EightPrinciples
DiseaseCause
TripleEnergizer
DefenseQiNutrientBlood
Syndromes
Differentiations
SixChannel
Zang-Fu
Organ
Qi-Blood
and Body
Fluid
Improper
Diet, OverExertion,
Too much
Rest
Improper
Diet,
Work and
Rest
Six
Excess
Disease –Cause
Syndrome
Differentiation
Seven
Emotions
Wind, Cold,
SummerHeat,
Dampness,
Dryness, Fire
Pestilence
Syndrome
Overjoy, Fury,
Pensiveness,
Grief, Fear
and Tense
 Disease-cause
syndrome
differentiation（病因辨证） mainly
consists of differentiation of six
evils, pestilence, internal injury to
emotions, impairment caused by
physical exertion, food
indigestion and so on.
Clinical
Manifestations
•Aversion to wind, mild fever, sweating, stuffy nose, sneezing, itching
and pain in the throat, cough, thin white tongue coating, floating and
moderate pulse, or sudden facial numbness, facial distortion, stiff
neck, or wandering pain in joins or sudden swollen face and limbs.
Syndrome
Analysis
•If wind invades the lung will result in stuffy nose, sneezing, itching,
sore throat and cough. If wind resides in the skin and muscles, there
will be a sudden itching in the skin or rashes; when wind invades the
channels and collaterals, facial numbness, facial distortion, stiff neck,
spasm would occur; if wind, cold and dampness block the channels
and joints leads to wandering pain limbs and joints; if confrontation
between wind and water causing dysfunction of dispersing and
descending of lung qi, edema in the face and limbs occur.
Key Points
• Aversion to wind, sweating, floating and slow
pulse; or sudden rashes; or wandering pain in
limbs and joints.
•Severe aversion to cold, mild fever, stuffy nose with watery discharge,
headache and body ache, thin and white tongue coating, floating and tense
pulse; or cough, panting, spitting, white sputum, or cold pain in the stomach
Clinical
and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea; or cold pain in joints with movement
manifestations
difficulty.
Syndrome
Analysis
Focal Points
•Cold invades the exterior results in thin and white tongue coating, floating
tense pulse; stuffy nose with watery discharge, cough, panting and white
sputum due to lung qi fails to diffuse and disperse; blockage of channels
and collaterals results in pains in the head and body; when pathogenic cold
in the stomach and intestines, cold pain in the stomach and abdomen.
•Aversion to cold, absence of sweating, pain in the head and body, or cold
pain the stomach and abdomen, or cough, panting and spitting white
sputum.
Fever, aversion to
heat, sweating,
dizziness or
headache, acute
thirst, lassitude,
yellowish urine, red
tongue with yellow
coating, rapid
deficient pulse; or
fever, sudden
fainting, constant
sweating, short
breath, even coma
and spasm.
Attacked by summerheat pathogen leads
to fever and aversion
to heat, sweating,
thirst, yellowish urine,
lassitude, dizziness
and headache and
other heat symptoms;
fever, sudden
fainting, constant
sweating, even coma
and spasm results
when summer-heat
disturbs the mind.
Fever, thirst, sweating
lassitude, deficient
and rapid pulse.
Feeling of heaviness in the head; tastelessness in the mouth without thirst,
white and slippery tongue coating, soggy or slow pulse; or aching pain with
a heavy feeling in joints, motion difficulty, lassitude; or oppression in the
chest and abdomen, poor appetite, nausea, loose stools, thick and greasy
tongue coating, or turbid urine.
Dampness leads to feeling heavy in the head, weary body, tastelessness in
the mouth, not thirsty, white and greasy tongue coating, soggy or slow
pulse. Lassitude, joints ache ; fullness in the chest and abdomen, nausea,
loose stools, thick and greasy tongue coating could result from retention
of dampness. Turbid urine and excessive leukorrhea （带下）in women are
due to pouring down of pathogenic turbid dampness.
Feeling of heaviness in the head , aching pain and motion difficulty;
feeling of oppression in the chest and abdomen, poor appetite,
nausea, greasy tongue coating and soggy or slow pulse.
Dry skin, mouth, nose, lips and throat, dry cough with
no or little but sticky sputum, dry stools, severe
aversion to cold, mild sweating, mild fever, thin, white
and dry tongue coating, floating and tense pulse;
Dryness tends to injure body fluids and the
lung. Dry skin, mouth, nose, lips, throat, dry
cough with no or little but stick sputum, dry
stools.
Dry cough in autumn, dry mouth, nose, lips,
throat and skin.
• High fever and prefer
cold, agitation, flushed
face and bloodshot
eyes; prefer cold
drinks, sweating,
constipation, scanty
dark urine, even coma
and delirium, or spiting
blood, nosebleed, red
or deep-red tongue,
with yellow and dry or
grayish and black
tongue coating and
surging rapid or
slippery pulse.
• Invasion of heat
pathogen leads to
fever; Flaming of
heat brings about
rising qi and blood,
so there is flushed
face and bloodshot
eyes.
• High fever, thirst
and fondness of
cold drinks, local
swollen hot pain,
red tongue with
yellow coating, and
rapid pulse.
Pestilence refers to various infectious
diseases caused by pestilent viruses.
 They are highly infectious and
epidemics, high specificity and similar
symptoms.
 They have rapid onset and are often in
critical conditions.

