Our bodies are actually quite "clever." When something is not right, they tell us through various "little signals." Unfortunately, many people, busy with life, often overlook these signals. Today, let's talk about seemingly insignificant secretions like tears, sweat, phlegm, nasal mucus, and saliva. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, they may reflect the health condition of our five zang organs.

1. If the liver is not well, the eyes know first — tearing up in the wind, dry eyes

Do you also experience this: as soon as you go out and catch a little wind, tears involuntarily flow? Or after staring at your phone or computer for a long time, do your eyes feel as dry as the Sahara Desert?

In the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this may not be a problem with the eyes themselves, but rather your "liver" giving you a warning.

TCM often states that "the liver opens into the eyes," meaning the health condition of the liver is directly reflected in the eyes. Another important function of the liver is "storing blood," acting like the body's "blood bank." When liver blood is sufficient, the blood can adequately nourish the eyes, making them bright, clear, and vision sharp.

If liver blood is deficient and this "blood bank" is empty, the eyes lose nourishment, naturally leading to problems such as dryness, grittiness, blurred vision, and tearing in the wind. Such individuals often also experience dizziness, brittle nails that break easily, and insomnia with excessive dreaming at night, because the blood fails to nourish the spirit, affecting the mind and mental state as well.

Approach to Regulation: The focus lies in nourishing liver blood. You may consider learning about Guishao Dihuang Wan (Angelica and Peony Rehmannia Pill). Based on Liuwei Dihuang Wan (Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill), it adds Angelica sinensis (Danggui) and white peony root (Baishao) specifically to supplement liver blood.

2. If heart qi is deficient, sweat cannot be controlled — sweating easily, night sweats while sleeping

Some people are naturally "sweaty-handed", breaking into a full sweat with just a little nervousness or activity, even to the point of soaking the bed sheets while sleeping at night. This is known as night sweats.

At this point, we need to pay attention to our "heart". In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart is considered the "monarch organ", responsible for driving the yang energy throughout the body. When heart yang is sufficient, it is like having a "small sun" within the body, capable of firmly securing the fluids within the pores and allowing sweat to be discharged normally.

If heart yang or heart qi is insufficient, this "commander" lacks strength and cannot properly regulate the opening and closing of the pores, causing sweat to "escape" uncontrollably. This is why one may sweat with the slightest movement and experience palpitations and shortness of breath. At night, when yang energy should be drawn inward, but due to heart qi deficiency, yang fails to enter yin, night sweats become more likely, and one may also feel chills and have cold hands and feet.

Approach to regulation: The key is to warm and tonify heart yang and secure and astringe to stop sweating. You might consider learning about Xin Bao Wan, which helps supplement heart yang.

3. If the spleen and stomach are weak, phlegm and dampness cannot be cleared — always having phlegm in the throat, feeling unrefreshed

Many people often feel something stuck in their throat, unable to cough it out or swallow it down, especially upon waking up in the morning, where they need to "clear their throat" and cough up some phlegm before feeling comfortable.

The root cause of this "phlegm" likely lies in the "spleen." The spleen and stomach serve as our "quartermaster," responsible for transforming the nutrients from food and drink we consume. When the spleen's function is robust, the food and drink we ingest can be transformed into useful qi, blood, and bodily fluids, which are then distributed throughout the body.

Once the spleen becomes weak and its transformative capacity declines, the dampness within the body cannot be properly metabolized. This excess "dampness" accumulates and transforms into sticky "phlegm." This is why it is said that "the spleen is the source of phlegm production." Besides having excessive phlegm, such individuals often exhibit other typical signs of spleen deficiency with dampness accumulation, such as poor appetite, abdominal bloating, loose stools, and a heavy, fatigued body.

Approach to regulation: The core principle is to fortify the spleen and expel dampness, drying dampness and transforming phlegm. You may consider learning about the classic formula Er Chen Wan, which is a fundamental prescription for drying dampness and transforming phlegm.

IV. Weak Lung Qi, Unstoppable Runny Nose — Prone to Colds, Running with Clear Mucus

During seasonal transitions, some people are particularly prone to catching a cold, experiencing symptoms like sneezing, clear runny nose, and chills, as if no matter how many layers they wear, the wind still pierces through to their bones.

This is often a sign of the "lung" defense becoming weak. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that "the lung governs the skin and hair." Here, "skin and hair" does not merely refer to the skin and hair themselves but includes a protective layer of energy on the body's surface—the "defensive Qi." When lung Qi is sufficient, defensive Qi becomes strong, acting like a "golden bell shield" for the body, capable of warding off external pathogenic influences such as wind and cold.

If the lung qi is deficient, this "protective shield" develops a breach, making it easy for wind-cold pathogens to invade, leading to dysfunction of the lung's diffusion and purification functions. This results in symptoms such as nasal congestion, clear runny nose, coughing, and chills.

Treatment approach: Need to release the exterior and disperse cold, and diffuse lung qi. You might consider Tong Xuan Li Fei Wan, specifically designed for situations where wind-cold constrains the lung.

V. Kidney essence deficiency, excessive spitting in the mouth – dry mouth, lower back soreness, spitting saliva

The "spitting" mentioned here is not saliva overflowing, but rather a sensation of abnormal oral fluid: dry mouth yet frequently wanting to spit out thick, sticky saliva.

In TCM, saliva is divided into "xian" (thin saliva) and "tuo" (thick saliva). "Xian" is relatively thin and clear, associated with the spleen; while "tuo" is more viscous and sticky, originating from the kidney, transformed from kidney essence. If kidney essence is deficient and kidney yin is insufficient, abnormalities in fluid metabolism can occur. On one hand, insufficient yin fluids fail to moisten the mouth, leading to a sensation of dry mouth and tongue. On the other hand, deficient fire steams upward, condensing bodily fluids, resulting in sticky saliva in the mouth that one frequently feels the urge to spit out.

People with kidney yin deficiency may also experience symptoms such as soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, feverish sensations in the palms and soles (five-center heat), tidal fever, and night sweats, which arise because insufficient yin fluid fails to restrain yang energy.

The approach to regulation: The fundamental treatment is to nourish yin and tonify the kidneys. Consider learning about the widely familiar Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, a representative formula for nourishing kidney yin.