Stagnant liver qi, which in many cases is caused by overeating and lack of exercise, means the qi is blocked and can cause
feelings of ‘sluggishness’. This leads to anger and frustration and a sense of being held back. At first, if the liver qi becomes blocked we can become depressed or frustrated, and then when the qi pushes through the blockage all at once, it shows up as anger. In a physical sense, liver stagnation can cause a sensation of having a lump in the throat or neck, distension in the breasts or abdomen, or clotting during menstruation.

Other stagnant liver signs include allergies, lumps or swelling, chronic indigestion, neck and back tension, fatigue, an inflexible body, eye problems, skin disorders, fingernail or toenail problems, muscular pain, period pain, tendon problems and being slow to get going in the morning. Emotional signs of stagnancy can be emotional repression, anger, frustration, resentment, impatience, edginess, depression, moodiness, impulsiveness, poor judgement, difficulty making decisions, mental rigidity and negativity.

The liver is the storage and purification centre for blood. It releases extra blood for menstruation or for increased activity levels. If the liver qi is stagnant, the blood purification duties of the liver will suffer and toxins maybe released into the blood stream. These toxins may eventually show up as acne, eczema or other skin problems. Blood toxins will also make degenerative problems, such as arthritis, worse.

Foods that help ease liver stagnancy in spring include both pungent and sweet foods. Try watercress, cardamom, oregano, dill, pepper or rosemary. In some cases, where the stagnancy is partly due to weakness in the liver rather than overwork, there may not be enough of the sour flavour in the diet. However it’s important to add sour foods very gradually, otherwise you can become constipated or get very tight tendons that may cause pain and injury. If you feel nervous and depressed or a bit frustrated, sour foods should help.