Traditional Chinese Medicine Case Studies / Clinical Discussions / Reference Articles for Learning TCM Understanding Damp-Heat When we observe damp-heat, we should not rush to clear it immediately. Damp-heat is merely a result; if we focus solely on the result, it will reappear quickly because the cause remains. Focusing on treating damp-heat will only lead … Read more
The concept of deficiency and excess in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) refers to the comparison between Zheng Qi (正气, righteous qi) and Xie Qi (邪气, pathogenic qi) in the Eight Principles (八纲, ba gang) diagnostic framework. A deficiency of Zheng Qi indicates a state of deficiency, while an excess of Xie Qi indicates a state … Read more
【Light Red Tongue】 Light Red Tongue: The tongue body is light red and moist. Diagnostic Significance: Normal tongue, or the initial tongue quality in cases of external pathogens (such as colds, summer heat diseases, etc.). 【Pale White Tongue】 Pale White Tongue: The tongue color is lighter than normal, predominantly white with less red, indicating a … Read more
Let’s talk about what tongue quality is, which refers to the thin layer of coating on our tongue, known as shè tái (tongue coating). This coating is produced by qì (qi) and its thickness determines the strength or weakness of pathogenic factors in our body. The shè zhì (tongue quality) represents the adequacy of our … Read more
The tongue is an organ that can reflect the state of blood fullness in the body through its semi-transparent mucosa. In tongue diagnosis, this is referred to as observing the tongue quality (舌质, shé zhì). It can indicate whether our body’s vital energy (正气, zhèng qì) is sufficient. For example, if the blood in the … Read more
Today, let’s talk about tongue quality. The part of the tongue we observe, the tongue quality, is the area of the tongue body that is not covered by the tongue coating, and there are generally three areas we can observe. First, when the tongue coating falls off or there are gaps in the coating, we … Read more
Tongue diagnosis is one of the four diagnostic methods in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which includes observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation. What exactly do we observe in tongue diagnosis? Many people are curious about what TCM observes in tongue diagnosis. In fact, we mainly observe the tongue body and the tongue coating. The tongue body … Read more
Tongue diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the best interpretation of this principle. Tongue diagnosis mainly involves observing the color and texture of the tongue coating to assess the state of the body’s organs, as well as conditions of cold and heat. Generally speaking, if the tongue appears relatively white and has some cracks, … Read more
The Yuan Dynasty scholar Dou Hanqing summarized the effects of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians in his work “Biao You Fu”: “The Yang Qiao (Yang Heel) and Yang Wei (Yang Linking) govern the symptoms on the surface related to the shoulders, back, waist, and legs; the Yin Qiao (Yin Heel), Yin Wei (Yin Linking), and Chong … Read more
Due to frequent late nights, prolonged sitting, and air conditioning, modern people often experience various minor ailments: Despite resting on time, they still feel weakness in their limbs; After walking for ten minutes, they quickly become breathless; They have cold hands and feet all year round, and even fear the cold; They speak with little … Read more