The liver is the official of the general, and it is the source of all thoughts and ideas. –The liver is likened by Qibo to the general of a nation, that is, the liver is the “general’s official”. In a country, the general is in charge of the army and is a symbol of strength. Therefore, the liver is also in charge of power in the human body. The liver is in charge of the drainage, blood collection and fascia, and its location is in the east, in spring, so the liver is in charge of growth and development. The physiological characteristics and functions of the liver are summarized in three main aspects. First, the liver is responsible for draining. Drainage, i.e. transmission, unblocking, venting. Because the liver is wood, like the trees in spring, it is the main organ of growth and development. It brings out the internal qi of the body, so that the breath flows freely. If the qi is not released, it is called “qi blockage”, which can cause many pathological changes, such as edema, bruising, and amenorrhea in women. All of these conditions are caused by poor qi flow. Poor Qi flow can cause many problems. The liver is the function of draining qi. If liver qi is stagnant, we need to use medicines to de-stress the liver and regulate qi. In addition to draining qi, the liver also has the function of draining the emotions. As long as we are human, we will have seven emotions, six desires, seven emotions and five wills, that is, joy, anger, sadness and happiness these emotions. These emotions are also reliant on the liver for their release. One of the most common problems of modern people, which can be said to be an “epidemic”, is depression. In the past, we used to greet each other by saying, “Have you eaten?” Nowadays, when many people meet, they ask each other jokingly, “Are you depressed?” Depression is because the liver qi is not released. The most obvious manifestation of this is “anger”. Therefore, the liver is the master of anger, and anger is often the expression of the general. At the same time, the liver also draining “water and grain essence”, that is, people eat the food into nutrients, rely on the liver to transfer them to the whole body. So the liver is the main drainage includes these three aspects. Second, the liver collects blood. According to Chinese medicine, the heart is the main blood source, and the liver collects blood. The liver is a warehouse for storing blood and is the blood bank that regulates the amount of blood in the peripheral circulation. Therefore, if the liver and blood are not protected, the human essence will be insufficient. Because “essence” in a broad sense, includes blood. Third, the liver is responsible for the fascia. Tendons are the ligaments, tendons, fascia and joints in the human body. Tendons are tough and rigid and have a restraining and protective effect on bones, muscles and other moving organs. The normal flexion and extension movement of the fascia requires the nourishment of liver blood. Liver blood is sufficient to make the tendons strong, so that the tendons and fascia of the limbs are fully nourished, so that the limb joints can move flexibly, strong and powerful; liver blood deficiency, failure to supply the tendons and fascia with sufficient nutrition, then the ability of the tendons to move will be reduced, tendon fatigue, flexion and extension difficulties. Liver body Yin and Yang, so the function of tendons and liver Yin and liver blood relationship is particularly close. In old people, when the liver blood is weak, the tendons lose their nourishment, so the movement is sluggish and dysfunctional. Many tendon pathologies are related to the function of the liver. If the liver blood is insufficient, the blood does not nourish the tendons, or if the heat evil burns the liver’s yin blood, it will cause the liver wind to move internally, resulting in numbness of the limbs, unfavorable flexion and extension, detention of the tendons, and in severe cases, twitching of the limbs, trembling of the hands and feet, clenching of the teeth, and angular arching. The four aspects of liver nourishment – emotion, sleep, diet and labor How to nourish the liver? The four main aspects of nourishing the liver are emotion, sleep, diet and work. Firstly, emotion and will The liver drains qi and emotions. If a person is often angry, it will definitely affect the liver. When the liver is depressed, people tend to feel depressed and melancholy disorders will ensue. So usually, everyone should pay attention to keep their emotions stable, do not often get too excited about things, especially not to get angry, because anger hurts the liver. If the liver is too strong, Chinese medicine is called liver fire on the inflammation, easily induced hypertension. Therefore, patients with hypertension must pay attention to the maintenance of liver energy, maintain emotional stability, and maintain a peaceful state of mind. If people with cardiovascular disease do not pay attention to the maintenance of liver qi, and are agitated and angry, they are likely to suffer from stroke and cerebral infarction. If you are emotionally unstable and have liver qi deficiency, it will cause deficiency. Therefore, the first element of nourishing the liver is to maintain emotional stability. Secondly, sleep According to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, “When you lie down, blood returns to the liver”. What does this phrase mean? It means that when a person falls asleep, the blood in the body will return to the liver. One of the functions of the liver is to collect blood, so people should pay more attention to resting, and resting under the bed, to have a good sleep. So when is the best time to sleep? According to Chinese medicine, it is time to go to sleep at 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and at midnight, it is time to go to deep sleep because the bile meridian goes at midnight, and the liver meridian goes at midnight (1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.). So at this time people must rest in bed and go into a deep sleep. Third, diet Diet should be light, try to eat less or no spicy, stimulating food, these foods can damage the liver qi, directly affecting the liver. For example, ginger, chili pepper and these things should be eaten as little as possible. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits; do not overeat or hunger and satiety. If you want to nourish the liver and blood, you can eat wolfberry, angelica, gum and these things, which help to nourish the liver and blood. Spring energy passes through the liver, and spring tends to make the liver vigorous. The liver is open to the eyes. If the liver blood is insufficient, the eyes will easily become dry and faint. Therefore, there is a saying in Chinese medicine: “Spring tonic has a trick, nourishing the liver and brightening the eyes is the first priority.” You can drink salvia and soybean soup, wash salvia and put it in a casserole, soak soybeans in cool water for 1 hour, pour it into a pot and add water to make soup, until soybeans are rotten, pick out salvia and add honey to taste better. You can also drink pig liver and wolfberry soup, wolfberry and red dates egg soup, etc. There is also a very important liver is to drink more water, less alcohol. The liver’s ability to metabolize alcohol is limited, so more alcohol will hurt the liver. At the same time keep the five flavors not biased, food protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, etc. to maintain the appropriate ratio. It is also important not to be partial to food or drink. Fourth, work Do not overwork. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine mentions that “the liver is the source of the strike”, which means that the liver is in charge of fatigue, or is resistant to fatigue. The liver is sufficient, tolerate fatigue; the liver is insufficient, it is easy to feel fatigue. Therefore, do not often fatigue work, and do not fatigue exercise, fatigue will damage the liver. In the spring, outdoor activities suitable for the season, such as walking, trekking, playing ball, playing tai chi, etc., not only can make the human qi and blood flow smoothly, promote the exhale and nourish the new, strengthen the body, but also can enjoy the liver, to achieve the purpose of liver health care. Clothing should be loose, loose sash, draped hair, the body can be stretched, blood and Qi do not stagnate, liver Qi and blood smoothly, the body is bound to be strong and healthy. Life from the above four aspects of more attention, you can achieve the purpose of liver.