TCM patterns database
TCM patterns behind skin conditions
A pattern is the internal picture a practitioner identifies from signs, tongue and pulse. These are the patterns that matter in skin practice, each with the conditions it appears in and the treatment it points to.
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B
- Bladder Deficient and Cold膀胱虚寒páng guāng xū hán A pattern in which the Bladder has lost the warmth it needs to hold and release urine. Kidney Yang supplies that warmth, so when it declines the Bladder cannot close the gate: urine comes… Organs: Urinary Bladder, Kidneys
- Blood Deficiency血虚xuè xū The nourishing substance of the body is low. Blood is described as what colours the complexion, moistens the skin and hair, and houses the spirit, so when it is deficient the picture is… Organs: Heart, Liver, Spleen
- Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen肝脾不和血虚gān pí bù hé xuè xū Blood deficiency with the Liver and Spleen pulling against each other. The Liver affects the Spleen through emotional constraint and the Spleen fails to produce enough Blood to nourish the… Organs: Liver, Spleen
- Blood Deficiency with External Wind血虚生风xuè xū shēng fēng Blood is what keeps skin supple. When it runs low the skin dries, flakes and loses colour, and the tradition describes the resulting restlessness as Wind: itch that moves from place to… Organs: Liver, Heart
- Blood Stagnation血瘀xuè yū Blood that no longer moves freely. The tradition reads stasis by three signs: pain that is fixed and stabbing rather than moving, a dusky tinge to the complexion or lips, and a purple or… Organs: Heart, Liver
- Blood Stagnation in the Directing and Penetrating Vessels冲任瘀阻chōng rèn yū zǔ Blood stasis in the two vessels that govern menstruation, the Chong and the Ren. The pain is fixed and stabbing in the lower abdomen and worst on the first days of the period, the menstrual… Organs: Uterus, Liver
- Blood Stagnation with Heat瘀热yū rè Blood that has pooled and then heated. The stasis gives fixed, night-worse pain and a purple tongue; the Heat adds restlessness, a reddish tinge to the purple, and bleeding that comes dark… Organs: Heart, Liver
- Body Fluids Deficiency津液亏虚jīn yè kuī xū The lighter fluids of the body are low. This is more specific than Yin deficiency: it is the moisture that lubricates the mouth, skin, eyes and bowels that has been used up, usually by… Organs: Stomach, Lung, Large Intestine
- Bright Yang Stomach Heat阳明胃热yáng míng wèi rè The classic fever picture of the tradition: sustained high fever, profuse sweating that brings no relief, intense thirst for cold drinks, and a surging pulse. It is Heat concentrated in the… Organs: Stomach
C
- Cold invading the Channels (Joints and Muscles)寒痹hán bì Cold that has lodged in the channels and joints. The pain is severe and fixed in one place, the joint feels cold to the touch rather than hot, and warmth relieves it. It is the cold type of… Organs: Channels, Joints
- Cold-Damp invading the Spleen寒湿困脾hán shī kùn pí Cold and Dampness obstructing the Spleen. The middle feels cold, full and heavy, the stools are loose or watery, and the tongue is pale, swollen and thickly white-coated with an excessively… Organs: Spleen
- Collapse of Yang亡阳wáng yáng A critical loss of the body's warming force. The picture is cold and quiet rather than hot and agitated: profuse cold sweat, ice-cold hands and feet, an ashen-white face, and a pulse that… Organs: Heart, Kidney
- Collapse of Yin亡阴wáng yīn A critical loss of the body's cooling and moistening substance. It follows severe fluid loss, from high fever, heavy sweating, vomiting, diarrhoea or bleeding, and it presents as a hot,… Organs: Heart, Kidney
D
