Differentiation and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder from the Relationship Between

Xiaojie ZOU; Xiaoyu SHI; Yingli LI; Junhong DENG; Hefei QIN; Shangyan HAO; Quangen CHU

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Differentiation and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder from the Relationship Between "Liver is Yin in Form and Yang in Function" and Bile Acid Metabolism

VernacularTitle:从“肝体阴用阳”与胆汁酸代谢的关系探讨双相情感障碍的辨治
Author: Xiaojie ZOU ¹ ; Xiaoyu SHI ¹ ; Yingli LI ¹ ; Junhong DENG ¹ ; Hefei QIN ¹ ; Shangyan HAO ¹ ; Quangen CHU ¹
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1. School of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Anhui University of Chinese Medicine，Hefei，230012
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: bipolar disorder; bile acid metabolism; liver is yin in form and yang in function
From: Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(23):2433-2437
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: This study investigates the clinical differentiation and treatment strategies for bipolar disorder （BD） by analyzing the relationship of its core pathomechanisms including qi stagnation， blood stasis， phlegm turbidity， and heat constraint with bile acid metabolism. The imbalance of "yin in form and yang in function" leads to qi stagnation， blood stasis， phlegm turbidity， and heat constraint， which are critical in the pathogenesis and progression of BD. Bile acids regulate neuroinflammation， neural plasticity， and intestinal flora homeostasis through receptor-mediated pathways. It is believed that the physiological functions of bile acids concretely embody the concept of the "liver is yin in form and yang in function" theory. Clinically， prescriptions such as Sini Powder （四逆散） with the function of venting pathogen and resolving constraint， Wendan Decoction （温胆汤） of drying dampness and resolving phlegm， Longdan Xiegan Decoction （龙胆泻肝汤） of clearing liver and draining fire， and Huanglian Ejiao Decoction （黄连阿胶汤） of nourishing yin and blood can be used to nourish liver yin and restore liver yang function. These strategies may improve BD prognosis by modulating bile acid synthesis and metabolism.