Dry-heat pestilence
Damp- heat pestilence
when the pestilent pathogens invade
the head - intense headache; gather in
the throat - sore and ulcerous throat
results;
invaded the blood - spiting blood
occurred;
when invaded the intestinal tract- pain
in bowels and abdomen occurred;
when the mind is disturbed, coma or
irritation and delirium would occur;
when heat pathogen in the interior
attacks the Liver Channel and liver
wind is stirred up, there will occur
muscular spasm; deep-red tongue with
brown or gray and dry coating, and
rapid pulse
When lung and stomach are invaded by
damp-heat, fever without chills would
get worse in the afternoon; when it
represses qi and blood, head and
body-ache would occur; when it blocks
the San-jiao causing the spleen and
stomach failing to ascend and descend,
abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea
would occur. When it invades the skin,
jaundice will occur suddenly; when it
disturbs the mind, there will be coma
and delirium, greasy or whitepowdered tongue. Soggy and rapid
pulse are all manifestations of interior
exuberance of damp-heat.
 It
refers to analysis and
differentiation of the existence
and specific manifestations
due to emotional problems in
the current illness.



Ceaseless laughing, absent-mindedness,
incoherent speech and abnormal behavior.
Joy is the emotion of the heart and excessive
joy would affect the mind and in turn results
in dysfunction of the heart.
Laughing ceaselessly, anxiety and absentmindedness.
Clinical
Manifestations
Syndrome
Analysis
• Sadness and weeping, low spirits, constant sighing, pallor,
lassitude, shortness of breath and reluctant to talk.
•Sadness impairs the mind leads to weeping, low spirits and constant sighing.
When lung qi is dissipating, pallor, lassitude, lack of qi and reluctant to talk.
•Sadness and weeping, constant sighing and lassitude.
Focal Points
Fear and terror, uneasy
mind, palpitation and
insomnia, nightmare,
even mental disorder,
urinary and fecal
incontinence, weak legs
and body, seminal
emission and
spermatorrhea,遗精
involuntary emission滑
精
Fear and terror injure the
heart and kidney. Terror
leads to adverse rising of
heart qi, palpitation and
insomnia, nightmare, even
mental disorder. When fear
and terror impair the
kidney, urinary and fecal
incontinence, weak limbs,
spermatorrhea, and
involuntary emission.
Easily
frightened and
uneasy mind,
seminal
emission and
spermatorrhea.
Sorrowful,
melancholy low
spirits, constant
sighing, pale
complexion,
dislike talking
and lassitude
When grief affects
the heart and
lung, sadness and
low spirits would
be prevalent;
lassitude and pale
complexion are
symptoms of lung
qi being
consumed.
Sorrowful,
melancholy and
lassitude
Irritability, bad temper, oppression and fullness in the chest and hypochondrium, distending
pain in the head, flushed face and bloodshot eyes, dizziness, even vomiting or spitting
blood, mania and coma
Fury causes dysfunction of liver qi, leading to oppression in the chest or the
hychondrium and bad temper; Upward movement of liver qi stirs blood and results in
distending pain in the head, flushed face and bloodshot eyes, dizziness, even vomiting
or spitting blood; coma occur in severe case. When liver yang turns into fire and invades
the mind, mania occur.
Oppression and fullness in the chest or hypochondrium,
irritability and bad temper, headache and bloodshot eyes.
TCM has acknowledged the role of
emotions in health and well-being
for over 2000 years.
 Increasingly, scientific studies are
backing up the ideas that negative
emotions can cause serious health
issues.






