↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
1. Spleen and Kidney Qi Deficiency
Clinical manifestations: Chronic fatigue and lack of strength; soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees; poor appetite with loose or watery stools; frequent urination, worse at night; a pale or sallow, puffy complexion.
Tongue: Pale, swollen body with tooth marks, white moist or slippery coating. Pulse: Deep, weak, thin; right Guan and both Chi positions especially weak.
Treatment principle: Tonify Spleen and Kidney Qi, raise the clear Yang, lift sunken Qi.
Note: moxa applicable. No deck on this site combines Spleen and Kidney Qi deficiency into one slide, so no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Cold pain in the lower back and knees; early-morning diarrhea (around 5 am); chronic loose stools with undigested food; intolerance to cold, cold hands and feet; swelling of the legs and ankles, often pitting; frequent urination with clear, pale urine.
Tongue: Pale, swollen, puffy body with teeth marks, white slippery coating. Pulse: Deep, weak, slow; both Chi positions feeble, right Guan soft and forceless.
Treatment principle: Warm Kidney-Yang, promote water transformation, reduce edema.
3. Qi and Yin Deficiency
Clinical manifestations: Persistent fatigue and lack of strength; dry mouth with little desire to drink; night sweats; a warm sensation in the palms, soles, and chest; shortness of breath on exertion.
Tongue: Red or pale-red body, thin or absent coating, possibly cracked and dry. Pulse: Fine (thin) and weak, may be rapid.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi and Yin, relieve fatigue and shortness of breath.
Note: no moxa (Yin deficiency present). No deck on this site combines Qi and Yin deficiency into one slide, so no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees; dizziness and ringing in the ears; dry eyes with blurred vision; night sweats; heat in the palms, soles, and chest.
Tongue: Red, thin, cracked, little or no coating, dry. Pulse: Fine, rapid, wiry; weak in the left Chi position.
Treatment principle: Nourish Liver and Kidney Yin, brighten the eyes, clear Liver Heat.
5. Deficiency of Both Kidney Yin and Yang
Clinical manifestations: Alternating chills and hot flushes; lower back cold and aching; night sweats; cold limbs; frequent nighttime urination; dry mouth and throat.
Tongue: Pale, puffy-tender body with teeth marks and cracks, thin white coat that may be partially peeled. Pulse: Deep, fine, weak, especially weak at the Chi position.
Treatment principle: Warm Kidney-Yang while nourishing Kidney-Yin, address the dual depletion.
Note: moxa applicable on the Warm-Yang points only. No deck on this site has a combined Kidney-Yin-and-Yang-deficiency category (a notable gap given how classic this combination is), so no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Dark, scanty urine with burning or stinging; a heavy, dragging sensation in the legs and lower back; foul-smelling urine or sticky stools; lower abdominal fullness and distension.
Tongue: Red body, yellow greasy coating thickest at the root, slightly swollen. Pulse: Slippery and rapid, or soggy.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat and drain fire, promote urination, clear Damp-Heat from the Lower Burner.