melt, which will lead to the syndrome of "water qi overpowering the heart"; if the kidney water is insufficient, the syndrome of "excessive heart yang alone" will occur, which all belong to "water-fire imbalance" and "heart-kidney disharmony". ".

People with excessive heart yang have common symptoms such as dry mouth, bitter mouth, irritability and insomnia, mouth and tongue sores, short red urine, constipation, red tongue with yellow coating and less fluid, slippery and thready pulse, etc. We often treat these symptoms as Collectively referred to as "getting angry". TCM treatment should be based on the principle of “clearing the heart fire and nourishing the kidney water”. In order to avoid "getting angry", we should develop good living habits, go to bed early and get up early, calm our emotions, eat light, eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, and eat less lychee, durian, mango, longan, dog meat, etc. Hot foods such as mutton and spicy fried foods.

Here is a therapeutic recipe called lotus seed soup: 30 grams of lotus seeds (keep the heart of the lotus seeds), 15 grams of gardenia (packed in a gauze bag), and an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Add water to boil and then eat lotus seeds and drink the soup, which has the effect of clearing the heart and purging fire.

People with water-qi in the heart may experience palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting and saliva, cold body and cold limbs, fullness in the chest and epigastrium, thirst and inability to drink, difficulty in urination, chest tightness and pain, fatigue and weakness, and a floating face. Symptoms include swollen limbs, pale and fat tongue with moist or white greasy coating, slow and stringy or slippery pulse, or thin and knotty pulse, or slow and thready pulse. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment often focuses on "warming yang, resolving phlegm, and diluting water." Linggui Zhugan Decoction or Zhenwu Decoction is commonly used in clinical practice, but it requires a prescription from a qualified Chinese medicine practitioner for treatment.

If we usually have the above symptoms and it belongs to the syndrome of water-qi lingering in the heart, we can grind the white Poria cocos into fine powder. Take about 15 grams of Poria cocos powder each time and cook it with 100 grams of japonica rice to make porridge. It has the effect of diuresis and reducing swelling, and can be used as an auxiliary treatment for patients with edema symptoms due to water-qi lingering in the heart. Or use appropriate amounts of peanuts (unpeeled), raw barley, adzuki beans, and red dates, boil them together, and take a bowl each morning and evening. It also has a certain therapeutic effect on phlegm-dampness and edema.

The water-fire theory of traditional Chinese medicine is a relatively complex concept. In addition to the heart-kidney water-fire relationship, there are also various water-fire relationships such as yin-yang water-fire, five-element water-fire, kidney-water-fire, qi-blood-water-fire, and triple-burner water-fire. To maintain water-fire Balance is the basis of good health. A general principle is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a good mental state, and find a doctor in time to correct and adjust the imbalanced water and fire relationship through medication to achieve the purpose of health and longevity.