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Itchy Ears

How Chinese medicine differentiates itchy ears — distinct from Ear Eczema and Ear Discharge already covered — the four 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. Persistent itchy ears with pain, discharge, or hearing changes need medical evaluation before assuming it is a simple pattern.
General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for itchy ears — 9 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

PointKey action
T.B.-21Local point, clears Heat and relieves ear itching.
S.I.-19Opens the ear channel, expels Wind-Dampness.
G.B.-20Dispels Wind and clears Heat from the head and ears.
LR-2Fire point of the Liver channel, strongly drains excess Heat.
SP-10Tonifies Blood and regulates skin moisture, reducing dryness.
L.I.-11Dispels Wind and clears Heat from the skin surface.
LR-3Subdues Liver-Wind and nourishes Liver-Blood.
SP-6Strengthens the Spleen to generate Blood, harmonizes Blood.
KI-3Tonifies Kidney-Yin and Yang, nourishes and clears deficiency Heat.
KI-7Strengthens Yin and regulates water to cool Empty-Heat.
BL-23Directly supplements Kidney-Essence.
T.B.-5Releases the exterior and disperses Wind-Heat, removes channel obstructions.
The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing   ↓ reducing   ⊥ even method.

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

Clinical manifestations: Ear redness and swelling, yellow sticky discharge or crusting, bitter taste in the mouth, irritability and restlessness, rib-side discomfort or fullness, red swollen weepy itch that gets worse with stress or rich food.
Tongue: Red body with red sides and thick yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Wiry, slippery and rapid.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat and drain Dampness from the Liver and Gallbladder, cool the Liver channel.
T.B.-21 ↓ S.I.-19 ↓ G.B.-20 ↓ LR-2 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Damp-Heat-in-the-Gall-Bladder-and-Liver slide — its title corresponds exactly to this pattern's name.

2. Blood Deficiency with External Wind

Clinical manifestations: Dry scaly or flaking skin inside the ear, itching worsens at night, dizziness or light-headedness, pale complexion and lips, brittle nails or dry hair.
Tongue: Pale, thin body with thin white and slightly dry coating. Pulse: Fine, wiry at left middle position, floating at right front.
Treatment principle: Nourish Blood and moisten dryness to eliminate internal Wind, restore skin moisture and resilience.
SP-10 ↑ L.I.-11 ↓ LR-3 ⊥ SP-6 ↑
Note: moxa applicable on the tonifying points. This dermatological Blood-deficiency-generating-Wind pattern is distinct from the organ-level Liver-Blood-deficiency slide on this site, so no pattern link is given here.

3. Kidney Yin Deficiency With Empty-Heat Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Itching worsens at night, dry scaly or flaking skin inside the ear, tinnitus and lower back soreness, irritability and restlessness, possible night sweats, a deep nagging itch that feels internal rather than surface-level.
Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with little or no coating, possible cracks. Pulse: Fine and rapid.
Treatment principle: Nourish Kidney-Yin and anchor unanchored Yang, clear Empty-Heat drifting upward.
KI-3 ↑ KI-7 ↑ BL-23 ↑ T.B.-21 ↓
Note: no moxa given the Empty-Heat. Direct match with this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.

4. Wind-Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Sudden onset of ear itching, mild fever or aversion to drafts, sore red throat, thirst with desire to drink, acute sudden itch that may follow a cold or exposure to wind.
Tongue: Red tip and edges with thin yellow coating. Pulse: Floating and rapid.
Treatment principle: Release the exterior and disperse the Wind-Heat pathogen, clear Heat from the ear channel.
G.B.-20 ↓ T.B.-5 ↓
Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Invasion-of-Lungs-by-Wind-Heat slide.
Related conditions
Ear Eczema Ear Discharge

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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.