Unresolved anger causes flaring up of the liver fire
and can lead to hypertension and stroke
Anger makes the energy - or qi - rise. In the context
of TCM, anger includes other emotional traits such as
resentment, frustration, irritability and explosive
rage.
Physically, it can manifest itself in violence and
fighting, in rows, and in the breakdown of
relationships.
As with all things, there is a positive side to anger,
when expressed healthily and to a resolution. If left
to fester without expression, it causes problems of
physical ill-health, but can also transform
emotionally into depression.
So it is long-term and unresolved feelings of anger
and resentment that are poisonous to well-being
causing ill-health.




The cause of Lung disharmonies.
Sudden or shocking grief can increase the risk of
heart attack.
Grief consumes and weakens the Lung qi. In Chinese
medicine, this emotion includes sorrow, regret,
sadness, and senses of loss or remorse. Like anger,
grief can have a very strong effect on health.
The symptoms are usually concerned with the
respiratory system, such as bronchitis or asthmatic
problems, especially after a bereavement. And
chesty coughs are common in people seeking
alternative therapies for being unhappy.






Causes of disharmonies of the kidneys and heart
Fear & fright cause bedwetting in infants, and panic attacks
Fear causes the qi to descend, and Shock causes it to scatter.
The reversal of the normal upward flow of Kidney qi can lead
to loss of control of urination and other problems, such as
lower back pain, listlessness and a desire for solitude.
Fear can also be the emotion responsible in children who
suffer from bedwetting - and also the related symptoms of
shyness and timidity.
Fright and shock can affect the heart causing Heart qi to
scatter .




Cause of Spleen and Stomach
disharmonies
Worry and over-thinking cause qi to
stagnate. This emotion also
includes too much studying,
obsessive thinking or continually
working something over in your
mind.
Worry is a particularly insidious
emotion as it can eat away at some
people, even though there is
nothing to be worried about.
More often than not, the worries are
unfounded, but the afflicted person
is ruled by the emotion.







Cause of Heart disharmonies
To have enough is happiness. To have more
than enough is harmful
Joy causes the qi to slow down and relax.
Over-exuberance can scatter the Heart qi,
damaging the heart.
It may be surprising that joy can be a cause
for concern emotionally, and therefore a
burden on health.
What is really meant here is over-stimulation
or rowdy over-exuberance.
It might also be the state of elation of
somebody winning the lottery!
Such excessive elation can lead to problems
later on, usually the opposite feelings to joy.





Anger impairs the liver
Excess joy impairs the heart
Grief impairs the lung
Fear impairs the kidney
Anxiety impairs the spleen




It refers to the syndrome due to injury to the
stomach and intestines by improper diet.
Food retention in the stomach with qi
retention will cause pain or fullness in the
stomach and abdomen.
When food accumulation blocks stomach qi
from descending, turbid qi, thick and greasy
tongue coating .
Distending pain in the stomach and
abdomen, eructation with a fetid odor and
acid regurgitation and stinking stools.



It is caused by too much physical and mental
labor or excessive sexual activities.
Fatigue and weakness, aches in muscles and
bones; or palpitation and insomnia, poor
appetite, abdominal distension; dizziness,
tinnitus, lassitude, impotence, irregular
menstruation.
Over-work consumes spleen qi and affects
muscles and bones; too much mental labor
injures the heart and spleen; excessive sexual
activities injures the kidney, causing
consumption of yin fluid and yang qi.



