Heart

HEART BLOOD DEFICIENCY
HEART YIN DEFICIENCY
UPFLARING HEART FIRE
HEART QI DEFICIENCY
UPFLARING HEART FIRE
HEART QI DEFICIENCY
HEART YANG DEFICIENCY
HEART QI AND BLOOD DEFICIENCY
HEART QI AND YIN DEFICIENCY
HEART BLOOD STAGNATION
WATER QI ENCROACHING ON THE HEART
ACUTE COLLAPSE OF HEART YANG
PHLEGM FIRE DISTURBING THE HEART
PHLEGM OBSCURING THE ORIFICE OF THE HEART
HEAT INVADING THE PERICARDIUM
HEART AND KIDNEY FAILING TO LINK

HEART BLOOD DEFICIENCY (xin xue xu): primary symptoms are palpitations; pale and lusterless complexion. Secondary symptoms include insomnia; vivid dreaming; forgetfulness; tendency to easily get startled; dizziness; pale lips and nails. The tongue is typically pale; the pulse tends to be fine.

Representative Herbs: tang-kuei (danggui), cooked rehmannia (shu dihuang), salvia (danshen), peony (baishao), gelatin (ejiao), longan (longyanrou), zizyphus (suanzaoren), biota (baiziren), fushen (fushen), millettia (jixueteng).

Representative Formula: Tang-kuei Four Combination (Siwu Tang).

HEART YIN DEFICIENCY (xin yin xu): primary symptoms are palpitations; panic sensations; insomnia; vivid dreaming; dry mouth and throat; heat sensation in palms and soles. Secondary symptoms include forgetfulness; restlessness; tendency to easily get startled; flushed cheeks; dark urination; dry stools; tidal heat sensations; night sweats. The tongue is typically red with little coating; the pulse tends to be fine and rapid.

Representative Herbs: raw rehmannia (sheng dihuang), tang-kuei (danggui), ophiopogon (maimendong), salvia (danshen), lily (baihe), zizyphus (suanzaoren), biota (baiziren), polygonatum (yuzhu), polygonatum root (huangjing), (hehuanpi), fushen (fushen).

Representative Formulas: Ginseng and Zizyphus Combination (Tianwang Buxin Dan); Cinnabar Sedative Pills (Zhusha Anshen Wan).

UPFLARING HEART FIRE (xin huo shang yan): primary symptoms are restlessness; mouth ulcers; palpitations; insomnia. Secondary symptoms include heat sensation in the chest; flushed face; thirst; dark or red urine; constipation; and in serious cases, outbreaks of madness. The tongue typically presents with a red body or a bright red tip; the pulse tends to be forceful and rapid.

Representative Herbs: gardenia (zhizi), coptis (huanglian), ox gallstone (niuhuang), rhinoceros horn (xijiao), antelope horn (lingyangjiao), (lianzixin), scrophularia (xuanshen), raw rehmannia (sheng dihuang), forsythia (lianqiao), ophiopogon (maimendong), phragmites (lugen), lithospermum (zicao).

Representative Formulas: Purge the Heart Decoction (Xiexin Tang); Rehmannia and Akebia Formula (Daochi San).

HEART QI DEFICIENCY (xin qi xu): primary symptoms are palpitations accompanied by shortness of breath that get aggravated by physical activity; mental and physical fatigue; sensitivity to wind and drafts; spontaneous sweating. Secondary symptoms include stuffy sensation or dull pain in the chest; pale face color; shallow breathing; low voice and disinclination to talk. The tongue is typically pale; the pulse tends to be fine and weak or irregular.

Representative Herbs: ginseng (renshen), codonopsis (dangshen), astragalus (huangqi), cinnamon twig (guizhi), fushen (fushen), polygala (yuanzhi), baked licorice (zhi gancao).

Representative Formula: Nourish the Heart Decoction; Astragalus and Zizyphus Combination (Yangxin Tang).

HEART YANG DEFICIENCY (xin yang xu): primary symptoms are palpitations; shortness of breath that gets aggravated by physical activity; cold extremities; and general sensation of physical coldness. Secondary symptoms include sensation of stuffiness or pain in the chest; pale or ashen face color; shallow breathing; disinclination to talk; aversion to wind and drafts; spontaneous sweating; colorless urination; loose stools. The tongue typically presents with a pale body and a thin, white and moist coating; the pulse tends to be deep, forceless and slow, or fine and weak, or irregular.

Representative Herbs: cinnamon twig (guizhi), aconite (fuzi), dry ginger (ganjiang), polygala (yuanzhi), bakeri (xiebai), fushen (fushen), astragalus (huangqi), baked licorice (zhi gancao).

