Gallbladder heat

Heat in the gallbladder arising when evil heat invades the gallbladder channel, causing depression of channel qì. The main signs of gallbladder heat are headache on both sides of the head, pain in the canthi, dizziness, tinnitus, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, fullness and pain in the chest and rib-side, and alternating heat and cold. Other signs include vomiting of bitter water, vexation and agitation, and irascibility, as well as insomnia. In some cases, there is jaundice. The tongue is red with yellow fur. The pulse is stringlike, rapid, and forceful.

Medicinal therapy: Clear heat and disinhibit the gallbladder. Use Sweet Wormwood and Scutellaria Gallbladder-Clearing Decoction (蒿芩清胆汤 hāo qín qīng dǎn tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on GB and LR. Select GB-24 (Sun and Moon, 日月 rì yuè), LR-14 (Cycle Gate, 期门 qī mén), PC-6 (Inner Pass, 内关 nèi guān), LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng), GB-34 (Yáng Mound Spring, 阳陵泉 yáng líng quán), LR-2 (Moving Between, 行间 xíng jiān), and GB-43 (Pinched Ravine, 侠溪 xiá xī); needle with drainage.

Point selection according to signs: For headache add GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), and GB-4 (Forehead Fullness, 颔厌 hàn yàn). For fullness and pain in the chest, add CV-17 (Chest Center, 膻中 shān zhōng). For fullness and pain in the rib-side, add TB-6 (Branch Ditch, 支沟 zhī gōu). For alternating heat and cold, add GV-14 (Great Hammer, 大椎 dà zhuī).

Analysis: The gallbladder channel is the lesser yáng (shào yáng) channel, which starts at the outer canthus, skirts around the ear, and spreads over the chest. Gallbladder heat is especially associated with signs on this part of the pathway. Signs associated with the gallbladder include alternating heat and cold, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and dizzy vision. The gallbladder stands in exterior-interior relationship with the liver, and gallbladder heat patterns are associated with the liver signs.