↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
Clinical manifestations: Loud, sour-smelling belches; epigastric fullness that worsens after eating; poor appetite; an aversion to food; nausea with a sticky taste; relief after vomiting.
Tongue: Normal body, thick greasy curd-like coating, thickest at the centre. Pulse: Slippery and full, especially forceful at the right middle (Stomach) position.
Treatment principle: Clear undigested food fermenting in the Stomach and restore the downward movement of Qi.
Clinical manifestations: Frequent, forceful belching; distending pain in the upper abdomen and ribs that worsens with emotional stress; irritability and frequent sighing; belching relieves the chest distension.
Tongue: Normal or slightly red with redder sides, thin white coating. Pulse: Wiry, most pronounced at the left Guan.
Treatment principle: Soothe Liver-Qi stagnation, harmonize the Stomach, and descend rebellious Qi.
Clinical manifestations: Low, intermittent belching that is worse after meals; poor appetite; fatigue and weakness; loose stools; a sallow complexion.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, slightly enlarged with scalloped edges, thin white coating. Pulse: Weak and soft overall, empty at the right Guan.
Treatment principle: Strengthen digestive Qi and restore the normal downward Stomach movement through tonification.
4. Phlegm-Dampness in the Middle-Burner
Clinical manifestations: Belching with chest and epigastric stuffiness, nausea with a sticky taste, a heavy sluggish body and limbs, no sour or foul odour, drowsiness and mental fogginess.
Tongue: Pale, swollen with teeth marks, thick white greasy excessively moist coating. Pulse: Slippery and slow, or soggy, especially at the right Guan.
Treatment principle: Dry Dampness and transform Phlegm in the middle burner, restoring the Spleen's transport function.
Note: Confirmed absent again: no deck on this site has a standalone Phlegm-Dampness-in-the-Middle-Burner category, so no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Belching with a cold sensation in the stomach, sudden cramping epigastric pain relieved by warmth, a preference for warm drinks, a bland taste, loose watery stools, cold hands and feet.
Tongue: Pale, moist, thin white slippery coating. Pulse: Tight, possibly slow, tight at the right middle Guan.
Treatment principle: Dispel Cold, warm the middle burner, and restore the downward descent of Qi.
6. Phlegm-Heat in the Middle Burner
Clinical manifestations: A bitter taste in the mouth, chest and upper-abdominal stuffiness, bad breath, thirst without much desire to drink, no sour odour.
Tongue: Red, possibly swollen, thick yellow greasy coating prominent at the centre. Pulse: Slippery and rapid, often overflowing at the right middle position.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat, transform Phlegm, and harmonize the Stomach to descend rebellious Qi.
Note: Confirmed absent again: this site has no standalone, non-Lung Phlegm-Heat-in-the-Middle-Burner deck slide.