pulses & tongue TCM

Floating pulse

exterior, yang syndrome. usually excess

felt only at superficial

sinking/deep

interior, yin syndrome (can be def/ex)

felt only at deep level

slow

cold syndrome

<60bpm

rapid

heat syndrome

>90 bpm

swift

extreme heat and yin exhaustion

140-180 bpm

empty

deficiency syndrome - qi, blood, y/y

WEAK at all three levels

strong

excess syndrome - cold, ht, phelgm, qi, blood or food stagnation

FORCEFUL at all 3 levels

hollow/onion stalk

loss of blood or impairment of Yin (ie hemorrhage)

felt at superficial and deep levels only

minute pulse

deficiency, weaker than empty

BARELY palpable at any level

frail pulse

qi and blood def

only palpable at the deep level

hidden pulse

thready feeble and HARDLY palpable

- interior pathogens

- jue syndrome

- severe pain

** only palpable at very deep

moving/spinning bean

pain/fright

slippery/rolling

phelgm, fluid retention, excess ht, food stagnation, pregnancy

soggy/soft

def syndrome

damp accumulation

FELT AT SUPERFICIAL

flooding/tidal

excess ht

thready/thin

def syndrome or damp

wiry

liver /gb disease, pain, malaria, phelgm and damp retention

choppy/rough/hesitant

qi and blood stagnation

food stagnation

phelgm retention

essence impairment

blood def

hurried abrupt

rapid with irregularly missed beats

- excess ht

- qi and blood stagnation

- phlegm retention

- food stagnation

- prostration

knotted

slow with irregularly missed beats

- excess yin

- qi stag

-cold phlegm retention

- blood stag

intermittent

missed beats at regular intervals

-zang qi def

- wind syndrome

- pain

- emotional fear and fright

- injury or trauma

which pulses are felt on the superficial level? which ones are felt ONLY at the superficial level?

superficial: floating, strong, hollow/onion stalk, soggy/soft, empty(weak at all three levels)

only superficial: floating, soggy/soft

which pulses are felt on the deep level? which ones are felt ONLY on the deep level?

deep: empty(weak at all three levels), strong, hollow/onion stalk, frail, hidden

only deep: frail, hidden (v deep), sinking/deep

which pulse would you expect to have in a person with a very high heart beat?

swift (140-180bpm)

which pulse is weak at all three levels?

empty

which pulse is forceful at all three levels?

strong

which pulse can be felt only at superficial and deep levels?

hollow/onion stalk

which pulse is barely palpable at any level?

minute pulse

which pulse is felt only at the very deep level?

hidden

which pulse can be felt in a pregnant woman?

slippery/rolling

which pulse can be felt with Liver/GB disease

wiry

which pulses can be felt in px with fright, fear, pain?

intermittent, moving/spinning bean

which pulse can be felt in SEVERE pain?

hidden

which pulses are caused by excess heat?

strong

flooding/tidal

slippery/rolling

hurried/abrupt

which pulse can be felt by a patient experiencing a hemorrhage?

hollow/onion stalk

which pulse can be felt with malaria?

wiry

a rapid pulse with irregularly missed beats is

hurried/abrupt

a slow pulse with irregularly misses beats is

knotted

a pulse with missed beats at regular intervals is

intermittent

pulses associated with deficiency

empty

hollow/onion stalk

minute pulse

frail pulse

soggy/soft

thready/thin

choppy

what pulse is felt in the spring?

wiry

what pulse felt in summer?

flooding

what pulse is felt in late summer?

slippery

what pulse is felt in autumn?

floating

what pulse is felt in the winter?

sinking

a thin and small tongue body is

qi def

blood def

yin def (yin is substance)

a rough tongue body is

excess condition

a tender (smooth) tongue is

a deficiency syndrome

a swollen tongue is

damp/phlegm accumulation

yang def

teethe prints or scalopped edges on a tongue is

damp phlegm accum

qi def

normal

prickled (papular) tongue is

heat syndrome

a fissured tongue is

yin def (lack of subs)

blood deficiency

normal

a mirror tongue is

stomach qi exhaustion

yin exhaustion

a serious condition

what type of tongue body is considered a serious condition

mirror

a rigid tongue is caused by

heat invading the pc

excess ht impairing body fluids

phlegm accum

wind stroke

flaccid tongue is caused by

qi blood or yin deficiency

ht impairing body fluids

trembling tongue is caused by

qi blood or yang def

extreme heat producing wind

a deviated tongue is produced by

wind stroke

which tongue is caused by qi blood yin deficiency,

vs which tongue is caused by qi blood yang deficiency?

flaccid

trembling

the body colour of a tongue is based on the function of:

yin organs

blood

food qi

chronic illness

what foods can change tongue colour?

Coffee

Candy

Oranges

Herbal tinctures

Some herbal teas

Some juices

the thickness of a tongue is dependent on

Intensity of pathogenic factor

Weakness of body's Qi

a black, gray tongue with a cold pattern would have what kind of coating?

moist

a black, gray tongue with a heat pattern would have what kind of coating?

dry