Too much rest results in impeded moving of
qi and blood and dysfunction of the zang-fu
organs.
Pain all over the body; panting and gasping
when active, weak limbs, obesity.
Too much rest impeded moving of qi and
blood.
Qi
Deficiency
Qi
Blockage
Qi
Sinking
Differentiation
of Qi-Diseases
Qi
Collapse
Qi
Stagnation
Reverse
Flow of
Qi
Pathological changes of qi and blood
can be summarized as two aspects:
 One is deficiency of qi, blood and
body fluids, which is the deficiency
syndrome while the other is metabolic
disturbance of qi, blood and body
fluids, which the excess syndrome.

Types of
Syndrome
Symptoms
Syndrome Analysis
Qi
Deficiency
Syndrome
Dislike talking, lassitude,
dizziness, spontaneous
sweating, pale tongue with
white coating and weak
pulse.
Qi deficiency and reduced
functions of the organs. Qi
deficiency and failure of yang qi
to ascend causing dizziness; Qi
deficiency unable propel blood
to nourish the tongue causing
pale tongue and weak pulse.
Qi Sinking
Syndrome
Dizziness, Qi deficient,
regular bowel movement;
chronic diarrhea, straining
feeling of the abdomen,
lower back, vagina and
anus, pale tongue with
white coating and weak
pulse.
Deficient of genuine qi causes
impairment of the spleen
function, failure of yang to
ascend and sinking of qi
causing regular bowel
movement; failure of deficient
qi to ascend results in drooping
feeling of the abdomen, lower
back, vagina and anus. In severe
case, prolapse of the uterus and
rectum can occur.
Types of
Syndrome
Symptoms
Syndrome Analysis
Qi Stagnation
Syndrome
Distending pain the chest,
breasts, hypochondria,
stomach and abdomen, which
wanders here and there in
different severity, alleviated
when belching, worry, anxiety
and anger, wiry pulse and
normal tongue coating.
Stagnation of qi causes distension.
In mild cases, there is distension, in
severe cases, there is wandering
pain. Low spirits cause stagnation of
qi. Wiry pulse is the sign of qi
disorder.
Qi Collapse
Syndrome
Weak and irregular breath,
constant sweating, pallor,
mouth open with closed eyes,
weak body and limbs, urinary
and fecal incontinence, unclear
mind, pale tongue with moist
and white coating, and faint
pulse.
Extreme deficiency of genuine qi and
inability of the lung to breathe cause
weak and irregular breath. Unclear
mind, fainting or syncope are due to
qi collapse and failure of the heart to
be nourished. Constant sweating
and urinary and fecal incontinence
are due to exhaustion of qi. Pallor is
due to failure of qi to flow upward to
nourish the face.
Types of Syndrome
Symptoms
Syndrome Analysis
Syndrome of
Reverse Flow of Qi
Cough, gasping when active,
hiccuping, belching, nausea,
vomiting, headache, dizziness.
When lung qi fails to descend, cough and
gasping are found. When stomach qi fails
to descend and flows upward, it causes
hiccuping, belching, nausea and vomiting.
Hyperactivity of liver qi and flaming of liver
fire leads to headache and dizziness. Blood
flows upward along with reversed flow of
qi, results in fainting.
Qi Blockage
syndrome
Sudden syncope, cold limbs, or
colicky pain, retention of urine
and constipation, harsh
breath, thick tongue coating,
and deep, excess, forceful
pulse.
Excessive emotional stimulation leads to
adverse flow of qi, obstruction of the heart,
sudden syncope or fainting. When qi is
blocked and lung qi fails to diffuse, harsh
breath may occur. When blood stasis,
stones and phlegm obstruct channels and
orifices, colicky pain, retention of urine
and constipation present. Cold limbs are
caused by blockage of qi and failure of
yang to reach the exterior.
QiDeficien
cy
Qi
Blockage
Qi Sinking
Differentiati
on of QiDiseases
Qi
Collapse
Qi
Stagnation
Reverse
Flow of
Qi
Blood
Deficiency
Blood
Heat
Blood-Disease
Differentiation
Blood
Cold