- Damp-Cold寒湿hán shī Cold and Dampness together. The body feels heavy and cold, the limbs are cold, the stools are loose and the tongue has a thick white greasy coat that looks wet. It is the general cold-damp… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Damp-Heat湿热shī rè Two influences acting together: Dampness, which is heavy, sticky and slow, and Heat, which is red, active and inflammatory. Their combination gives the skin a particular look: red, weepy,… Organs: Spleen, Liver, Gallbladder
- Damp-Heat in Stomach and Spleen脾胃湿热pí wèi shī rè Damp-Heat settled in the digestive centre. The result is a middle that feels blocked and sticky: bloating and fullness after eating, stools that are sticky or incomplete, a bitter or sticky… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Damp-Heat in the Liver肝经湿热gān jīng shī rè Damp-Heat travelling along the Liver channel. The rib-side pain and bitter taste are Liver signs, and because the Liver channel runs through the lower body, the pattern often shows there… Organs: Liver
- Damp-Heat in the Liver Channel肝胆湿热gān dǎn shī rè Damp-Heat travelling along the Liver channel. It shows where that channel runs: the genitals, the groin, the rib area and the eyes. There is redness, itching, swelling or discharge, a… Organs: Liver, Gallbladder
- Damp-Heat in the Lower Burner下焦湿热xià jiāo shī rè Damp-Heat collected in the lower part of the body. It shows in the urine, the bowels and the genital area: dark scanty or painful urination, a heavy feeling low down, discharges that smell… Organs: Bladder, Large Intestine, Uterus
- Damp-Heat invading the Spleen湿热困脾shī rè kùn pí Damp-Heat that has settled in the Spleen itself. The middle feels blocked: stuffiness and fullness in the upper abdomen, poor appetite with nausea, and a thick yellow greasy coating. It is… Organs: Spleen
- Damp-Phlegm痰湿tán shī The heavy, sticky form of Phlegm that comes from Dampness. It is not the hot yellow Phlegm of infection but a white, plentiful, easy-to-cough mucus, together with heaviness, chest and… Organs: Spleen, Lung
- Damp-Phlegm in the Lungs痰湿阻肺tán shī zǔ fèi Damp-Phlegm settled in the Lungs. The cough produces copious white sticky phlegm that is easy to bring up, the chest feels full and heavy, and the tongue has a thick white greasy coat. It… Organs: Lung, Spleen
- Damp-Warmth湿温shī wēn A febrile illness where Dampness holds the Heat down. The fever is low-grade and feels muffled rather than burning, the body feels heavy and tired, the chest and upper abdomen are stuffy,… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Dampness invading the Channels (Joints and Muscles)湿痹shī bì Dampness lodged in the channels, with Dampness as the leading factor. The pain is heavy and aching rather than sharp, fixed in one place, with swelling and often numbness. The limbs feel… Organs: Channels, Joints
- Deficiency of the Liver and Kidney Yin肝肾阴虚gān shèn yīn xū The deeper Yin of the Liver and Kidney is low together. The Kidney side gives a sore weak lower back, tinnitus and night sweats; the Liver side gives dry eyes, blurred vision and dizziness.… Organs: Liver, Kidney
- Disharmony between Heart and Kidneys心肾不交xīn shèn bù jiāo The Heart and Kidney have lost their connection. Normally the Kidney's water rises to cool the Heart and the Heart's fire descends to warm the Kidney; when that exchange fails, there is… Organs: Heart, Kidney
- Dry-Wind风燥fēng zào Autumn dryness carried in on the Wind. It arrives as a dry cough with little or no phlegm, a dry nose, mouth and throat, and a mild chill with low-grade fever. It is the autumn counterpart… Organs: Lung
E
- Empty-Heat caused by Yin Deficiency阴虚内热yīn xū nèi rè Heat that comes from lack, not excess. When the cooling, moistening side of the body runs low, warmth is no longer held in check and a low-grade heat builds: afternoon flushing, night… Organs: Kidney, Liver, Heart
