Many friends, as soon as they feel a dry mouth and throat, and see a red tongue with little coating, immediately think they must be yin deficient and rush to buy yin-nourishing medicine. But to be honest, it's not so easy for us ordinary people to become truly yin deficient. If symptoms that look like yin deficiency appear, nine times out of ten, the problem lies first with yang qi.

Why do I say that? Think about it, we drink water and eat food every day, which indirectly replenishes the body's "yin fluids". In theory, we shouldn't be lacking. So why do some people still feel dry, even experiencing some signs of "internal heat"? The key lies in yang qi being too deficient. Yang qi is like a small stove at home; we rely on it to "boil" the water we drink, turning it into nourishing "water vapor" that can moisten the whole body. This way, places like the mouth, nose, and throat can be moistened. If yang qi is insufficient, then the water is like frozen water in winter—it just sits in the body, immobile. The upper parts that should be moistened aren't, naturally causing feelings of dryness and this so-called "deficiency fire."

I've met quite a few friends who complain of severe dry mouth—no matter how much water they drink, it doesn't help—and a constant burning sensation in the throat. When they stick out their tongue, it's red with little coating. Initially, they were all treated for yin deficiency, using yin-nourishing herbs like Ophiopogon japonicus (Maidong) and Dendrobium (Shihu). But not only did they not improve, they also began experiencing bloating and diarrhea. Later, when they switched to yang-tonifying herbs, such as adding some dried ginger (Ganjiang) and aconite (Fuzi), the dry mouth and burning throat improved significantly within just a few days.

Why did this happen? It's because they weren't actually "lacking water," but rather "the water wasn't boiling"—their yang qi was insufficient, so the water stagnated in the body and couldn't reach the areas that needed moistening. In such cases, no matter how much yin fluid you supplement, it won't help. You need to first boost the yang qi. Once the yang qi is sufficient, the water can properly evaporate and circulate throughout the body. Only then will issues like dry mouth and throat, heat in the upper body with cold in the lower body, naturally resolve.

This content is for reference only. Everyone's constitution is different. For specific medication guidance, it is essential to consult a professional traditional Chinese medicine practitioner for diagnosis. Do not take medication casually on your own!