Pathology on emsenn.net

Blood Stasis

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Blood stasis (xue yu 血瘀) is a pathological condition in Traditional Chinese Medicine in which blood flow is impeded, slowed, or obstructed. It is not merely “poor circulation” in the colloquial sense — it is a specific diagnostic category with characteristic signs, defined causes, predictable complications, and targeted treatment principles. Blood stasis is one of the most clinically important pathological products in TCM because it both results from and causes further disease, creating self-reinforcing cycles of obstruction and dysfunction.

Damp-Heat

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Damp-heat (shi re 湿热) is a compound pathological pattern in Traditional Chinese Medicine that combines two distinct pathogenic qualities — dampness and heat — into a condition that is characteristically stubborn, difficult to resolve, and clinically significant. It is one of the most commonly encountered combined patterns in TCM practice, particularly in conditions affecting the hepatobiliary system, urinary tract, skin, and digestive organs. It is the pattern for which Hu Zhang (Japanese knotweed root) is most specifically indicated.

Phlegm

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Phlegm (tan 痰) is a pathological product of impaired fluid metabolism in Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM’s concept of phlegm is far broader than the biomedical meaning of respiratory mucus. It encompasses any abnormal accumulation of thick, turbid fluid in the body — from visible sputum in the lungs to invisible obstructions that produce nodules, masses, dizziness, mental fog, numbness, and psychiatric symptoms. TCM calls phlegm “the source of a hundred diseases” (bai bing duo you tan zuo sui 百病多由痰作祟) — a recognition of its role in an extraordinary range of conditions.

Qi Stagnation

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Qi stagnation (qi zhi 气滞) is the condition where Qi flow through the body’s meridians and organ-function systems is impeded, slowed, or stuck. It is the most common excess pattern in clinical TCM practice — the default pathological response to emotional constraint, chronic stress, and sedentary modern life.

The concept follows directly from TCM’s understanding of Qi as circulating operational force. Qi should flow: smoothly, in the correct direction, through every organ system and meridian. When flow is impeded, the Qi “stagnates” — it accumulates where it should pass through, creating pressure, distension, and dysfunction.

Yang Deficiency

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Yang deficiency (yang xu 阳虚) is the depletion of the body’s Yang — the warming, activating, transforming, protecting aspect of the Yin-Yang dynamic. When Yang is deficient, the body lacks the metabolic fire to warm itself, transform nutrients, circulate fluids, and protect against invasion. Cold signs predominate — not because an external cold pathogen is present, but because the body’s internal warmth is insufficient.

Presentation

The signs of Yang deficiency reflect the loss of Yang’s qualities — warmth, activity, transformation:

Yin Deficiency

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Yin deficiency (yin xu 阴虚) is the depletion of the body’s Yin — the cooling, moistening, nourishing, anchoring aspect of the Yin-Yang dynamic. When Yin is deficient, its complementary opposite (Yang — the warming, activating, ascending principle) is relatively unopposed, producing signs of heat. But this is empty heat (xu re 虚热) — heat from insufficient cooling, not from excess fire. The distinction is critical because the treatment is completely different: empty heat is treated by nourishing Yin (replenishing the cooling substrate), not by clearing heat (which would further deplete an already deficient system).