Syndrome of damp-heat in liver and gallbladder refers to the symptoms of dysfunction in dispersion and conveyance due to accumulation of damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder. This syndrome is usually caused by pathogenic damp-heat; or by partiality to greasy and sweet foods which causes internal generation of damp-heat; or by dysfunction of the stomach and spleen which leads to internal production of dampness and the spleen reversely restraining the liver, resulting in accumulation of damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder.
 
Clinical manifestations:
Hypochondriac scorching distending pain, or hypochondriac mass, anorexia and abdominal distension, bitter taste in the mouth, acid regurgitation and nausea, disorder of defecation, scanty and reddish urine, or alternate chills and fever, yellow coloration of the skin and eyes, or pudendal pruritus, or foul and yellowish leukorrhea, reddish tongue with yellowish and greasy fur, taut and rapid pulse or slippery and rapid pulse. Such symptoms are usually seen in various digestive system diseases (such as viral hepatitis, cirrhosis of liver, jaundice, holecystitis, pancreatitis, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer and pancreas cancer) as well as orchitis, scrotal eczema, pelvic inflammation and vaginitis.
 
Analysis of the symptoms:
Hypochondriac scorching distending pain, or hypochondriac mass are caused by accumulation of damp-heat, dysfunction of the liver and gallbladder in dispersion and conveyance, stagnation of qi and unsmooth circulation of blood; bitter taste in the mouth is caused by stagnation and steaming of damp-heat; yellow coloration of the skin and eyes is caused by dysfunction of the liver and gallbladder in dispersion and conveyance which leads to extravasation of the bile in the skin and muscles; acid regurgitation and nausea, disorder of defecation, scanty and reddish urine, or alternate chills and fever, anorexia and abdominal distension are caused by stagnation of damp-heat and disorder of the spleen and stomach in ascending and descending; pudendal pruritus, or foul and yellowish leukorrhea are caused by downward migration of damp-heat along the liver meridian; reddish tongue with yellowish and greasy fur, taut and rapid pulse or slippery and rapid pulse are the signs of stagnation of steaming of damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder.

Key points for syndrome differentiation:
This syndrome is marked by distending pain in the hypochondria and rib-side, anorexia, abdominal distension, coloration?of the skin and eyes and pudendal pruritus.