Blood
Stasis
Pale or sallow face, pale eyelids, lips and nails,
dizziness, blurred vision, palpitation and insomnia,
limb numbness, scanty menses with light color,
delayed periods or amenorrhea, pale tongue with white
coating, and thin pulse.
Blood deficiency leads to pale face and eyelids, lips and
nails. Blood deficiency also results in poor nourishment of
the brain and dizziness and blurred vision occurred,
palpitation, insomnia, numbness, scanty menstrual blood
and light color, delayed periods, amenorrhea.
Pale complexion, lips, eyelids, and nails,
dizziness, pale tongue and fine pulse.
Clinical Manifestations
Syndrome Analysis
Focal points
Fixed spots of stabbing
pain; The lump on the body
surface appears cyanotic,
while the lump in the body
feels hard and immobile
when touched; Frequent
hemorrhage with dark color
or black color stools; Dark
complexion, cyanotic lips
and nails, scaly skin.
Blood-shot eyes or bluish
veins of the abdominal
wall, dark and purple
tongue with thin, rough or
knotted and intermittent
pulse.
Blood stasis blocks
collaterals and channels
and stabbing pain
appeared. Stagnant blood
failed to disperse and
bruise occur. Blood fails to
circulate in blood vessels
and leaks out, so frequent
hemorrhage may occur.
Stabbing pain, pain with
fixed locations, lump,
hemorrhage, cyanotic lips,
tongue and nails and rough
pulse.
Clinical Manifestations
Syndrome Analysis
Focal Points
Cold pain and
contracture of limbs and
lower abdomen,
alleviated with warmth,
worse when exposed to
cold, purple, dark and
cold skin, cold body and
limbs, delayed periods,
purple and dark
menstrual blood mixed
with blood clots, light
purple tongue with white
coating, deep, slow pulse
or rough tense pulse.
Cold in blood vessels impedes
smooth flow of blood as
vessels contract, leading to
cold and contracture of limbs,
purple cold skin. Cold
accumulates in the uterus,
resulting in cold pain in the
abdomen, delayed periods,
purple and dark menstrual
blood with clots. Cold injures
yang leading to cold body and
limbs. Light purple tongue
with white coating, and deep,
slow and rough or tense pulse
are due to internal exuberance
of yin cold, and unsmooth flow
of blood.
Local cold pain and
limbs, purple skin,
cold body and
limbs, deep, slow
and rough or tense
pulse.
Coughing up blood, spitting blood, nosebleed, hematuria, blood in the
urine and stool, excessive menstrual flow with bright red and sticky
blood, feverish sensation all over the body, flushed face, thirst,
restlessness, insomnia or local carbuncles, red, swollen and painful
sensation, deep-red tongue, slippery and rapid pulse or wiry and rapid
pulse.
Internal exuberance of fire causes acute bleeding with bright red and sticky blood,
burning body fluids, feverish sensation of the body, flushed face and thirst. Heat in
blood disturbs the mind and leads to restlessness and insomnia. Carbuncles and
painful sensation are caused by local fire. Deep-red tongue, slippery and rapid pulse
or wiry and rapid pulse, are all manifestations of flaming or blood heat.
Acute bleeding with bright red and sticky blood, feverish sensation all
over the body, thirst, local redness, swelling, sense of heat and pain,
deep-red tongue, rapid and forceful pulse.
Qi-Blood
Deficieny
Collapse of qi
due to
Hemorrhage
Qi-Blood
Disease
Failure of
Qi to
Control
Blood
Qi
Deficiency
and Blood
Stasis
Qi
Stagnation
and Blood
Stasis
Dizziness, dislike talking, lassitude, spontaneous
sweating, pale or sallow complexion, pale and white
lips and nails, palpitation and insomnia, pale and
tender tongue, thin and weak pulse.
Deficiency of qi leads to low energy to talk, lassitude and
spontaneous sweating. Deficiency of blood fails to nourish the
heart causing palpitation and insomnia. When the channels
