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In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is a saying that "the liver governs the free flow of qi", and "liver qi should be smooth and regulated". Liver qi refers to the function of the liver, and it is believed that once liver qi becomes stagnant, the circulation of qi and blood is easily inhibited, and functions are thus impaired:

• "Liver depression and spleen deficiency," "liver wood overacting on spleen earth," and "liver qi invading the stomach" are all used to describe the stagnation of liver qi and its inability to regulate and discharge, leading to impaired gastrointestinal function, digestive disorders, and symptoms such as nausea, bloating, and irregular bowel movements.
• Stagnation of liver qi is often accompanied by low mood and depressive mental symptoms.
• Stagnation of liver qi can also affect the circulation of qi and blood throughout the body, leading to pain, blockages, and the tendency for tissues to form hard lumps.

However, according to modern medical understanding of liver function, apart from secreting bile to aid in fat digestion, the liver itself does not contribute much directly to gastrointestinal digestion. The primary direct regulators of the digestive tract are the enteric nervous system and the autonomic nervous system, with the latter having widespread effects throughout the body, including:

• The sympathetic nervous system is used to cope with stress. It increases heart rate, accelerates breathing, and increases skeletal muscle tension, particularly by inhibiting gastrointestinal motility and digestive gland secretion. If the sympathetic nervous system is overly excited, gastrointestinal motility stagnates, food tends to accumulate, ferment, and cause bloating, leading to prolonged constipation and dry, hard stools due to excessive water absorption in the intestines.
• The parasympathetic nervous system is used for relaxation and rest. It slows the heart rate, stabilizes breathing, lowers blood pressure, and promotes gastrointestinal motility and digestive gland secretion. If the parasympathetic nervous system is overly excited, gastrointestinal motility becomes too fast, leading to frequent bowel movements and soft or watery stools due to insufficient water absorption in the intestines.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, one being yang and the other yin, must be coordinated and balanced for the body's various functions to operate normally. Otherwise, illness occurs, which modern medicine refers to as autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Stress and emotions can directly affect the autonomic nervous system, and severe cases can lead to dysfunction, inhibiting gastrointestinal motility and causing various symptoms of liver qi stagnation.

The autonomic nervous system is an essential component of the human body. How could TCM not have the autonomic nervous system? In fact, it is implicitly included within the broader concept of the liver.