Congestive Heart Failure

How Chinese medicine differentiates congestive heart failure, the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs, and only as supportive care alongside cardiology management.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Heart failure needs ongoing medical management (medication, fluid monitoring, cardiology follow-up); acupuncture here is supportive symptom care, not a substitute for that management. Worsening breathlessness or swelling needs prompt medical attention.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for congestive heart failure — 11 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
P-6	Opens the chest, moves Qi and Blood, calms the Mind.
ST-36	Benefits Stomach and Spleen, tonifies Qi and Blood.
BL-17	Invigorates Blood, tonifies Qi and Blood.
BL-15	Calms the Mind, nourishes the Heart, regulates Heart-Qi and invigorates Blood.
Ren-17	Opens the chest, regulates Qi and promotes the descending of Qi.
HE-7	Calms the Mind and opens the Mind's orifices, nourishes Heart-Blood.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen, nourishes Blood and Yin.
BL-13	Tonifies Lung-Qi and nourishes Lung-Yin.
BL-23	Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence.
Du-4	Tonifies Kidney-Yang and warms the Gate of Life. Expels Cold.
Ren-4	Nourishes Blood and Yin. Strengthens the Kidneys and Original Qi.
Du-20	Raises Yang, benefits the Brain.
ST-40	Resolves Phlegm and Dampness, subdues rebellious Qi.

The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Qi Deficiency causing Blood Stagnation

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing chest pain that doesn't move; profound fatigue; breathlessness on minimal exertion; a dusky complexion; purple spots on the skin.

Tongue: Pale-dark or pale-purple body with stasis spots, teeth marks, distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Deep, fine, choppy.

Treatment principle: Tonify Qi while invigorating Blood stasis.

Tonify Qi

ST-36 ↑

Invigorate Blood

P-6 ⊥ BL-17 ⊥ BL-15 ⊥ Ren-17 ⊥

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.

2. Heart Qi and Yin Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Night sweats; a dry mouth with little thirst; palpitations; restlessness; breathlessness worsening with activity.

Tongue: Red or pale-red, thin and cracked, scanty coating. Pulse: Fine and rapid, weak at the left Cun position.

Treatment principle: Tonify Heart-Qi and nourish Heart-Yin simultaneously.

P-6 ⊥ HE-7 ↑ ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑

Note: no moxa (Yin deficiency). No deck on this site combines Heart-Qi and Heart-Yin deficiency into one slide, so no pattern link is given here.

3. Lung and Heart Qi Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Severe breathlessness worsening with exertion; a weak cough with clear thin phlegm; spontaneous daytime sweating; a pale, puffy face.

Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender body with teeth marks. Pulse: Weak and forceless.

Treatment principle: Strengthen both Heart and Lung Qi through tonification.

BL-13 ↑ BL-15 ↑ ST-36 ↑

Note: moxa applicable. Direct match with Lung- and Heart-Qi deficiency — shortness of breath, palpitations, spontaneous sweating and an Empty pulse are shared.

4. Kidney Yang Deficiency with Water Overflowing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Puffy swelling in the legs and ankles; a cold lower back and legs; scanty urine; breathlessness worsening when lying flat.

Tongue: Pale, puffy, teeth-marked, white slippery coating. Pulse: Deep, slow, weak.

Treatment principle: Warm Kidney-Yang to transform and drain accumulated water.

BL-23 ↑ Du-4 ↑ Ren-4 ↑ ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑ Du-20 ↑

Note: moxa applicable. Direct match with Kidney-Yang deficiency, Water overflowing.

5. Phlegm-Fluids in the Lungs View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Cough with copious white or grey sticky phlegm; chest stuffiness easing after expectoration; wheezing; heaviness and poor appetite.

Tongue: Pale, swollen, thick white greasy coating. Pulse: Slippery.

Treatment principle: Warm and transform Phlegm-Fluids while strengthening Spleen function.

BL-13 ↑ ST-40 ↓ ST-36 ↑

Note: moxa applicable on the Tonify points. Direct match with Phlegm-Fluids obstructing the Lungs — the splashing/frothy sputum picture and chronic Spleen-Lung-Kidney Yang deficiency root are shared.

Related conditions

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