and collaterals fails to get nourishment, pale lips and nails,
thin and weak pulse occur. The deficient qi and blood fails to
nourish the face and tongue so dizziness, pale or sallow
complexion and tender tongue noticed.
Coexistence of qi and blood
deficiency syndrome
Lassitude, dislike to talk, spontaneous sweating, local fixed stabbing pain, worse when
active, pale complexion, light purple tongue with ecchymosis, thin and rough pulse or
deep and rough pulse.
Deficiency of qi leads to lassitude, spontaneous sweating, pale complexion and tongue.
Deficiency of blood fails to push blood flow and results in blood stasis. Thus, local stabbing
pain, light purple tongue occur.
Co-existence of qi deficiency and blood
stasis syndrome.
Fullness and pain in the chest and hypochondriam, distending pain in the breasts, bad
temper, painful abdominal mass, delayed periods, purple menstrual blood with clots,
amenorrhea, purple and dark tongue, wiry and rough pulse.
Emotional problems lead to failure of liver qi to flow freely and stagnation of qi, marked by fullness
and pain in the chest and hypochondria, distending pain in the breasts. Qi commands blood,
stagnation of qi causes blood stasis and abdominal mass, delayed periods and purple menses and
clots.
Coexistence of qi stagnation
and blood stasis syndrome.
Clinical Manifestations
Syndrome Analysis
Focal Points
Spitting blood,
hematochezia,
metrorrhagia and
metrostaxis and
subcutaneous
hemorrhage nosebleed,
Short breath, lassitude,
pale complexion, pale
tongue and weak pulse.
When qi fails to command
Hemorrhage and qi
blood, blood leaks out of the
deficiency.
vessels into the stomach and
intestine, which results in
spitting blood. When the
Chong and Ren Meridians, If
blood leaks into the nasal
cavity, nosebleed occurs. When
it leaks into muscles and kin,
subcutaneous hemorrhage
results. Deficiency of qi leads
to shortness of breath and
lassitude. Pale complexion is
due to qi and blood deficiency.
• When massive bleeding occurs, profuse sweating, pale
complexion, cold limbs, faint breath, even syncope, pale
and white tongue and faint pulse occure.
•Qi has nothing to depend on when blood collapses. Since qi depletion leads to exhaustion of yang
which causes cold sweat. Cold limbs are due to failure of yang qi to warm the limbs. Qi and blood
can’t nourish the upper part of the body, resulting in pale complexion, pale tongue, even syncope.
Blood vessels fail to be supported by qi and blood, so there may occur faint pulse.
•Massive bleeding and symptoms of yang
exhaustion syndrome.
Phlegm
Syndrome
Body Fluid
Deficiency
Water and
Body Fluid
Retention
Syndrome
Water
Retention
Syndrome
FluidRetention
Syndrome
Dry mouth and throat, craving to drink, parched lips, dry
nostrils, dry skin, dry and hard stools, red tongue with
scanty saliva, thread and rapid pulse.
Deficient body fluids fail to moist and nourish tissues and orifices,
leading to dry mouth and throat, craving to drink, parched lips, dry
nostrils. When body fluids fails to nourish the skin, the skin gets dry
and withered. Dry and hard stools are due to less production of urine
and moistening the intestines. Deficiency of body fluids fail to
restrain yang, which results in red tongue with scanty saliva, thready
and rapid pulse.
Dry mouth, throat, lips, nose, tongue, skin,
and dry stools.
Clinical
Manifestations
Syndrome Analysis
Focal Points
Chest distress,
cough, panting,
sticky sputum,
wheezing; painful
abdominal and
gastric fullness,
anorexia and
nausea, vomiting
or spitting sputum,
dizziness, coma,
limb and body
numbness,
delirium, scrofula
and goiter瘰疬瘿瘤
,sensation of
choking throat,
greasy tongue
coatings and
slippery pulse.
When sputum retains in the lung, cough
and panting, vomiting or spitting sputum