- Excess-Heat实热shí rè Full Heat with nothing deficient behind it. The signs are strong and obvious: high fever or a strong sense of body heat, intense thirst for cold drinks, a red face and a rapid forceful… Organs: Stomach, Heart, Liver
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H
- Heart Blood Stagnation心血瘀阻xīn xuè yū zǔ Blood stasis in the vessels of the Heart. It presents with stabbing chest pain in a fixed spot, dark lips and nails, a purple tongue and a choppy or knotted pulse. Of all the patterns in… Organs: Heart
- Heart Fire blazing心火上炎xīn huǒ shàng yán Heat concentrated in the Heart. The signs are all in the chest and the mouth: palpitations, restlessness and agitation, mouth or tongue ulcers, and sleep that is broken and full of dreams.… Organs: Heart
- Heart Yang Deficiency心阳虚xīn yáng xū The Heart has lost its warmth and driving force. Beyond the palpitations and fatigue of Heart Qi deficiency, there is cold: cold limbs, a bright pale face, a feeling of stuffiness or… Organs: Heart
- Heat and Blood Stagnation in the Lower Burner下焦蓄血xià jiāo xù xuè Stagnant Blood with Heat, pooled in the lower abdomen. The signs are a fixed sharp pain that worsens on pressure, hardness or fullness low down, dark blood, and often an odd mental… Organs: Lower Burner, Liver
- Heat in Pericardium热入心包rè rù xīn bāo Heat that has reached the Pericardium, the layer described as guarding the Heart. The signs are neurological as much as febrile: high fever with loss of consciousness, delirium or… Organs: Pericardium, Heart
- Heat in the Blood血热xuè rè Heat that has gone into the Blood itself. Rather than sitting on the surface, it moves with the Blood, producing bleeding where it forces vessels open, redness that is deep rather than… Organs: Heart, Liver
- Heat in the Ying Level热入营分rè rù yíng fēn Heat that has moved from the Qi level into the Ying, the nutritive level. The signature is a fever that worsens at night with a crimson tongue, mental restlessness and a fine rapid pulse.… Organs: Heart, Pericardium
- Heat invading the Channels (Joints and Muscles)热痹rè bì The hot form of painful obstruction. The joints are red, swollen and hot to the touch, and pain is relieved by cold rather than warmth. It is the pattern that flares in hot weather and… Organs: Channels, Joints
- Heat victorious agitating Blood热盛动血rè shèng dòng xuè Heat so intense that it drives the Blood out of its vessels and unsettles the spirit. It presents as high fever with bleeding from several sites, dark or purplish skin rashes, and… Organs: Heart, Liver
K
- Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency肝肾阴虚gān shèn yīn xū The deep Yin reserves of both Kidney and Liver are low. The Kidney supplies the body's foundational Yin and the Liver stores the Blood that moistens the eyes, sinews and skin. When both are… Organs: Kidney, Liver
- Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency causing Heat in the Blood肝肾阴虚血热gān shèn yīn xū xuè rè Yin deficiency that has become hot enough to drive the Blood. The deep Yin signs are there - lower back weakness, night sweats, dry mouth - and with them the signs of Blood Heat:… Organs: Kidney, Liver
- Kidney and Spleen Yang Deficiency脾肾阳虚pí shèn yáng xū The warming systems are depleted together. The Kidney supplies the body's deepest warmth and the Spleen depends on it to digest; when both are weak, the picture is cold and slow: cold… Organs: Spleen, Kidney
- Kidney Essence Deficiency肾精不足shèn jīng bù zú The deepest reserve is depleted. Essence is described as the substance behind growth, reproduction and the ageing process, so when it is low the signs are about development and decline:… Organs: Kidney
