Pancreatitis

How Chinese medicine differentiates pancreatitis — distinct from Gallstones, Abdominal Pain and Epigastric Pain already covered — the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs, used as supportive care for chronic or recovery-phase presentations, never as a substitute for emergency medical care.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Acute pancreatitis is a medical emergency (severe abdominal pain radiating to the back, with nausea and vomiting, needs immediate care); acupuncture here is supportive only, for chronic pancreatitis or recovery, alongside ongoing medical management.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for pancreatitis — 18 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Clears Interior Wind.
BL-18	Resolves Damp-Heat. Invigorates Liver-Qi and Blood.
REN-12	Tonifies the Stomach and strengthens the Spleen. Regulates Qi.
ST-36	Tonifies Qi and Blood. Tonifies the Stomach and Spleen.
P-6	Invigorates Qi and Blood in the chest. Calms the Mind.
G.B.-34	Resolves Liver-Qi stagnation. Resolves Damp-Heat in the Liver and Gall Bladder.
SP-9	Regulates the Spleen. Resolves Dampness.
ST-25	Regulates the Intestines, Stomach and Spleen.
ST-44	Clears Heat from the Stomach channel and eases pain. Regulates the Intestines.
L.I.-11	Clears Heat. Cools the Blood.
ST-37	Regulates the Stomach and Intestines and resolves food retention.
BL-20	Tonifies the Spleen Qi and Yang. Resolves Dampness.
BL-21	Tonifies Stomach Qi. Subdues rebellious Stomach-Qi.
SP-6	Tonifies the Spleen and Stomach. Resolves Dampness.
REN-4	Nourishes Blood and Yin. Strengthens the Kidneys.
SP-10	Cools the Blood. Invigorates Blood and removes stagnation.
BL-17	Invigorates Blood. Cools Blood-Heat.
DU-14	Clears Wind-Heat. Releases the Exterior.

The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Liver-Qi Stagnation That Transforms Into Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Distending or burning epigastric pain radiating to ribcage or back, worsens with emotional stress or anger, bitter taste, irritability and explosive anger, nausea and acid reflux.

Tongue: Red body with redder sides, thin to moderate yellow coating. Pulse: Wiry and rapid, strongest at the left middle position.

Treatment principle: Soothe the Liver, relieve Qi stagnation, and clear Heat.

LR-3 ↓ BL-18 ↓ REN-12 ⊥ ST-36 ⊥ P-6 ↓

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.

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

Clinical manifestations: Severe pain or distension in the upper abdomen radiating to the back, yellowing of eyes or skin, bitter taste, nausea or vomiting, fever or alternating chills and fever, dark yellow scanty urine.

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

Treatment principle: Clear Damp-Heat from Liver and Gallbladder, soothe Liver-Qi.

LR-3 ↓ G.B.-34 ↓ SP-9 ↓ REN-12 ⊥

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

3. Bright Yang Fire in Stomach and Intestines View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: High fever especially in the afternoon, intense thirst for cold drinks, constipation with dry hard stools, abdominal pain worsens with pressure, foul-smelling gas and bad breath, restlessness and irritability, severe abdominal distension.

Tongue: Red body with prickly thorns, thick yellow dry coating that may crack. Pulse: Deep, forceful, rapid, and slippery.

Treatment principle: Drain Heat from Stomach and Intestines, unblock the bowels.

ST-25 ↓ ST-44 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓ ST-37 ↓

Note: no moxa — this is a Full-Heat emergency pattern. Matched to this site's own Heat-obstructing-the-Large-Intestine slide (the Bright Yang Fu-organ stage), an emergency pattern on this site — constipation, high fever, abdominal pain worse with pressure, and thick dry yellow coating line up closely.

4. Spleen and Stomach Qi Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Poor appetite, bloating worsens after meals, loose or unformed stools, fatigue and physical weakness, sallow or pale complexion.

Tongue: Pale, puffy, with tooth marks and thin white coating. Pulse: Weak and soft, especially at the right Guan position.

Treatment principle: Strengthen Spleen-Qi and restore digestive function.

ST-36 ↑ BL-20 ↑ BL-21 ↑ SP-6 ↑ REN-4 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Stomach-and-Spleen-Qi-deficiency slide.

5. Toxic-Heat Stagnation

Clinical manifestations: Severe, fixed, boring epigastric pain radiating to the back, high fever with intense thirst and restlessness, possible palpable abdominal mass or signs of pus formation.

Tongue: Deep red or crimson body with stasis spots, thick dry yellow coating. Pulse: Rapid and thready or forceful.

Treatment principle: Clear intense Heat toxin from Qi and Blood levels, invigorate Blood and break stasis.

L.I.-11 ↓ SP-10 ↓ BL-17 ↓ DU-14 ↓ ST-36 ⊥

Note: no moxa — this is an acute Full-Heat emergency pattern requiring urgent medical care. This site has no standalone Toxic-Heat slide, so no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

Related conditions

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