occur; chest distress due to qi gets
obstructed by phlegm; adverse qi flow
caused wheezing; sputum gets stuck in the
stomach, dysfunction of receiving food,
painful gastric fullness and anorexia
appear; rising of sputum along with adverse
rising of stomach qi caused nausea and
spiting sputum; dizziness results from
retention of phlegm in the middleenergizer; when phlegm accumulates under
the skin or in the muscles, local qi and
blood flow is impeded, leading to scrofula
and goiter; when phlegm is in the limbs,
hyperplasia of mammary glands and a
sensation of foreign object in the throat will
occur. Greasy tongue coating with slippery
pulse points to internal obstruction by
phlegm.
Cough and
vomiting or
spitting
sputum,
chest
distress,
nausea,
lumps,
greasy
tongue
coating and
slippery
pulse.
Clinical Manifestations
Syndrome Analysis
Focal Points
Pain and fullness in the
stomach and abdomen,
sound of water shaking in
the stomach, coughing and
panting, abundant clear and
thin sputum, wheezing,
chest distress, unable to lie
face-up, distending pain in
the chest, worse when
coughing, edema, sense of
heaviness and stabbing
pain, unsmooth flow of
urine, white and slippery
tongue coating, deep and
wiry or slippery pulse.
Fluid retention syndrome can be
divided into four types
according to their locations:
Phlegm-fluid retention
(retention in the stomach and
intestine); pleural-fluid
retention (retention in the chest
and hychondrium); thoracicfluid retention (retention in the
chest and the lung);
subcutaneous fluid retention
(retention in the limbs).
Vomiting or
spitting clear
water, thin
sputum and
saliva, sound of
water shaking
in the stomach,
profuse
sputum, unable
to lie flat,
fullness and
distending pain
in the chest ，
slippery tongue
coating and
wiry pulse.
Clinical
Manifestations
Syndrome Analysis
Focal Points
Edema in the
face, limbs or
even all over
the body,
heaviness of
the body, or
puffiness of the
abdomen,
unsmooth flow
of urine,
enlarged
tongue with
white slippery
coating, deep
and wiry pulse.
Accumulated water flows over the
muscles leads to local or general
edema and heaviness of the body.
When it accumulates in the
abdominal cavity, puffiness and
fullness in the abdomen occur.
Dysfunction of the urinary bladder
results in unsmooth flow of urine.
Enlarged tongue with white coating,
deep and rapid pulse indicate
interior retention of water.
Edema,
unsmooth flow
of urine,
enlarged tongue
and white and
slippery tongue
coating.
Greasy tongue
coating with
slippery pulse
points to internal
obstruction by
phlegm
when phlegm is in
the limbs,
hyperplasia of
mammary glands
and a sensation of
foreign body in the
throat will occur
When phlegm
accumulates under
the skin or in the
muscles, local qi and
blood flow is
impeded leading to
scrofula and goiter.
When sputum
retains in the
lung, cough and
panting, and
vomiting or
spitting sputum
occur.
When qi gets
obstructed by
phlegm,, chest
distress may
occur.
Wheezing is
due to
blockage of
the qi tract
by sputum
Phlegm
Syndrome
When sputum
gets stuck in the
stomach,
disharmony of
stomach qi and
dysfunction of
receiving food,
Indifference and
delirium are due
to phlegm
retention,
Dizziness
results from
retention of
phlegm in the
stomach, which
affects yang
rise.
Nausea and
spitting sputum
are due to rising of
sputum along with
adverse rising of
stomach qi.


Dry mouth and throat, a desire to drink
water, parched lips, dry nostrils, dry skin
without luster, dry and hard stools, red
tongue with scanty saliva, thread and rapid
pulse.
Deficient body fluids fail to moist and nourish
tissues and orifices, leading to dry mouth and
throat, parched lips. Deficiency body fluids
fail to restrain yang, results in red tongue
with scanty saliva, thready and rapid pulse.