↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
Clinical manifestations: Poor appetite and early satiety; upper abdominal bloating after eating; loose stools or diarrhea; fatigue and physical weakness; sallow or pale complexion.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, slightly enlarged with tooth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Weak, soft, forceless.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, strengthen Spleen function, restore digestive transformation.
Clinical manifestations: Nausea that may lead to vomiting; frequent belching and hiccups; acid reflux or sour regurgitation; a sensation of Qi rising from the stomach to the throat; a feeling of food not going down properly; upper abdominal bloating.
Tongue: Normal body colour, white coating (yellow if Heat, greasy if Phlegm). Pulse: Wiry, possibly slippery.
Treatment principle: Direct rebellious Qi downward, resolve Phlegm, support the underlying Spleen deficiency.
Clinical manifestations: Distending pain in the upper abdomen radiating to the ribs; symptoms worse with emotional stress or frustration; frequent belching or acid reflux; irritability, moodiness, or frequent sighing.
Tongue: Normal or slightly red body, possibly redder sides, thin white coat. Pulse: Wiry, most noticeable at the left middle position.
Treatment principle: Course Liver-Qi, resolve constraint, and regulate the Stomach's downward movement.
4. Spleen Deficiency with Dampness
Clinical manifestations: Heavy sensation in the upper abdomen; bloating after eating; loose stools or diarrhea; heaviness in the body and limbs; sticky or greasy taste; drowsiness, especially after meals; thirst but no real desire to drink; head feels heavy or muzzy.
Tongue: Pale, swollen with teeth marks, white greasy coating, moist surface. Pulse: Soggy and slow, soft and weak at the right Guan position.
Treatment principle: Strengthen the Spleen, drain Dampness, restore fluid transformation.
Note: moxa applicable on the Tonify-Spleen point. This pattern has no explicit Cold marker, so it is not linked to this site's \"Cold-Dampness invading the Spleen\" slide — no pattern link is given here.
5. Phlegm-Dampness in the Middle-Burner
Clinical manifestations: Heavy sensation in the upper abdomen; nausea or vomiting of clear, watery, or sticky fluids; heaviness in the body and limbs; loose sticky stools that feel incomplete; bland or sticky taste in the mouth; drowsiness and brain fog.
Tongue: Pale, swollen with teeth marks, thick white greasy wet coating. Pulse: Slippery, often slow; right middle position soft and rolling.
Treatment principle: Strengthen the Spleen, dry Dampness, transform Phlegm, promote Qi descent.
Note: no moxa. No deck on this site has a Phlegm-Dampness-in-the-Middle-Burner category, so no pattern link is given here.
6. Qi Deficiency Causing Blood Stagnation
Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing epigastric pain that worsens with pressure; dark or dusky facial complexion; purple spots or spider veins under the skin; extreme fatigue and weakness; shortness of breath on mild exertion.
Tongue: Pale with a dark or purplish tinge, possible stasis spots, teeth marks, thin white coat. Pulse: Deep, fine or weak, choppy.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi to restore circulatory force, invigorate Blood, break up stasis.
Note: moxa applicable on the Tonify-Qi point. No deck on this site combines Qi deficiency with Blood stagnation into one slide, so no pattern link is given here.