Representative Formulas: Cinnamon and Licorice Combination (Guizhi Gancao Tang); Protect the Source Decoction (Baoyuan Tang).

HEART QI AND BLOOD DEFICIENCY (xin qi xue liang xu): primary symptoms are palpitations; shortness of breath; insomnia; vivid dreaming; dizziness; pale or ashen face color. Secondary symptoms include mental and physical fatigue; spontaneous sweating; shallow breathing; disinclination to talk; pale lips and nails; dry and brittle hair. The tongue is typically pale and tender; the pulse tends to be fine and weak.

Representative Herbs: astragalus (huangqi), ginseng (renshen), codonopsis (dangshen), cinnamon twig (guizhi), fushen (fushen), baked licorice (zhi gancao), tang-kuei (danggui), cooked rehmannia (shu dihuang), peony (baishao), gelatin (ejiao), salvia (danshen), longan (longyanrou), millettia (jixueteng).

Representative Formulas: Tang-kuei and Ginseng Eight Combination (Bazhen Tang); Ginseng and Longan Combination (Guipi Tang).

HEART QI AND YIN DEFICIENCY (xin qi yin liang xu): primary symptoms are palpitations and shortness of breath that get aggravated by physical activity; insomnia; vivid dreaming; mental and physical fatigue; heat sensations in the palms and soles; pale face with flushed cheeks. Secondary symptoms include forgetfulness; spontaneous sweating or night sweats; low voice; dry mouth and throat; low-grade fever or heat sensation. The tongue typically presents with a red and tender body with little moisture and a thin white coating or little coating; the pulse tends to be fine or fine and rapid.

Representative Herbs: ginseng (renshen), pseudostellaria (taizishen), glehnia (bei shashen), polygonatum root (huangjing), astragalus (huangqi), baked licorice (zhi gancao), fushen (fushen), ophiopogon (maimendong), raw rehmannia (sheng dihuang), dendrobium (shihu), schizandra (wuweizi).

Representative Formulas: Baked Licorice Combination (Zhi Gancao Tang); Generate the Pulse Powder; Ginseng and Ophiopogon Formula (Shengmai San).

HEART BLOOD STAGNATION (xin xue yu zu): primary symptoms are palpitations and sensations of stuffiness and pain in the chest (pain is piercing or stabbing, comes and goes, or comes on suddenly; it may reflect into the left arm, shoulder, or upper back); in serious cases this condition may cause loss of consciousness, as may happen during a heart attack. Secondary symptoms include purplish discolorations on the face, lips, or nails; cold extremities; spontaneous sweating. The tongue typically presents with a purplish body or with purple spots on the sides or on top, the pulse tends to be hesitating or irregular, or in acute emergency cases may seem to be "on its way out."

Representative Herbs: persica (taoren), carthamus (honghua), salvia (danshen), tang-kuei (danggui), cnidium (chuanxiong), red peony (chishao), curcuma (yujin), pteropus (wulingzhi), bulrush (puhuang), cinnamon twig (guizhi), chih-shih (zhishi), bakeri (xiebai), trichosanthes fruit (gualou), aquilaria (jiangxiang).

Representative Formulas: Persica and Achyranthes Combination (Xuefu Zhuyu Tang); Coronary Number II (Guanxin Er Hao); Pteropus and Bulrush Formula (Shixiao San) plus Chih-shih, Bakeri, and Cinnamon Combination (Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Tang); for loss of consciousness, may have to include Ginseng and Aconite Combination (Shen Fu Tang).

WATER QI ENCROACHING ON THE HEART (shui qi ling xin): primary symptoms are palpitations; shortness of breath; coughing or asthmatic panting with clear phlegm; pale or ashen complexion; puffiness or edema. Secondary symptoms include dizziness; sensation of fullness in the epigastric region; panicky disposition; aversion to cold; cold extremities; mental and physical fatigue; sensation of upwards rushing qi; small amounts of clear urination. The tongue typically presents with a fat and pale body, toothmarks, and a slippery white coating. The pulse tends to be deep and fine, but often soft or slippery in the first (cun) positions.

Representative Herbs: cinnamon twig (guizhi), hoelen (fuling), atractylodes (baizhu), aconite (fuzi), dry ginger (ganjiang), alisma (zexie), polyporus (zhuling), akebia (mutong), astragalus (huangqi), codonopsis (dangshen).

Representative Formulas: Atractylodes and Hoelen Combination (Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang); Vitality Combination (Zhenwu Tang); Hoelen Five Herb Formula (Wuling San).

ACUTE COLLAPSE OF HEART YANG (xin yang xu tuo): primary symptoms are acutely compromised mental faculties, and sudden onset of cold sweats and ice cold extremities. Secondary symptoms include palpitations; stuffy sensation in chest; blue lips; ashen face color; barely detectable voice; weak and shallow breathing. The tongue is typically pale or purplish; the pulse tends to feel as if being "on its way out."

