Heat (Traditional Chinese medicine theory)

In traditional Chinese medicine, "heat" (热, *rè*) is a diagnostic pattern or syndrome characterized by symptoms such as fever, red complexion, irritability, agitation, dry mouth, sore throat, thirst, yellow tongue coating, and rapid pulse. Heat can be further classified as *full/excess heat* (usually due to Yang excess or external invasion) or *empty/deficient heat* (arising from Yin deficiency). It is not tied to a single disease but represents an imbalance, often conceptualized as disturbance of Yin-Yang equilibrium, affecting various organs such as the Heart ("Heart fire"), Lungs, or Stomach. TCM practitioners use symptomatology, pulse, and tongue examination rather than molecular markers to identify this pattern. Treatment is typically with "cooling" herbs or interventions aimed at restoring internal balance, rather than opposition at a molecular target. "Heat" as a TCM concept does not map to a specific molecule, receptor, enzyme, or pharmacological target in biomedicine, so it cannot be considered an actionable drug target under modern pharmacological frameworks.

Other names

Heat syndromeHeatinessFireWarm diseaseFull heatEmpty heatYang-excess heatYin-deficient heat