- Kidney Yang Deficiency肾阳虚shèn yáng xū The deepest warming reserve is low. Kidney Yang is described as the body's pilot light: it warms the lower back and legs, drives fluid transformation and supports sexual and reproductive… Organs: Kidney
- Kidney Yang Deficiency with Water overflowing肾阳虚水泛shèn yáng xū shuǐ fàn Kidney Yang too weak to move water. Fluid that should be transformed and excreted instead accumulates: swelling of the legs and ankles, scanty difficult urination, a cold lower body, and a… Organs: Kidney, Spleen
- Kidney Yin Deficiency With Empty-Heat Blazing肾阴虚火旺shèn yīn xū huǒ wàng The Kidney's deep cooling reserve is depleted and the resulting Heat is pronounced. The pattern is dry and warm: night sweats, heat in the palms, soles and chest, tinnitus, a sore lower… Organs: Kidney
L
- Liver and Gallbladder Damp-Heat肝胆湿热gān dǎn shī rè Damp-Heat settled in the Liver and Gallbladder. It shows on the right side under the ribs, with distension or pain, a bitter taste, dark yellow urine and a thick yellow greasy coating.… Organs: Liver, Gallbladder
- Liver Blood Deficiency肝血虚gān xuè xū Blood deficiency showing through the Liver. The Liver stores Blood and opens to the eyes, so when its Blood is low the signs are visual and cyclical: dizziness, blurred or diminished… Organs: Liver
- Liver Blood Stagnation肝血瘀滞gān xuè yū zhì Blood stasis in the Liver channel. It shows as fixed stabbing pain in the ribs or abdomen, a purple tongue with stasis spots, dark clotted periods, and a wiry choppy pulse. It is the stasis… Organs: Liver
- Liver Fire Blazing肝火上炎gān huǒ shàng yán Intense Liver Heat that rises upward. The signs are all in the upper body: throbbing headache at the temples or crown, red painful eyes, a bitter taste, sudden ringing in the ears, and a… Organs: Liver, Gallbladder
- Liver Qi Stagnation肝气郁结gān qì yù jié A blockage rather than a deficiency: the free flow of Qi through the Liver system is stuck. The signs are distension along the ribs and flanks, irritability or low mood, frequent sighing,… Organs: Liver
- Liver Qi Stagnation that transforms into Heat肝郁化火gān yù huà huǒ Stuck Liver Qi that has heated up. The original picture is tension, irritability and distending rib pain; when the stagnation persists it is said to transform into Heat, adding a bitter… Organs: Liver, Gallbladder
- Liver Wind agitating Internally due to Liver Blood Deficiency肝血虚生风gān xuè xū shēng fēng Internal Wind that arises from a lack of Blood. Unlike the external Wind of a cold, this Wind comes from within: the tendons and sinews are undernourished, so they tremble, twitch and go… Organs: Liver
- Lung Heat肺热fèi rè Heat settled in the Lungs. The cough is productive with thick yellow phlegm, and there is fever and thirst. It is the deeper stage of a Wind-Heat invasion, or the result of Heat that has… Organs: Lung
P
- Painful Obstruction due to Damp Heat in Channels湿热痹阻shī rè bì zǔ Damp-Heat lodged in the channels and joints. The sign that separates it from other joint patterns is heat: the joint is red, swollen and hot to the touch, and it is worse with warmth and… Organs: Joints, Channels
- Painful Obstruction with Liver and Kidney Deficiency肝肾亏虚痹证gān shèn kuī xū bì zhèng Joint pain that has become chronic and has depleted the Liver and Kidney. The obstruction is still there, which is why cold and damp weather still worsens the pain, but the person is now… Organs: Liver, Kidney, Channels
- Painful Obstruction with Qi and Blood Deficiency气血亏虚痹证qì xuè kuī xū bì zhèng Joint pain in someone who is depleted. The pain is a lingering dull ache that is worse after exertion, and it comes with numbness, fatigue and pallor. It is the painful obstruction pattern… Organs: Channels, Spleen, Liver
