Syndrome of incoordination between liver and stomach refers to the symptoms of epigastric and hypochondriac distension and pain due to stagnation of liver qi which invades the stomach and prevents gastric qi from normal descending. This syndrome is mainly caused by emotional upsets, stagnation of liver qi and invasion of liver qi into the stomach.
 
Clinical manifestations:
Hypochondriac and epigastric distending pain or wandering pain, hiccup, belching, acid regurgitation, anorexia, mental depression, irritability and susceptibility to anger and sigh, whitish thin or yellowish thin tongue fur, taut pulse or taut and rapid pulse. Such symptoms are usually seen in acute gastritis, chronic gastritis, digestive ulcer, reflux esophagitis, cholecystitis and gallstones.
 
Analysis of the symptoms:
Hypochondriac and epigastric distending pain or wandering pain are caused by failure of the liver to disperse and convey, invasion of adverse flowing liver qi into the stomach and failure of gastric qi to descend; hiccup, belching, acid regurgitation and anorexia are caused by stagnation of qi and fire in the stomach and adverse flow of gastric qi; mental depression, irritability and susceptibility to anger and sigh are caused by failure of the liver to act freely, stagnation of qi and transformation of fire from stagnated qi; whitish thin or yellowish thin tongue fur, taut pulse or taut and rapid pulse are the signs of stagnation of liver qi and transformation of fire from stagnated qi.
 
Key points for syndrome differentiation:
This syndrome is marked by distending pain or wandering pain in the chest, hypochondria and stomach as well as hiccup and retching.