Exterior cold

A disease pattern characterized by pronounced cold signs with a distinct aversion to cold. The pulse is tight and floating, and the tongue fur is thin, white, and moist. When cold prevails there is pain, and in exterior cold patterns headache and generalized pain and heaviness are also pronounced. Runny nose with clear snivel (nasal mucus), and expectoration of clear thin phlegm are common signs. Exterior cold patterns are generally caused by contraction of wind-cold evil.

Medicinal therapy: Exterior cold patterns are treated with warm acrid exterior-resolving medicinals. The most commonly used are ephedra (Ephedrae Herba, 麻黄 má huáng), cinnamon twig (Cinnamomi Ramulus, 桂枝 guì zhī), notopterygium (Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix, 羌活 qiāng huó), perilla leaf (Perillae Folium, 紫苏叶 zǐ sū yè), schizonepeta (Schizonepetae Herba, 荆芥 jīng jiè), and saposhnikovia (Saposhnikoviae Radix, 防风 fáng fēng). Formulas include Ephedra Decoction (麻黄汤 má huáng tāng) and Schizonepeta and Saposhnikovia Toxin-Vanquishing Powder (荆防败毒散 jīng fáng bài dú sǎn).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on LI, LU, and BL. Select BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), BL-12 (Wind Gate, 风门 fēng mén), LU-7 (Broken Sequence, 列缺 liè quē), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), KI-7 (Recover Flow, 复溜 fù liū), and BL-11 (Great Shuttle, 大杼 dà zhù); needle with drainage and moxa can be used.