- Painful Obstruction with Wind-Cold-Damp风寒湿痹fēng hán shī bì All three external pathogens in one joint picture. Wind gives pain that moves, Cold gives pain that is fixed and worse with cold, and Dampness gives heaviness and swelling. Together they… Organs: Channels, Joints
- Phlegm in the Channels (Joints and Muscles)痰阻经络tán zǔ jīng luò Phlegm that has settled in the channels, joints and muscles. It produces pain that is fixed and stabbing, swelling that feels hard rather than soft, numbness or heaviness, and a purple… Organs: Channels, Joints, Spleen
- Phlegm-Dampness in the Middle-Burner痰湿中阻tán shī zhōng zǔ Phlegm and Dampness blocking the middle. The upper abdomen feels full and stuffy, there is nausea, the body feels heavy, and the tongue has a thick greasy sticky coat. It is the… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Phlegm-Heat痰热tán rè Phlegm with Heat in it. The phlegm is thick, sticky and yellow, the chest feels full and oppressed, and the person is restless or irritable. The tongue has a yellow greasy coat and the… Organs: Lung, Stomach
- Phlegm-Heat in the Lungs痰热壅肺tán rè yōng fèi Phlegm and Heat congesting the Lungs. The cough brings up copious yellow sticky sputum, breathing is short or rapid, the chest feels tight, and there is fever or a sensation of heat. It is… Organs: Lung
- Protective Qi Deficiency卫气虚wèi qì xū The body's outer defence is weak. Protective Qi, the layer that holds the surface closed and keeps pathogens out, is what fails here: the person sweats without exertion, catches colds… Organs: Lung, Wei Qi
Q
- Qi and Blood Deficiency气血两虚qì xuè liǎng xū Both of the body's main resources are low at once. Qi gives energy, warmth and the push behind function; Blood gives substance, colour and moisture. When both are deficient the picture is… Organs: Spleen, Heart
- Qi And Blood Stagnation气滞血瘀qì zhì xuè yū Two blockages together: Qi that no longer moves freely and Blood that has pooled behind it. The pain has both qualities at once, distending and fixed, and it shifts with stress. The tongue… Organs: Liver, Heart
- Qi and Yin Deficiency气阴两虚qì yīn liǎng xū Both the push and the moisture are low. Qi deficiency gives fatigue and breathlessness; Yin deficiency gives dryness and a low-grade heat. Together they produce a particular picture: tired… Organs: Spleen, Lung, Kidney
- Qi Deficiency causing Blood Stagnation气虚血瘀qì xū xuè yū Stasis that comes from weakness rather than blockage. Qi is what pushes Blood along; when Qi is too weak to do that, Blood slows and pools. The picture therefore combines stasis and… Organs: Heart, Spleen
- Qi not controlling Blood气不摄血qì bù shè xuě Bleeding caused by weakness rather than by Heat. Qi is described as holding Blood inside the vessels; when Qi is too weak to hold it, bleeding happens from various sites: nosebleeds,… Organs: Spleen
S
- Spleen and Kidney Qi Deficiency脾肾气虚pí shèn qì xū Both the Spleen and the Kidney are low in Qi. The Spleen side gives poor appetite, loose stools and fatigue; the Kidney side gives a sore weak lower back, frequent urination and deep… Organs: Spleen, Kidney
- Spleen and Stomach Qi Deficiency脾胃气虚pí wèi qì xū The digestive centre is simply weak. The Stomach receives food and the Spleen transforms it, and when both are low the result is a poor appetite, bloating after eating, loose stools and… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Spleen Blood Deficiency脾血虚pí xuè xū Blood deficiency with the Spleen clearly at its root. There is the pallor and dizziness of Blood deficiency, but also the digestive weakness that caused it: poor appetite, loose stools and… Organs: Spleen, Heart
