↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
Clinical manifestations: Copious white or grey-white sticky phlegm, easy to cough up; a heavy, turbid cough sound; chest congestion and a heavy, full sensation; poor appetite, abdominal bloating, loose stools; fatigue and a heavy, sluggish body feeling.
Tongue: Pale, swollen body with teeth marks, thick white greasy coating. Pulse: Slippery, like beads rolling under the finger.
Treatment principle: Dry Dampness and transform Phlegm, regulate Qi and harmonize the Middle Burner.
Clinical manifestations: Cough with thick yellow or green sputum; chest tightness and a feeling of heat; fever or a sensation of body heat; thirst with desire to drink; rapid breathing or wheezing; irritability and restlessness.
Tongue: Red body with yellow greasy coating and red prickles on the front third. Pulse: Slippery and rapid, strongest at the right Cun position.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat and transform Phlegm, descend Lung-Qi and calm wheezing.
Clinical manifestations: A weak, low-force cough; shortness of breath, worse with exertion; spontaneous daytime sweating; clear, thin, watery phlegm; fatigue and a low, reluctant voice; sensitivity to wind and cold.
Tongue: Pale, tender body with possible teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Weak and empty, especially in the right Cun (Lung) position.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, secure the Exterior, astringe to stop sweating.
Clinical manifestations: A dry, hacking cough with scanty or no phlegm; a dry, scratchy throat and mouth; afternoon low-grade fever or a feeling of heat; night sweats; a thin body frame or weight loss.
Tongue: Red, thin body with cracks, dry, little or no coating. Pulse: Thin (fine) and rapid, the right Cun position possibly floating but empty.
Treatment principle: Nourish Lung and Stomach Yin, generate fluids, moisten dryness.
Clinical manifestations: A chronic, weak cough with thin, watery or white phlegm; shortness of breath, worse with exertion; poor appetite and abdominal bloating after eating; loose stools; fatigue, a weak voice, and reluctance to speak; spontaneous sweating and catching colds easily.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender body with teeth marks, thin white slippery coating. Pulse: Weak and forceless, especially in the right Cun and Guan positions.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, strengthen the Spleen, harmonize the Stomach.
Clinical manifestations: Difficulty inhaling, exhaling feels easy; shortness of breath, worse with physical activity; lower back soreness and weak knees; fatigue and cold limbs; a weak cough with scanty clear or white sputum.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, teeth-marked body with thin white moist coating. Pulse: Deep, weak, especially feeble at the Chi position.
Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Yang, tonify Lung and Kidney Qi, stop cough and calm wheezing.