Can regulating mood protect the liver?

According to the theory of five elements, wood (liver), fire (heart), soil (spleen), gold (lung) and water (kidney) are interrelated. If the physiological function of an organ is too much or too little due to climate, mood, diet and other factors, it will destroy the dynamic balance of the body and cause diseases. Chinese medicine believes that the six solar terms in spring should correspond to the liver, and the six solar terms in spring are full of liver qi, which is the season of vigorous liver function activity. Therefore, we should pay attention to the maintenance of the liver, so as to make the liver function normal, adapt to the climate change of the six solar terms in spring, and reduce the occurrence of diseases. If the six solar terms in spring are improperly adjusted or the liver qi stagnates, resulting in excessive liver wood, it may not only "take advantage of the spleen" (that is, the wood takes advantage of the soil), but also easily go up against the lung.

Six solar terms in spring, vigorous liver qi, born in Yang Qi. Because the climate of the six solar terms in spring is warm and cold, the human body is easy to feel the evil of wind and cold, the yang of the liver is injured, and there is no heart fire. In summer, there is insufficient fire in the six solar terms, which is prone to cold lesions. In addition, the liver itself is prone to diseases, or recurrence of old diseases such as hepatitis.

With the arrival of the six solar terms in spring, the warm climate will increase people's activity, increase their metabolism, accelerate their blood circulation, and increase the nutrients they need to meet the needs of various physiological activities. The acceleration of blood circulation mainly lies in the adjustment of blood volume, while the increase of nutrient supply focuses on digestion and absorption. These changes in physiological functions are closely related to the liver considered by traditional Chinese medicine.

"Liver storing blood" means that the liver has the function of storing blood and regulating blood volume, and another function of the liver is to dredge the spleen and help the spleen and stomach digest and absorb nutrients. Therefore, the metabolism of the human body has a great relationship with the liver. In order to adapt to the changes in nature, we must maintain the vigorous physiological function of the liver. If there is something wrong with the liver and it can't adapt to the climate change of the six solar terms in spring, some diseases may appear, especially those with liver disease. The so-called "spring should be in the liver" is the truth. Therefore, the health care of the six solar terms in spring should focus on the maintenance of the liver. This is the principle of "nourishing the liver in spring" in traditional Chinese medicine.