↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
Clinical manifestations: Bright red, swollen lips; excessive hunger; foul breath; intense thirst for cold drinks; a burning pain in the upper stomach.
Tongue: Red with red prickles at the centre, thick dry yellow coating. Pulse: Rapid, slippery, forceful.
Treatment principle: Clears Stomach Fire, cools the Blood and nourishes Yin.
Note: no moxa.
Clinical manifestations: Red, swollen, possibly oozing lips; bloating and fullness; a sticky or bitter taste; loose, sticky stools; a heavy, foggy sensation.
Tongue: Red, possibly swollen with teeth marks, thick greasy yellow coating. Pulse: Soggy and rapid, often slippery.
Treatment principle: Clears Heat and drains Dampness, regulates Qi and harmonizes the Middle Burner.
Note: no moxa.
Clinical manifestations: Sudden red, swollen, painful lips; fever with an aversion to wind; a sore, red throat; a distending headache; a yellow phlegm cough.
Tongue: Red tip and edges, thin yellow coating. Pulse: Floating and rapid.
Treatment principle: Disperses Wind-Heat, releases the exterior and clears Heat from the upper body.
Note: no moxa.
Clinical manifestations: Chronic red lips with dryness and peeling; an afternoon or evening heat sensation; night sweats; a dry mouth worse at night; heat in the palms, soles and chest; restlessness.
Tongue: Red, thin, dry with cracks, little or no coating. Pulse: Fine and rapid.
Treatment principle: Nourishes Yin, clears deficiency Heat and moistens dryness.
Note: no moxa (Yin deficiency with heat signs).
Clinical manifestations: A bitter taste; intense irritability and a short temper; a throbbing temple or crown headache; a flushed, red face; red, burning, painful eyes.
Tongue: Red with redder sides, dry yellow coating with possible red prickles. Pulse: Wiry, rapid, forceful.
Treatment principle: Drains Liver and Gallbladder Fire and clears Heat from the Liver channel.
Note: no moxa.
Clinical manifestations: Thick yellow or greenish phlegm cough; chest tightness; a sore, red throat; fever; intense thirst for cold drinks; a hot sensation when breathing.
Tongue: Red, especially at the tip and edges, yellow dry coating. Pulse: Rapid, possibly slippery or overflowing, forceful at the right front position.
Treatment principle: Clears Lung Heat, stops the cough and restores the downward flow of Lung Qi.
Note: no moxa.