↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
1. Damp-Heat in the Liver Channel
Clinical manifestations: Red, hot, swollen big toe, intense throbbing or burning pain, pain worsens with alcohol and greasy food, bitter taste in the mouth, dark scanty urine, irritability or anger.
Tongue: Red body with redder sides, yellow greasy coating thicker at the centre and root. Pulse: Wiry, slippery and rapid.
Treatment principle: Drain excess Fire from the Liver and Gallbladder, clear Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner.
Note: no moxa — LR-1 pricked to bleed for acute pain. This site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Liver slide is genital/vaginal-discharge-specific (checked directly), not a match for a toe presentation, so no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Fixed stabbing pain that doesn't move, pain worsens significantly at night, dark or purplish skin tone on the toe, pain dislikes pressure.
Tongue: Purple or dusky body with possible stasis spots, distended dark sublingual veins. Pulse: Choppy, like a knife scraping bamboo.
Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, unblock the channels and alleviate pain.
Note: no moxa — LR-1 pricked to bleed a few drops to release local Blood stasis. Matches this site's Liver-Blood stasis slide — a purple/dusky tongue with stasis spots is the same discoloration marker named there.
Clinical manifestations: Cold sensation in the big toe, dull ache not sharp or throbbing, pain improves with warmth and worsens in cold weather or at night, soreness and cold pain in the lower back and knees, frequent urination especially at night.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender body with teeth marks and wet white coating. Pulse: Deep, slow and weak, especially at rear position.
Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Yang, benefit Essence and fill the Marrow, warm the Ming Men Fire.
Note: moxibustion strongly indicated throughout. Direct match with this site's own Kidney-Yang-deficiency slide.
4. Qi and Blood Deficiency
Clinical manifestations: Vague lingering ache rather than sharp or throbbing, pain worsens with fatigue or prolonged standing, pale complexion lips and nail beds, dizziness or lightheadedness, heart palpitations and poor sleep.
Tongue: Pale body, may be slightly thin or show teeth marks on the edges, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine and weak, lacking force.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, nourish Blood, strengthen the Spleen.
Note: moxa applicable, especially on ST-36. No deck on this site combines Qi and Blood deficiency into one slide, so no pattern link is given here.