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Hallucinations

How Chinese medicine differentiates hallucinations — distinct from Alzheimer's Disease and Aggression already covered — the six patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Supportive care only. 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. New or worsening hallucinations always need prompt medical and psychiatric evaluation (a neurological, psychiatric, or medication-related cause must be ruled out); acupuncture here is supportive alongside that care, never a substitute for it.
General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for hallucinations — 16 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

PointKey action
HE-7Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices. Nourishes Heart-Blood.
P-7Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices. Clears Heat and Toxic Heat.
ST-40Resolves Phlegm and Dampness. Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices.
DU-20Raises clear Yang. Benefits the Brain and sense organs.
P-6Opens the chest and moves Qi and Blood. Calms the Mind.
LR-3Subdues Liver-Yang. Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi. Calms the Mind.
LR-2Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Cools Blood.
HE-8Clears Heart-Fire, Heart Empty-Heat and Heart Phlegm-Fire. Calms the Mind.
SP-10Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
BL-15Calms the Mind. Nourishes the Heart. Regulates Heart-Qi and invigorates Blood.
BL-20Tonifies Spleen and Stomach. Nourishes Blood.
ST-36Benefits Stomach and Spleen. Tonifies Qi and Blood.
SP-6Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin.
KI-3Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence.
BL-23Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence.
KI-6Nourishes Kidney-Yin. Calms the Mind. Benefits the eyes and throat.
The Six Patterns

↑ reinforcing   ↓ reducing   ⊥ even method.

1. Phlegm-Fire Harassing the Heart View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Mental restlessness, vivid auditory or visual hallucinations, chest oppression, flushed face, bitter taste, severe insomnia.
Tongue: Red swollen body with a red prickly tip, thick yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Slippery and rapid.
Treatment principle: Transform Phlegm, clear Heat, and open the Heart's orifices to restore clear perception.
HE-7 ↓ P-7 ↓ ST-40 ↓ DU-20 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Phlegm-Fire-harassing-the-Heart slide.

2. Stagnant Liver-Qi Turning Into Fire View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Irritability, bitter taste, throbbing temples, hallucinations triggered by emotional upset, red eyes.
Tongue: Red sides with yellow dry coating. Pulse: Wiry and rapid.
Treatment principle: Smooth Liver stagnation and clear Heat to calm the Spirit.
LR-3 ↓ LR-2 ↓ HE-7 ↓
Note: no moxa. Matched to this site's own Stagnant-Liver-Qi-turning-into-Heat slide — the same paraphrase-link convention used throughout this site.

3. Heart-Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Frightening hallucinations, severe agitation, mouth ulcers, red flushed face, palpitations with heat, insomnia.
Tongue: Red body with a redder tip, yellow dry coating. Pulse: Rapid, forceful.
Treatment principle: Drain Heart-Fire, clear Heat, and calm the Mind to stop hallucinations.
HE-7 ↓ HE-8 ↓ P-7 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Heart-Fire-blazing slide.

4. Heart-Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, persistent hallucinations, stabbing chest pain, dark purple tongue with stasis spots, palpitations.
Tongue: Dark purple/red with stasis spots, distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Choppy or knotted.
Treatment principle: Open the sensory orifices by invigorating Blood and removing stasis.
SP-10 ↓ P-6 ↓ HE-7 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Heart-Blood-stasis slide.

5. Heart and Spleen Qi and Blood Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fleeting, shadow-like hallucinations worsening with fatigue, palpitations, poor appetite, pale complexion, forgetfulness.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender with teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Fine and weak.
Treatment principle: Tonify Heart-Blood and Spleen-Qi to anchor the Spirit.
HE-7 ↑ BL-15 ↑ BL-20 ↑ ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑
Note: moxa applicable throughout. Linked to this site's Spleen-and-Heart-Blood-deficiency slide — its own palpitations/poor-memory/easily-startled symptom set lines up closely, the same match already used for Delayed Speech Development.

6. Kidney-Essence Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Poor memory, mental decline, dizziness, lower back and knee weakness, tinnitus, premature greying.
Tongue: Pale, thin body with possible cracks, little coating. Pulse: Deep, fine, weak.
Treatment principle: Nourish Kidney-Yin and Essence to replenish Marrow and anchor the Spirit.
KI-3 ↑ BL-23 ↑ DU-20 ↑ KI-6 ↑
Note: moxa applicable throughout. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Kidney-Essence-deficiency slide.
Related conditions
Alzheimer's Disease Aggression

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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.