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Damp-heat brewing in the spleen
湿热蕴脾 〔濕熱蘊脾〕shī rè yùn pí
Also:
- Spleen-stomach damp-heat (脾胃湿热 pí wèi shī rè)
- Center burner damp-heat (中焦湿热 zhōng jiāo shī rè)
A disease pattern chiefly characterized by abdominal distension; torpid intake; heat effusion; generalized heaviness; sloppy stool with ungratifying defecation; a slimy yellow tongue fur.
Description: Distension and oppression in the stomach duct and abdomen; torpid intake; nausea; sticky slimy sensation in the mouth; thirst without large fluid intake; sloppy stool and ungratifying defecation; short voidings of yellow urine; cumbersome heavy limbs; in some cases, fluctuating heat effusion and/or generalized heat failing to surface, not relieved by sweating; in some cases, yellowing of the body and eyes with the color of tangerines; in some cases, itchy skin; red tongue with slimy yellow tongue fur; a pulse that is soggy and rapid or slippery and rapid.
Diseases: Vomiting; diarrhea; jaundice; sores.
Pathogenesis: Impairment of the spleen’s normal movement and transformation by damp-heat arising from:
- externally contracted damp-heat (humid environment);
- excessive consumption of fatty or sweet foods or alcohol, which clog the spleen and foster dampness and/or heat.
| Comparison Between Cold-Damp Encumbering the Spleen and Damp-Heat Brewing in the Spleen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cold-Damp | Damp-Heat | |
| Common Signs | Torpid intake, abdominal distension, nausea and vomiting, generalized heaviness | |
| Differences | Sloppy stool or inhibited defection, absence of thirst, vaginal discharge | Bitter taste the in mouth, short voidings of yellow urine |
| Tongue Fur | White and thick or slimy | Yellow and slimy |
| Pulse | Soggy and rapid | Soggy and moderate |
Analysis of signs
- Impaired movement and transformation: Glomus and oppression in the stomach duct, aversion to food, retching and vomiting, and sloppy stool.
- Dampness is heavy: Dampness is heavy, so it causes cumbersome heavy limbs.
- Dampness obstructing heat: Fluctuating heat effusion and/or generalized heat failing to surface that is unresolved by sweating reflects the sticky obstructive nature of dampness. Dampness obstructing heat can also cause itching skin conditions.
- Dampness carrying heat downward: Dampness carries heat down to the large intestine, bladder, and genital region, causing a variety of conditions including diarrhea or dysentery, strangury, vaginal discharge, and itchy exudative sores of the genitals or lower limbs. See further developments to below.
- Jaundice: Damp-heat can disturb the liver’s free coursing function and cause bile to spill outward. Signs of this include yellow skin, yellowing of the whites of the eyes, yellow facial complexion, and yellowing of the skin of the whole body. Because it is related to the presence of heat, this type of jaundice is called
yáng jaundice
oryáng yellowing.
It is reflected in a coloration that is traditionally described as resembling that of tangerines. Jaundice was traditionally considered to be a spleen problem; hence its mention here. However, in modern texts, owing to biomedical influence, it is usually discussed in liver-gallbladder damp-heat. - Tongue: Red tongue with slimy yellow tongue fur. Redness of the tongue reflect heat, as does the yellow color of the tongue fur. The sliminess of the tongue fur reflects dampness.
- Pulse: Soggy and rapid.
Comparison: See table. See liver-gallbladder damp-heat.
Treatment
Medicinal therapy: Treat by drying dampness and clearing heat and by acrid opening and bitter discharge, using atractylodes (Atractylodis Rhizoma,
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on ST, LI, and SP. Select
Further developments: Depressed liver qì; liver-gallbladder damp-heat (jaundice); large intestine damp-heat (diarrhea or dysentery); bladder damp-heat (strangury).
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