Author Archives: Robert Hale

In Springtime, Support Your Liver!

In Chinese medicine, the start of spring is based on the traditional Chinese solar calendar, which divides the year into 24 solar terms. The first solar term is called Lìchūn (立春), meaning “Beginning of Spring.” This marks the official start of spring in TCM and typically occurs around February 3rd or 4th, depending on the year. It is calculated based on the position of the sun. Lìchūn reflects a shift in energy from winter’s deep Yin (rest, stillness) to the gradual emergence of Yang energy (growth, renewal). It aligns with nature’s rhythms, where seeds begin to stir underground, animals awaken, and life starts to regenerate.

In the body springtime corresponds to the liver. In other words the energy (Qi) of the liver is both more active and more vulnerable in spring, and the flow and economy of the body’s energy (Qi) is particularly influenced by the liver at this time of year.

In Chinese medicine the Liver is responsible for several functions including regulating the smooth flow of Qi in the body, storing and regulating the supply of blood, supporting digestion, nourishing the ligaments and tendons, maintaining the health of the eyes, supporting and regulating the menstrual cycle.

Green is the colour associated in Chinese medicine with springtime and with the the liver. The green in plants is the pigment chlorophyll, an extraordinary molecule that uses sunlight as energy to transform carbon dioxide in the air to sugar and oxygen. Sugar provides energy for the plant’s growth, repair and metabolism. Chlorophyll contains magnesium, so green leafy vegetables are important sources of this mineral in our diet. Magnesium is essential for metabolism, much of which occurs in the liver, and this ties in with the liver’s function of regulating the flow of Qi in Chinese medicine.

According to Chinese medicine liver imbalances may give a range of symptoms depending on the kind of imbalance and the organs that are most affected by it because of your constitution or because of the specific circumstances at the time.

However, typical “liver symptoms” (what I call “liveriness”) include shoulder, neck tension and jaw tension, clenching or grinding the teeth at night, tension headaches, dizziness, an unpleasant feeling of heat inside or being too hot, intolerance of hot stuffy environments, premenstrual syndrome, menstrual pain and irregularities, irritability, quick temper, anxiety, depression, mood swings, rib pain that shifts, red and ichy eyes, eye issues in general. Liver imbalances can also manifest as poor digestion with discomfort and bloating, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, chronic skin problems, allergies, food intolerance and sensitivities, fatigue and lethargy.

But remember: don’t self-diagnose! Remember that although all of these are common liver symptoms, many of them may be caused by other kinds of imbalances too.See a qualified practitioner of Chinese medicine.

Here are six great herbs used by Western herbalists to support this vital organ. There are many others and each is unique in its characteristics and uses. Medical herbalists choose the right herbs to suit the individual person and condition.

Dandelion: The root is used to support liver function, while the leaves are diuretic and a great addition to salads too!

Gentian: The root is very bitter and is a wonderful digestive stimulant.

Artichoke: The leaves, stem and roots are used in herbal medicine to improve digestion and reduce cholesterol.

Burdock: Burdock root is a general depurative working on the liver and kidneys to expel toxins.

Fumitory: The above ground parts are used to treat issues arising from liver imbalances.

Milk Thistle: A liver tonic which protects the liver from toxins, including drugs used in cancer chemotherapy.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is great for liver imbalances! Traditional Chinese medicine never prescribes herbs singly, but in combination with other herbs that together make a balanced formula which treats a certain pattern of ill health. Over the past 3000 years a very large number of formulas have been developed in order to account for the many specific variations of the known disease patterns. Moreover, each formula can be varied by the practitioner by additions, subtractions, substitutions or modifications in the proportions of the different herbs.

Here is an example. It is an eight-herb formula called Xiao Yao San, variously translated as “Rambling Powder”, “Leisure Powder”, “Free and Easy Wanderer Powder”. The formulas tend to have poetic names! But the names are appropriate. Xiao Yao San is the most commonly used formula for what Chinese medicine calls Liver Qi Stagnation, and treats patterns that include several of the following symptoms: Anger, irritability, frustration or depression; a general feeling of “stress”, tension or anxiety; distension, pressure, discomfort or pain in the chest, rib cage or upper abdomen; neck and shoulder tension; jaw tension, grinding of the teeth; distension, lumps or swellings in the breasts in women; premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea; constipation and/or diarrhoea, bloating, gas, loss of appetite.



IMPORTANT: Never self-diagnose or self-prescribe Chinese herbal formulas!

With regard to lifestyle, the things listed below are generally beneficial to the liver.

  • Green Leafy Vegetables and Bitter Greens like kale, collards, chard, spinach, beet greens, bok choy, rucola, chicory, dandelion.
  • Sour Foods like sour dough rye bread, sauerkraut, pickles, tart apples, grapefruit, lemons. While these are generally tonifying to the liver in small quantities, in larger quantities they are harmful, especially in spring. (More on the seasonal aspect of diet below.)
  • Cooling Foods: Traditionally plums, watercress, celery, mung beans and tofu have been used to cool Liver Heat. However, in spring if there are no heat symptoms, mildly warming vegetables are indicated instead, to align with the seasons energies (see below).
  • Mindful Eating: Eat slowly, calmly, avoid eating when stressed.
  • Relaxation and de-stressing: Meditation, yoga, taichi, walking in nature, creative activities.
  • Physical Exercise: Sport, gym, hiking, etc.
  • Stretching: A regular muscle stretching routine.
  • Sleep: Adequate regular restful sleep.

