Foul Body Odour

How Chinese medicine differentiates foul body odour — the odour itself pointing to which organ system needs help — into the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. 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. Localized redness, swelling, heat, and fever alongside body odour needs medical evaluation to rule out a skin infection before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for foul body odour — 10 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Invigorates Blood and regulates menstruation.
LR-2	Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Cools Blood and stops bleeding.
SP-9	Regulates the Spleen. Resolves Dampness.
L.I.-11	Clears Heat and cools the Blood. Resolves Dampness.
L.I.-4	Expels exterior Wind. Stops pain. Removes obstructions from the channel.
DU-14	Clears Heat. Releases the Exterior and expels exterior Wind.
REN-12	Tonifies Stomach and Spleen. Resolves Dampness and Phlegm.
ST-36	Tonifies Qi and Blood. Tonifies the Stomach and Spleen.
BL-20	Tonifies Spleen and Stomach. Resolves Dampness. Lifts Spleen-Qi.
LR-14	Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi and harmonizes Liver and Stomach.
HE-7	Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices. Nourishes Heart-Blood.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Strengthens the lower back and knees.
HE-3	Removes obstructions from the channel. Calms the Mind. Clears Heat.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin.

The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Liver and Gallbladder Damp-Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Pungent odor with yellow-tinged sweat, bitter taste in the mouth, distension or pain under the ribs, irritability and restlessness, dark yellow scanty urine.

Tongue: Red body with red sides and thick yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Wiry, slippery, rapid.

Treatment principle: Clear Damp-Heat from the Liver and Gallbladder channels.

LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓ SP-9 ↓

Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Gall-Bladder-and-Liver slide.

2. Toxic-Heat Stagnation

Clinical manifestations: Localized redness, swelling and heat in the armpit, skin feels hot/irritated/tender, pungent odor stronger than typical Damp-Heat, thirst for cold drinks, general heat sensation.

Tongue: Deep red or crimson body with prickly papillae and thick dry yellow coating. Pulse: Rapid and forceful, sometimes overflowing.

Treatment principle: Clear intense Heat and resolve toxins, cool the Blood.

L.I.-11 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓ DU-14 ↓

Note: no moxa; localized redness/swelling/heat should be medically evaluated to rule out infection. This site has no standalone Toxic-Heat slide on any deck, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

3. Spleen Deficiency With Dampness

Clinical manifestations: Musty persistent body odor (not sharp/pungent), sticky heavy-feeling sweat, abdominal bloating after eating, loose stools or diarrhea, fatigue and heaviness in the limbs, poor appetite with a sticky taste in the mouth.

Tongue: Pale swollen body with teeth marks, white greasy coating, moist surface. Pulse: Soggy and slow, soft and lacking force.

Treatment principle: Strengthen the Spleen and resolve Dampness, warm Yang.

REN-12 ⊥ ST-36 ↑ BL-20 ↑ SP-9 ↓

Note: moxa applicable on ST-36/BL-20. This site has no combined Spleen-deficiency-with-Dampness slide, a gap confirmed absent many times over — no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

4. Stagnant Liver Qi Turning Into Fire View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Irritability and angry outbursts, bitter taste in the mouth, rib-side distension or pain, headache with a throbbing or distending quality, red eyes, odor worsening with stress or anger.

Tongue: Red body (especially sides) with yellow dry coating. Pulse: Wiry and rapid.

Treatment principle: Soothe the Liver and clear stagnant Heat, harmonize the Spleen, cool the Blood.

LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓ LR-14 ↓

Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Stagnant-Liver-Qi-turning-into-Heat slide.

5. Disharmony Between Heart and Kidneys View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Night sweats with a faint sour smell, mental restlessness and irritability, palpitations and vivid dreams, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, heat in the palms/soles/chest, dry mouth and throat.

Tongue: Red thin body with a redder tip, very little or no coating, sometimes a midline crack. Pulse: Fine and rapid, weaker at the rear position, slightly floating at the front left.

Treatment principle: Nourish Kidney Yin to cool empty Heat, anchor the mind, stabilize fluids.

HE-7 ↑ KI-3 ↑ HE-3 ⊥ SP-6 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Matched to this site's own Kidneys-and-Heart-not-harmonized slide.

Related conditions

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