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Bleeding Tongue

How Chinese medicine differentiates a bleeding tongue into the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Distinct from this site's own Bleeding Gums page. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Bleeding from multiple sites at once, or bleeding that won't stop, needs prompt medical evaluation before assuming a simple pattern.
General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for a bleeding tongue — 9 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

PointKey action
HT-7Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices. Nourishes Heart-Blood.
HE-8Clears Heart-Fire, Heart Empty-Heat and Heart Phlegm-Fire. Calms the Mind.
SP-10Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
LR-3Subdues Liver-Yang. Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi.
LR-2Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Cools Blood and stops bleeding.
L.I.-4Expels exterior Wind and releases the Exterior. Benefits the eyes, nose, ears and mouth.
L.I.-11Clears Heat and cools Blood. Resolves Dampness.
KI-3Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence.
KI-6Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Calms the Mind.
SP-6Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin.
BL-23Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence. Strengthens the lower back.
The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing   ↓ reducing   ⊥ even method.

1. Heart-Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Bleeding from the tongue tip, palpitations, mental restlessness and agitation, insomnia or dream-disturbed sleep, mouth or tongue ulcers with red raised edges, thirst with desire for cold drinks.
Tongue: Red body with a distinctly redder tip, swollen red points at the tip, yellow dry coating. Pulse: Rapid, forceful, overflowing at the left Cun position.
Treatment principle: Drain Heart-Fire directly, cool the Blood and stabilize the vessels.
HT-7 ↓ HE-8 ↓ SP-10 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Heart-Fire-blazing slide.

2. Liver-Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Bleeding from the sides of the tongue, bitter taste in the mouth, intense irritability and short temper, throbbing temple headaches.
Tongue: Red body with redder sides, dry yellow coating, possible red prickles. Pulse: Wiry, rapid, forceful, especially at the left middle (Liver) position.
Treatment principle: Drain Liver-Fire via the channel pathway, clear Damp-Heat, and cool upward-surging Heat.
LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Liver-Fire-blazing slide.

3. Heat in the Blood

Clinical manifestations: Bleeding from multiple sites (nose, gums, heavy periods, blood in stool or urine), deep red tongue with red spots or prickles, internal Heat worse at night, restlessness and irritability, thirst with desire for cool drinks.
Tongue: Red to deep red body with red spots or prickles, thin yellow dry coating. Pulse: Rapid, wiry or slippery, forceful.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat from the Blood level, cool and anchor agitated Blood, prevent reckless bleeding outward.
SP-10 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓ LR-3 ⊥ L.I.-4 ⊥
Note: no moxa; bleeding from multiple sites at once needs medical evaluation regardless. This site has no standalone Heat-in-the-Blood slide on any deck, a gap confirmed absent many times over this session — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

4. Kidney Yin Deficiency With Empty-Heat Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Scant, oozing tongue bleeding rather than spurting, dry red thin tongue with cracks and minimal coating, night sweats and five-palm heat, lower back soreness and weakness, dry throat worse at night, malar flush and low-grade afternoon fever.
Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with little or no coating, possible cracks. Pulse: Fine and rapid, may feel floating and empty, rear (Chi) position weak.
Treatment principle: Nourish the Kidney-Yin foundation and gently subdue Empty-Heat, restoring cooling fluids rather than aggressively draining Fire.
KI-3 ↑ KI-6 ↑ SP-6 ⊥ BL-23 ⊥
Note: no moxa. Matched to this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.
Related conditions
Bleeding Gums Tongue Pain Swollen Tongue

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Acupuncture-only reference — structure adapted (not text) from how other condition-lookup sites organize this kind of content. Let us know what to add or change.