- Spleen Deficiency with Dampness脾虚湿困pí xū shī kùn A pattern built on two layers that feed each other. The Spleen is too weak to transform food and move fluids, so fluids pool into Dampness; the Dampness is heavy and obstructive, and it… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Spleen not controlling Blood脾不统血pí bù tǒng xuè Bleeding because the Spleen is too weak to keep Blood in its place. The blood can come from the stool, urine, skin or uterus, and it is chronic and low-grade rather than sudden. Alongside… Organs: Spleen, Heart
- Spleen Yang Deficiency脾阳虚pí yáng xū The Spleen has lost its warmth. Beyond the poor appetite and loose stools of simple Spleen deficiency, there is cold: dull abdominal pain that warmth and pressure relieve, cold hands and… Organs: Spleen
- Summer Heat with Dampness暑湿shǔ shī The particular heaviness of summer illness. Heat and Dampness arrive together in hot humid weather, so the picture is not simply hot: there is fever with a heavy body, a stuffy chest and… Organs: Spleen, Stomach
T
- Toxic-Heat热毒rè dú Heat concentrated past the point of ordinary inflammation. Where Heat is red and hot, toxic Heat is red, hot, swollen, painful and often purulent: boils, abscesses, infected sores, a badly… Organs: Heart, Stomach, Liver
- Toxic-Heat Stagnation热毒壅滞rè dú yōng zhì Toxic Heat that has become stuck in one place. It is the localised, concentrated form: a single area that is red, swollen, hot and painful, with pus forming or already discharging,… Organs: Heart, Stomach
W
- Wind-Cold风寒fēng hán The common cold in its cold form. Wind brings it on suddenly and affects the surface; Cold gives pronounced chills, little fever, no sweating, a runny nose with clear discharge, and body… Organs: Lung, Wei Qi
- Wind-Cold-Damp风寒湿fēng hán shī Wind, Cold and Dampness together, settled in the channels. The pain moves because of the Wind, is sharp and worse with cold because of the Cold, and feels heavy and stiff because of the… Organs: Channels, Joints
- Wind-Cold-Water invading the Lungs风寒水饮犯肺fēng hán shuǐ yǐn fàn fèi Wind and Cold driving water-fluid into the Lungs. The cough produces copious thin white frothy sputum, breathing wheezes or shortens, and the person is chilled. It is the pattern behind the… Organs: Lung
- Wind-Damp风湿fēng shī Wind and Dampness together. Wind makes the pain wander from joint to joint; Dampness makes the limbs feel heavy and the tissues swollen. It is the pattern behind joint and muscle pain that… Organs: Channels, Joints
- Wind-Heat风热fēng rè The early stage of a heat-type cold. Wind brings the suddenness, the moving quality and the surface symptoms; Heat brings the sore throat, the fever and the redness. It is the pattern… Organs: Lung, Wei Qi
- Wind-Heat invading the Lungs风热犯肺fēng rè fàn fèi Wind-Heat that has moved from the surface into the Lungs. The sore throat and fever of the early stage are joined by a cough, and the Lungs become the centre of the picture. It is the… Organs: Lung
Y
- Yang Deficiency with Cold-Damp阳虚寒湿yáng xū hán shī Weakness combined with cold and dampness. Yang is too low to warm and dry the body, so Cold and Damp settle in: coldness along the back, aching joints, cold hands and feet, and no thirst,… Organs: Spleen, Kidney
- Yin and Blood Deficiency阴血亏虚yīn xuè kuī xū Two related deficiencies at once. Blood is the nourishing substance and Yin is the cooling, moistening half of the body; when both are low the picture is dry, pale and restless: dizziness,… Organs: Liver, Heart, Kidney
- Yin Deficiency阴虚yīn xū The body's cooling and moistening half is low. It shows as dryness and a low-grade heat that is worse at night: a dry mouth and throat, night sweats, heat in the palms, soles and chest, a… Organs: Kidney, Liver, Lung
- Ying-Wei Disharmony营卫不和yíng wèi bù hé The two surface layers are out of step. Nutritive Qi (Ying) and Protective Qi (Wei) are meant to work together at the surface; when their relationship is disturbed, the result is a leaky… Organs: Lung, Spleen