Treatment of Sjogren's syndrome by addressing liver based on theory of "prevalent dryness affecting liver".

Sjogren's syndrome is a refractory disease for which TCM demonstrates certain advantages in its treatment. "Prevalent dryness affecting the liver" is a classical theory from Huangdi Neijing (Huangdi's Internal Classic), which has important guiding significance for the treatment of Sjogren's syndrome with TCM. In this paper, the connotation and development of the theory of "prevalent dryness affecting the liver" is comprehensively analyzed in combination with clinical practice. Sjogren's syndrome is closely related to the liver itself, its functions, and the coordination between the liver and other viscera. The liver itself pertains to yin, and it nourishes blood and moistens dryness. The liver's functions pertain to yang, and they help to move body fluids without any sign of dryness. It's also of great significance that the liver and other viscera are well coordinated. In ancient books and modern studies, many clinical manifestations of Sjogren's syndrome, including anxiety and depression, are closely related to the liver. Therefore, the treatment methods based on regulating and soothing the liver are summarized, such as soothing the liver qi, clearing the liver heat and nourishing the liver yin, taking into account all the five zang organs, and dredging the channels and collaterals. Taking the theory of "prevalent dryness affecting the liver" as the breakthrough point, this paper systematically sorts out the onset, pathogenesis, pattern differentiation, and the significance of addressing the liver in the treatment of Sjogren's syndrome to provide reference for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]