Representative Herbs: ginseng (renshen), aconite (fuzi), dry ginger (ganjiang), baked licorice (zhi gancao), bakeri (xiebai), cinnamon twig (guizhi).

Representative Formulas: Ginseng and Aconite Combination (Shen Fu Tang); Ginseng, Aconite, Dragon Bone, and Oyster Shell Combination (Shen Fu Long Mu Tang).

PHLEGM FIRE DISTURBING THE HEART (tan huo rao xin): primary symptoms are palpitations; restlessness; disturbed mental faculties; insomnia; vivid dreaming; red face; heavy breathing. Secondary symptoms include constipation; dark urination; mad or violent behavior; uncontrolled movements; hysterical crying or laughter; incoherent screaming or swearing. The tongue typically presents with a red body and a thick yellow and greasy coating; the pulse tends to be wiry, slippery, and rapid.

Representative Herbs: bamboo skin (zhuru), rhubarb (dahuang), coptis (huanglian), gardenia (zhizi), bile treated arisaema (dan nanxing), trichosanthes (gualou), ox gallstone (niuhuang), acorus (shichangpu), curcuma (yujin).

Representative Formulas: for less serious conditions, use Harmonize the Gallbladder Decoction with Coptis (Huanglian Wendan Tang); for more serious conditions, use Lapis Drive Out the Phlegm Pill; Lapis and Scute Formula (Mengshi Guntan Wan); for violent conditions, use Rusty Iron Shavings Formula (Sheng Tieluo Yin).

PHLEGM OBSCURING THE ORIFICE OF THE HEART (tan meng xin qiao): primary symptoms are acutely disturbed mental faculties or loss of consciousness. Secondary symptoms include fever; inability to speak; seizures; stuffy sensation in chest; body pain; sudden deafness; sounds of rattling phlegm or drooling sputum; thirst but no desire to drink. The tongue usually presents with a thick yellow and greasy coating; the pulse tends to be soft or slippery and rapid.

Representative Herbs: curcuma (yujin), acorus (shichangpu), polygala (yuanzhi), bamboo sap (zhuli), fritillaria (beimu), rhino horn (xijiao), gardenia (zhizi), coptis (huanglian), forsythia (lianqiao), bamboo leaf (zhuye), moutan (mudanpi), talc (huashi).

Representative Formulas: Acorus and Curcuma Decoction (Changpu Yujin Tang); Guide Out the Phlegm Decoction (Daotan Tang) plus orifice opening substances (acorus, curcuma, polygala); Great Treasure Pill; Rhinoceros and Amber Formula (Zhibao Dan).

HEAT INVADING THE PERICARDIUM (re xian xinbao): primary symptoms are high fever; clouded consciousness; delirious talk. Secondary symptoms include cold extremities; restlessness; fever blisters; eruption of macules; seizures; nausea. The tongue is typically scarlet red with a dry surface or a yellow coating; the pulse tends to be rapid or slippery and rapid.

Representative Herbs: ox gallstone (niuhuang), rhino horn (xijiao), curcuma (yujin), acorus (shichangpu), bamboo leaf (zhuye), (lianzixin), scrophularia (xuanshen), ophiopogon (maimendong).

Representative Formulas: Clear Heat in the Ying Layer Decoction (Qing Ying Tang); Ox Gallstone Pacify the Palace Pill; Bezoar and Curcuma Formula (Angong Niuhuang Wan); Purple Snow Pellet (Zi Xue Dan); Ox Gallstone Rectify the Qi Pill (Niuhuang Chengqi Wan).

HEART AND KIDNEY FAILING TO LINK (xin shen bu jiao): primary symptoms are restlessness; insomnia; vivid dreaming; palpitations; forgetfulness; spermatorrhea or premature ejaculation. Secondary symptoms include dizziness; tendency to easily get startled; ringing in the ears; tidal heat sensations; night sweats; sore and weak lower back and knees; dry throat; flushed cheeks; dark and scanty urination or nocturia; constipation. The tongue typically presents with a red body and little or no coating; the pulse tends to be fine and rapid.

Representative Herbs: raw rehmannia (sheng dihuang), asparagus root (tianmendong), ophiopogon (maimendong), scrophularia (xuanshen), salvia (danshen), schizandra (wuweizi), fushen (fushen), lotus seed (lianzi), anemarrhena (zhimu), coptis (huanglian), phellodendron (huangbai), cinnamon bark (rougui).

Representative Formulas: Coptis and Gelatin Combination (Huanglian Ejiao Tang); Connecting Pill (Jiaotai Wan).