How does traditional Chinese medicine understand the liver? What are the symptoms of a bad liver?

Author: Sun Fengxia, Chief Physician, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Wei Junping, Chief Physician, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Deputy Director of the Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Group of the Endocrinology Society of the Chinese Medical Association

The liver in Western medicine is a solid organ located in the right upper abdomen. It is the largest digestive gland in the human body and has functions such as detoxification, immunity, metabolism, and blood storage. It is a very important organ in the human body and is often likened to a chemical factory in the human body.

The concept of the liver in traditional Chinese medicine is different from that in Western medicine, but it also has similarities, but it is even more complex than the concept of the liver in Western medicine.

1. How does Traditional Chinese Medicine understand the liver?

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the liver has two main functions: one is the function of dispersing and the other is the function of storing blood.

Figure 1 Original copyright image, no permission to reprint

The catharsis function generally includes five aspects:

The first is to regulate the spirit and mood. If the liver is not able to release enough, it will lead to depression, such as feeling listless all day long, not wanting to do anything, and feeling low. If the liver is too much, it will manifest as a bad temper and getting impatient when encountering a little thing.

The second is to help the spleen and stomach digest and absorb. The liver's drainage function directly affects the spleen and stomach's absorption and digestion functions; in addition, the liver can secrete bile, which helps the digestion and absorption of lipid substances.

The third is to maintain the flow of Qi and blood in the body. The liver can regulate the Qi of the whole body. The flow of blood is driven by Qi, which makes the body function normally. When the liver Qi is stagnant, the Qi and blood of the whole body are not smooth, which will cause many problems.

Fourth, it regulates water metabolism. In addition to blood, the human body also has other body fluid components, such as interstitial fluid and substances secreted by glands. If the liver fails to release fluid, tissue edema will occur, such as ascites, pleural effusion, or edema of the lower limbs and eyelids.

The fifth is related to reproduction. Women's menstruation and fertility are related to the liver's function of dispersing and discharging. Men's kidney function of storing sperm and sexual function are directly related to the liver. If the liver is not good, the kidney's function of sealing and storing sperm will be affected.

The function of storing blood mainly includes three aspects:

First, it has a storage function. Under normal circumstances, most of the blood circulates in the blood vessels to maintain the normal activities of the body, but some of the blood is stored in the liver for future use.

Second, it has the function of preventing bleeding. The liver can synthesize coagulation factors, which can prevent bleeding and stop bleeding.

The third is to regulate blood volume. In a calm state, blood in various parts of the body is basically evenly distributed. When exercising vigorously, the limbs will need more blood and more nutrients to supply. At this time, the liver plays a role in redistributing blood and regulating blood to disperse to the parts of the body that need it more.

2. What factors in daily life may damage the liver?

The liver is a very sensitive organ and can be easily damaged.

Common factors that damage the liver include viral infections such as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses. Viral infections can directly damage the physical liver.

Other factors include alcohol and drugs. Long-term heavy drinking can cause liver damage; some of the drugs you usually take, whether Western or Chinese medicine, can also cause liver damage, and even some health products can cause liver damage.

Another very common factor that is easily overlooked is obesity. Obesity can cause fatty liver disease, known as metabolic-related fatty liver disease, which is a very common disease nowadays. Many people do not regard fatty liver as a disease, and it does not affect eating or drinking. In fact, fatty liver can also develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The last influencing factor is emotional problems. Bad emotions and bad living habits will affect the liver, such as anger, rage, and staying up late.

3. What are the symptoms of liver problems according to traditional Chinese medicine?

What are the specific symptoms? The symptoms can be roughly divided into six categories.

First, mental and emotional problems, such as depression, impatience, and irritability. If it is liver qi stagnation, the main manifestation is low mood, frowning all day long, and being unhappy. It is possible that no major disease can be found during a checkup. Emotional problems often directly affect sleep, leading to insomnia and dreaminess.

Second, local liver problems, such as flank pain or pain, which may not necessarily be painful, but long-term discomfort in the flank, stuffiness, or discomfort, which is neither painful nor noticeable, but uncomfortable, causing troubles in life and leading to anxiety and depression.

Third, the impact of the liver on the surrounding organs. For example, if the spleen and stomach function is affected, digestion and absorption will be affected. How do you feel when you are angry? Not wanting to eat or having bloating, belching, hiccups after eating, or even dry stools, or diarrhea, abdominal pain, and tooth marks. This belongs to the syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency, which is equivalent to the accumulation of liver qi stagnation syndrome, and develops on the basis of liver qi stagnation.

Fourth, problems with the head and face, such as dry eyes, nose bleeding, mouth sores, etc.

Fifth, changes in skin color, such as facial redness, facial sallowness, and facial dullness. Some people always feel that their faces are not clean and that they are covered with dust. This is related to the dysfunction of the liver's drainage function. In addition, the liver governs the tendons and nails. The tendon and vein system relies on the liver's drainage and nourishment of the liver's blood vessels to function normally. If the liver does not store enough blood and the liver yin blood is insufficient, the tendons and veins will become stiff, such as limb stiffness, poor joint movement, leg cramps, dry nails, gray and dull nails, uneven nails, and vertical lines on the nails.

Sixth, reproductive problems, such as menstrual disorders and infertility in women, and sexual dysfunction and infertility in men.