And these are things that may harm the Liver:

  • Chronic stress and supressed or repressed emotion: tension, frustration, resentment, anger
  • Poor diet: excess fatty or spicy foods
  • Drugs: alcohol, caffeine, recreational drugs, many pharmaceuticals.
  • Poor sleep: shallow or broken sleep, frequently waking during night
  • Sedentary lifestyle: lack of physical activity, too much sitting.
  • Toxins: environmental pollutants and work-related toxins e.g. varnishes, solvents.
  • Overwork: physical or mental strain.
  • Wind: exposure to strong wind for too long can agitate liver Qi (energy), while cold wind can disrupt ts proper movement.

Of course this has to be interpreted with common sense. Moderate alcohol or coffee consumption isn’t going to kill you. Brief exposure to a brisk wind may be energising rather than harmful. Pharmaceuticals are not the work of the devil, and taking them is always a balance between risks and benefits.

In spring when the Qi energy of the liver is most active, we need to support it by being especially kind to our livers! So far as diet is concerned, one of the oldest texts on Chinese medicine, The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon: Basic Questions (The Huangdi Neijing Suwen) recommends aligning the diet with the seasons. In the spring eat foods that support the free flow of Qi and the upward, outward movement of energy characteristic of the season: light, fresh, and mildly warm foods (e.g., young greens, sprouts, leeks), especially those with sweet and slightly acrid flavors (e.g., carrots, fennel, ginger). Young greens and sprouts align perfectly with the upward, outward movement of spring. Avoid heavy, greasy, and overly salty foods, which can stagnate the rising energy of spring.

For good overall health, make sure you are kind to your liver in Springtime!



[The images used in this article are royalty-free.]

The Difference between Chinese and Modern Western Medicine

Chinese and modern Western medicine are very different in terms of how disease and ill-health are conceived and treated, and in terms of their relative advantages and disadvantages. I will attempt to describe these differences below, but I should point out that what follows is just my own understanding, and others may have other opinions.

Western medicine attempts to identify biological abnormalities in the body’s tissues. It gives a short name to each disease, according to the distinct abnormalities that characterise each one. And it seeks to treat disease by chemically manipulating the body in very specific ways to cure the disease or failing that to mitigate its impact or reduce its symptoms. If the disease is severe and of a structural nature, surgery is used to remove the offending tissue or replace it. This is of course a generalisation, and I do not want to be accused of promoting a stereotype. I know there are many amazing methods that are currently used or are in development which go beyond this characterisation, but still, nobody can deny that the lion’s share of medicine as practised today is pharmaceuticals or surgery. A big problem with modern Western medicine is the side-effects, and a big advantage is its success in treating life-threatening disease and trauma.

Chinese medicine looks at illness and treats it in a completely different way. Illness is described in terms of groups of symptoms which Chinese doctors have noticed over many centuries of observation to commonly occur together. These are called patterns. The patterns are related energy flow in the body and indeed also in relation to that in the outer environment. There are different kinds, qualities and levels of energy in the body, that all move in their own particular ways. Ultimately everything boils down to the interaction of Yin and Yang, the two opposing yet inseparable and complementary energetic tendencies that are the essence of everything in existence. Treatment – by herbs, diet, acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion and massage – aims to restore balance in the energy flow within the body and harmonise it with that in the outside environment. Chinese medicine is gentler than Western medicine, producing fewer side-effects, and aims to eliminate the underlying reasons for the illness so far as possible. It is less applicable than Western medicine when disease is very serious and in emergency situations.

[Image generated by AI.]

The “EJiao” Problem

Chinese herbal medicine uses a very large number of remedies, mostly plant material but also including minerals and some animal products. All of these are conventionally, if somewhat illogically, termed “herbs” in Chinese medicine. Some of the animal medicines are problematic for animal welfare, environmental, biodiversity or socio-economic reasons.

One such is EJiao – Donkey gelatin – derived from donkey hides. It is an important nutritive remedy used to “tonify the blood”. But the demand for donkey hides for EJiao production in China is so great that donkeys are being exported en masse from Africa, where they are traditionally used as working animals. As a result, apart from concerns about their welfare, they are becoming economically inaccessible to local people (The Conversation, 6th February 2023).

I do not use EJiao or any other problematic animal products in my practice of Chinese herbal medicine. Cow or pig gelatin can be used instead, and indeed cowhide gelatin was usually used until the 11th century, when donkeys became more widely available. Moreover, there are plant medicines which may be utilised for the same purpose, perhaps slightly less effectively but much more ethically. And happily, Chinese researchers are developing synthetic gelatin alternatives which have shown therapeutic promise.

This is not an African donkey but a little fellow I made friends with on the island of Euboea in Greece in 2024.