Today, let's talk about the issue of recurring 'excessive internal heat'. Many people frequently suffer from symptoms like oral ulcers and sore throat, thinking it's just a heat issue. In reality, the heat is only the superficial sign; the true root cause lies in the kidneys reaching a state of extreme coldness.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, there is a concept called "extreme cold generates heat." When the kidneys are severely cold, it affects the function of the spleen and stomach. The spleen and stomach are like the "small furnace" in our body, requiring sufficient "fire power" to properly "cook" and digest food. However, if kidney coldness is too severe, the spleen and stomach lose their fire power and cannot effectively decompose food. Undigested food stagnates in the abdomen. Over time, just like food fermenting when left too long, this stagnation generates heat and produces this 'excessive internal heat'.

So many people, though clearly experiencing heat symptoms, take heat-clearing medicines. They may feel better temporarily, but within a few days the heat symptoms return, back and forth repeatedly. After all this back and forth, their spleen and stomach end up severely damaged. Why is that? It's because most heat-clearing medicines have a cold nature. Continuously taking cold-natured medicines further weakens an already deficient spleen and stomach, rendering them fundamentally unable to function normally.

The great physician Li Ke once said: "For all spleen and stomach disorders, if Li Zhong Tang is ineffective, swiftly use Si Ni Tang." What does this mean? It means that if the spleen and stomach are particularly unwell and the warming-spleen, tonifying-spleen Li Zhong Tang doesn't work, then one must immediately consider using Si Ni Tang. Why did Physician Li Ke say this? Because he understood early on that the spleen and stomach's digestion of food cannot proceed without the warmth of kidney yang. Kidney yang is like the "power source" for the spleen and stomach's work. Only when kidney yang is sufficient can the spleen and stomach function properly.

Let's talk about Li Zhong Tang and Si Ni Tang. The composition of Li Zhong Tang includes Ginseng (Ren Shen), Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang), White Atractylodes Rhizome (Bai Zhu), and Honey-fried Licorice (Zhi Gan Cao). Ginseng greatly tonifies original qi, Dried Ginger warms the middle and dispels cold, White Atractylodes strengthens the spleen and dries dampness, and Honey-fried Licorice harmonizes the various herbs. Combined, these four ingredients primarily warm the middle and strengthen the spleen, suitable for cases where spleen-stomach deficiency-cold is not too severe.

The composition of Si Ni Tang includes Aconite (Fu Zi), Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang), and Honey-fried Licorice (Zhi Gan Cao). Compared to Li Zhong Tang, Si Ni Tang contains one crucial additional ingredient: Aconite. Aconite is a powerful herb; it's the medicine that ignites the Gate of Life (Mingmen) fire. What is the Gate of Life fire? The Gate of Life fire is kidney yang, the root of the body's yang qi. When the Gate of Life fire is strong, it can use innate (congenital) yang qi to nourish the acquired (postnatal) spleen and stomach, allowing the spleen and stomach to become robust and healthy.

The spleen and stomach act as the pivotal axis of the middle jiao in our body, playing a connecting role between the upper and lower parts. When this middle jiao axis rotates smoothly, the entire body functions in harmony. The heart fire can descend, and kidney water can ascend, achieving a balance of cold and heat. This ensures that a person does not alternate between excessive heat and excessive cold, which represents the healthiest and most ideal state. Therefore, when dealing with recurrent episodes of "heat" or internal fire, starting with warming and supplementing the yang of the spleen and kidney can yield favorable results, with a lower likelihood of recurrence. If you, dear friends, also suffer from repeated bouts of internal heat, consider approaching it from this perspective and consult a professional practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine for evaluation.