Stomach Fire
The stomach burns and the hunger never settles: they eat and are hungry again soon after, with a dry mouth, strong breath and swollen gums.
In plain words
The stomach burns and the hunger never settles: they eat and are hungry again soon after, with a dry mouth, strong breath and swollen gums.
Spice, alcohol, grilled meat and very large meals, often with swallowed anger on top, keep heating the stomach. Heat consumes fluids and speeds everything up: appetite shoots up, stools dry out. And because the Stomach meridian (the pathway that channel of energy follows) ends at the face and gums, that is where the heat shows first.
Characteristic symptoms
- Sensation of intense burning in the epigastrium
- Ravenous hunger or insatiable appetite even after eating
- Inflamed, bleeding or ulcerated gums
- Intense halitosis (bad breath)
- Constant thirst for cold drinks
- Constipation with hard, dry stools
- Nausea and vomiting of acidic or bitter content
- Dry mouth with bitter or acid taste
Key clues to recognize it
- Ravenous hunger that returns soon after a meal.
- Red, swollen or bleeding gums, with strong breath.
- Thirst for cold drinks in quantity, with a red tongue and a dry yellow coating.
Tongue and pulse
- Tongue
- Red tongue with thick, dry yellow coating; cracks may be present
- Pulse
- Rapid (shuò) and full or slippery pulse
Treatment principle
Clear Stomach Heat, cool Fire, protect gastric Yin
Common points
Reference formula
Qing Wei San (Clear the Stomach Powder) or Bai Hu Tang (White Tiger Decoction)
What not to confuse it with
What aggravates it
- Spice, fried food, grilled meat and alcohol.
- Eating very fast and right up to full.
- Coffee on an empty stomach and energy drinks.
- Arguing, or swallowing anger, during meals.
Lifestyle advice
Avoid spicy, fried foods, alcohol, coffee and tobacco that feed the Fire. Eat cooling foods: cucumber, mint, plain yogurt, melon, pear. Eat slowly and in moderate amounts. Reduce stress that generates Heat in the Stomach. Drink enough water at room temperature.
When to see a doctor
Health notice. Educational and study content. It describes concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Needling, medicinal herbs and invasive techniques must be applied by trained professionals. Safety guide.
