"I keep taking tonics, yet my headaches are becoming more frequent." This is a common confusion. When stress is high or sleep is poor, one side of the head feels as if it is being pricked by needles or struck by a hammer. Some people assume it is "qi and blood deficiency" and desperately consume ejiao and red dates, only to feel worse the more they tonify. Why? Because this type of migraine is often not "deficiency" but "blockage." Traditional Chinese medicine holds that "where there is no free flow, there is pain." Under great stress, liver qi becomes stagnant, and the movement of qi becomes blocked within the meridians. When sleep is poor, yin blood becomes insufficient, and yang qi floats upward to the head. When the two combine, one side of the head becomes a "battlefield."
Misconception One: Migraine Is Simply "Blood Deficiency," and Tonifying Blood Will Cure It
Many people, upon experiencing a migraine, immediately conclude it is "blood deficiency" and begin taking danggui, longan, and ejiao cakes. What happens? The more they tonify, the more internal heat flares up, and the headache becomes even more severe. Traditional Chinese medicine holds: "Qi is the commander of blood; blood is the mother of qi."> The Huangdi Neijing states: "When liver qi is stagnant, blood movement is impeded." Under great stress, liver qi becomes blocked first, and the blood that is tonified simply cannot reach where it needs to go. Instead, it stagnates locally, becoming "pouring oil on the fire." Clinically, these individuals often also present with dry mouth, irritability, and dry stools. Simply tonifying blood will only worsen the congestion.
The correct TCM interpretation: Unblock first, then consider tonifying. The root of migraine lies in impaired qi movement, especially along the liver and gallbladder meridians that traverse both sides of the head. High stress causes liver qi stagnation; poor sleep prevents yin blood from anchoring yang qi, and yang qi rushes upward to the head. At this point, what is most needed is to "soothe the liver and regulate qi, and guide the fire back to its source," rather than blindly tonifying. Foods and herbs such as chrysanthemum, mint, and rose buds can help soothe liver qi to some extent, but they should be used under the guidance of a licensed TCM practitioner. Here it is necessary to know an acupoint — Taichong, also known as "Dachong," which belongs to the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian and is the yuan-source point of the liver meridian. It is located in the depression on the dorsum of the foot, anterior to the junction of the first and second metatarsal bones. TCM holds that yuan-source points connect with the original qi of the zang-fu organs. Taichong is an important window for observing the condition of liver qi. In people with liver qi stagnation, this area often feels tense or distended, but specific diagnosis and treatment must be performed by a TCM practitioner.
Misconception Two: Migraine Is Simply "Internal Heat," and Drinking Herbal Cooling Tea Will Suppress It
Some people feel that a headache accompanied by irritability and dry mouth must certainly be "internal heat," so they drink large amounts of herbal cooling tea, eat bitter melon, and take Huanglian Shangqing tablets. As a result, the headache does not improve; instead, they develop stomach cold, diarrhea, and whole-body weakness.> The Jingui Yaolüe points out: "When treating liver disease, know that the liver transmits to the spleen." When liver fire is excessive, the spleen and stomach have often already been damaged. Using bitter and cold substances at this point is like "adding frost to snow." Clinically, among people under chronic stress, liver depression transforming into fire and spleen-stomach deficiency cold often coexist. Simply clearing fire will only weaken the spleen and stomach further, leaving no source for the generation and transformation of qi and blood, making the headache even more stubborn.
The correct TCM interpretation: Distinguish "excess fire" from "deficiency fire." Migraines caused by high stress are mostly "stagnant fire" — liver qi is not flowing freely, and stagnation transforms into heat. This fire is not true excess fire but "heat generated by qi stagnation." When sleep is poor, yin blood is insufficient, yang qi floats upward, and "deficiency fire" forms. Both require "dispersing and outthrusting" rather than "clearing and purging." For example, using light and clear substances such as mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum can help disperse stagnant heat, combined with methods to regulate the liver and rectify qi. Remember: herbal cooling tea is not a key that can open every lock; drinking it indiscriminately will only harm the body.
Misconception Three: Migraine Is Simply "Cold," and Hot Compresses Will Cure It
Still others believe the headache is due to "catching cold" and apply hot towels or drink ginger brown sugar water. But after the hot compress, the headache not only fails to improve but feels as if it is "exploding."> The Wenbing Tiaobian warns: "To treat the upper jiao, be as light as a feather; without lightness, it cannot be raised." The head is the "convergence of all yang," but migraines triggered by stress and poor sleep are often caused by "wind-heat" or "liver yang ascending upward." A hot compress is equivalent to pouring oil on the fire, making the floating yang qi even more hyperactive. Clinically, this type of headache is often accompanied by eye distension, tinnitus, and photophobia, and hot compresses will only worsen these manifestations.
The correct TCM interpretation: Differentiate "cold-type" from "heat-type" headaches. True cold-type headaches typically worsen with cold and ease with warmth, and are accompanied by aversion to cold and clear nasal discharge. Migraines triggered by stress and poor sleep, however, are mostly "liver yang ascending upward" or "wind-heat disturbing the upper body," requiring "pacifying the liver and subduing yang" or "dispersing wind and clearing heat." For example, steeping cassia seeds and chrysanthemum in water can help suppress liver yang to some extent. But whether to warm or to clear must be determined by a licensed TCM practitioner through pattern differentiation; one must not judge on one's own. In TCM theory, Baihui acupoint is closely related to this type of headache. Baihui belongs to the Governing Vessel and is located at the intersection of the midline of the vertex and the line connecting the tips of both ears. It is the "convergence of all yang." When yang qi floats upward, the area around Baihui tends to feel distended and stuffy, so it is often used by physicians as an important site for identifying the state of upper qi movement.
Integrated Summary: The "Blockage" and "Free Flow" of Migraine
The three misconceptions reveal a core pattern: migraines triggered by stress or poor sleep, with pain on one side of the head, have their root in "qi movement stagnation and blockage." Liver qi stagnation, insufficient yin blood, and floating yang qi interweave to form "where there is no free flow, there is pain."> The Suwen · Ju Tong Lun says: "A hundred diseases arise from qi." When qi is not smooth, blood does not move, and the meridians are not free. Clinically, these individuals often simultaneously present with chest tightness, sighing, shallow sleep, and easy awakening. The key to regulation is not "tonifying" or "clearing" but "soothing" — soothing liver qi, harmonizing qi and blood, and guiding fire back to its source.
So, how should one maintain health? In daily life, one may try: maintaining a regular routine and putting down the phone before bed; taking deep breaths or going for a walk when stressed; reducing greasy and spicy foods in the diet and eating more green leafy vegetables. But these are only auxiliary measures. If migraines occur frequently, one should go to a proper medical institution and receive pattern-based treatment from a licensed TCM practitioner. Remember: a headache is not a trivial matter — it may be the body reminding you that it is time to stop and listen to your own voice.
---
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does TCM distinguish between "liver depression" and "blood deficiency" types of migraine?
A: The liver depression type is often accompanied by irritability, chest tightness, and sighing; the blood deficiency type is accompanied by pale complexion, dizziness, and palpitations. The two may coexist, and differentiation requires a licensed TCM practitioner to examine the tongue and pulse.