"Excessive fire qi" is also known as "excessive internal heat" or "heatiness," which means the body is excessively "burning." This often occurs due to overexertion and fatigue, such as staying up late or working long hours without rest. The body activates emergency reserves and increases metabolic rate to cope, leading to the phenomenon of "heatiness" over time. Alternatively, consuming too much dry, spicy, grilled, or fried food can cause a surge in internal toxins or combustion-promoting substances, triggering the body's protective mechanisms and accelerating internal combustion, resulting in "heatiness." The type caused by overexertion is called "deficient fire," while that caused by excessive consumption of dry and spicy foods is called "excess fire." This phenomenon is similar to what modern medicine refers to as the "stress response."
Modern people often work overtime and engage in leisure activities that deplete their energy, so "deficient fire" is more common than "excess fire." Therefore, this article will focus primarily on "deficient fire."
If the body is frequently in a state of overwork, excessive resource consumption, and high metabolic rate, over time, it will lead to hyperactive bodily functions but deficient basic resource supply, accumulation of metabolic waste, and the sacrifice of certain secondary functions (such as mucous membrane repair and immune surveillance). Specific symptoms include bad breath (due to metabolic waste accumulation and deficient excretion), acne (due to clogged pores from excessive oil and dirt), mouth sores (due to insufficient resources for mucous membrane repair), bitter taste in the mouth (due to a surge in stress hormones), insomnia (due to hyperactive brain nerves), dry and bloodshot eyes (due to insufficient resources for lubrication), dark and foul-smelling urine (due to rapid combustion and excessive metabolic waste production), tinnitus, headache, constipation, and a host of other symptoms collectively known as "heatiness."
There are many types of "fire" in the human body. TCM divides the body's fire into "monarch fire" and "ministerial fire." The five zang and six fu-organs all have fire. In the heart, it is called "monarch fire," while in the rest, it is called "ministerial fire." "Monarch fire" refers to the heart fire, which is valued for its clarity and illumination, related to consciousness and cardiac output. Insufficient heart fire leads to lethargy and decreased physical strength, while excessive heart fire causes dysphoria. It must be just right for a person to maintain clear consciousness and agility. "Ministerial fire" is the fire of the prime minister, tasked with assisting the monarch fire in governing the body and regulating the rate of oxidative combustion. There is also the "life gate ministerial fire," located between the kidneys, which is the root of innate life, the source of current life, and the gate to the next generation. In summary, "fire" plays a role in regulating, producing energy, and warming the body, encompassing the functions of various hormones discovered by modern medicine (though the role of hormones is not the entirety of ministerial fire, just a small part of this macrocosm). Ministerial fire should also be moderate, as both excess and deficiency are pathological.The human heart, as the monarch of the body's microcosm, if it becomes muddled and unclear, indulges in staying up late, overworking, or consuming inappropriate foods, it increases the metabolic rate and metabolic waste. At this point, the ministerial fire will rise to regulate and meet the demands of the monarch fire. Commonly referred to as "excessive fire qi," it is the overactivity of the monarch fire and/or ministerial fire. Excessive mental exertion leads to overactive monarch fire, causing hyperactive brain nerves and accelerated heart rate to deliver oxygen and nutrients; overwork leads to overactive ministerial fire, accelerating internal oxidative combustion for energy production. However, the body's basic resources are limited, and burning too fast without sufficient input leads to the aforementioned symptoms. Frequent occurrences can deplete the "national treasury," leading to more severe diseases such as emaciation (due to muscles being used as fuel), osteoporosis (due to marrow being depleted for emergencies), slow wound healing, anemia (due to insufficient basic resources), cancer (due to low immune surveillance and metabolic waste accumulation), and more.
People who are prone to "getting angry" are usually weak. They tend to "get inflamed" with just a little fatigue or after consuming stimulating foods, which is known as "weak people with excessive fire." Such individuals often have a long-term deficiency in essential substances like essence and blood. Their ability to digest, absorb, and utilize food is also poor, often depleting the nutrients obtained from daily meals. With no surplus materials to store and easily triggering stress responses due to overwork, they burn through their reserves. Consequently, they are always caught in a vicious cycle of deficiency, easy fatigue, and frequent anger.Treating the "excessive fire" of deficiency is not as simple as "purging fire." Most people who are prone to "getting heated" must have varying degrees of deficiency in their bodily functions. Therefore, strengthening the deficient functions is the most crucial treatment. "Excessive fire" is the body's way of helping itself cope with emergencies and overcome difficulties, which can be seen as the body's last line of defense. Its essence is also to aid the body, so if there are no serious complications, it is not advisable to purge the fire easily. Even if purged, not only does the body become weaker, but it is also prone to getting heated again. This cycle repeats until the patient is completely depleted. As for "excess fire," it is purely due to excessive burning with no significant deficiency, and can be directly purged.
Most people are ignorant of everything within their own bodies, just as humanity knows almost nothing about the vast cosmic environment. The best humans can do is to coexist peacefully with this universe, which is the optimal solution and the reason why Taoism advocates non-action. Most of humanity's actions are driven by material desires, exploiting and damaging this environment, leading to the greenhouse effect. Similarly, an ignorant mind, driven by sensory desires, exploits its own body, causing deficient fire to rise. Both are driven by desires, both result in excessive burning, and both lead to getting heated.
