Syndrome of liver fire invading lung refers to the symptoms of the lung failing to depurate and clear due to invasion of adverse movement of fire in the liver meridian into the lung. According to the theory of five elements, it is called "wood-fire tormenting metal". This syndrome is usually caused by impairment of liver due to depression and rage and stagnation of qi transforming into fire; or by accumulation of pathogenic heat in the liver meridian attacking the lung.
 
Clinical manifestations:
Scorching pain in the chest and hypochondria, irritability and susceptibility to rage, dizziness and distension of head, flushed cheeks and red eyes, restless fever and bitter taste in the mouth, paroxysmal cough, yellowish thick and sticky sputum, or hemoptysis, dry feces, yellowish and reddish urine, reddish tongue, yellowish thin fur and taut and rapid pulse. Such symptoms are usually seen in bronchiectasis, pulmonary tuberculosis, endobronchial tuberculosis and lung cancer.
 
Analysis of the symptoms:
Scorching pain in the chest and hypochondria, irritability and susceptibility torage, dizziness and distension of head, flushed cheeks and red eyes are caused by internal stagnation of liver meridian qi and fire~ restless fever and bitter taste in the mouth are caused by heat steaming gallbladder qi; paroxysmal cough, yellowish thick and sticky sputum are caused by liver fire attacking the lung and failure of the lung to clear and depurate; hemoptysis is caused by internal exuberance of fire and heat impairing pulmonary collaterals; dry feces, yellowish and reddish urine are caused by exuberant heat consuming fluid; reddish tongue, yellowish thin fur and taut and rapid pulse are the signs of internal exuberance of sthenia-fire in the liver meridian.
 
Key points for syndrome differentiation:
This syndrome is marked by cough, hemoptysis, scorching pain in the chest and hypochondria, susceptibility to anger and internal exuberance of sthenia-fire.