Also precipitation of blood; blood in the stool. Loss of blood through the anus, with varying amounts of stool.
Biomedical correspondence: hematochezia.
Bloody stool is attributable either to the spleen failing to control blood or to damp-heat pouring down into the large intestine and damaging the network vessels. Bright red blood indicates heat, whereas dark red blood indicates qì vacuity or damp toxin.
Patterns
Fire evil and heat toxin (火邪热毒 huǒ xié rè dú) causing the frenetic movement of the blood gives rise to fresh thick blood.
Medicinal therapy: Cool the blood and drain fire with formulas such as Coptis Pill (黄连丸huáng lián wán).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on BL, ST, and LI. Select ST-25 (Celestial Pivot, 天枢 tiān shū), BL-25 (Large Intestine Transport, 大肠俞 dà cháng shù), ST-37 (Upper Great Hollow, 上巨虚 shàng jù xū), GV-1 (Long Strong, 长强 cháng qiáng), BL-57 (Mountain Support, 承山 chéng shān), BL-32 (Second Bone-Hole, 次髎 cì liáo), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng), and PC-8 (Palace of Toil, 劳宫 láo gōng); needle with drainage. See heat toxin precipitation of blood.
Damp toxin (湿毒 shī dú) brewing and binding in the large intestine causes passage of dull-colored blood that may be blackish purple like the juice of (cooked) rice-bean (Phaseoli Semen, 赤小豆chì xiǎo dòu).
Medicinal therapy: Transform damp toxin with formulas such as Sophora Flower Powder (槐花散huái huā sǎn).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on ST and SP. Select ST-25 (Celestial Pivot, 天枢 tiān shū), BL-25 (Large Intestine Transport, 大肠俞 dà cháng shù), ST-37 (Upper Great Hollow, 上巨虚 shàng jù xū), BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), SP-10 (Sea of Blood, 血海 xuè hǎi), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), SP-9 (Yīn Mound Spring, 阴陵泉 yīn líng quán), and LR-2 (Moving Between, 行间 xíng jiān); needle with drainage and add moxa.
Wind evil binding in the yīn aspect (风邪结于阴分 fēng xié jié yú yīn fèn): See binding in yīn.
Spleen-stomach yáng vacuity (脾胃阳虚 pí wèi yáng xū) bloody stool is marked by pale blood.
Medicinal therapy: Warm and supplement the spleen and stomach with Perfect Major Supplementation Decoction (十全大补汤shí quán dà bǔ tāng).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment on back transport points, CV, SP, and ST. Select BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), BL-21 (Stomach Transport, 胃俞 wèi shù), CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán), SP-3 (Supreme White, 太白 tài bái), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), BL-35 (Meeting of Yáng, 会阳 huì yáng), and SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo); needle with supplementation and add moxa.
Spleen vacuity (脾虚 pí xū) bloody stool is due to damage by thought and preoccupation and qì vacuity fall is marked by reduced eating, fatigue, withered-yellow facial complexion, pale tongue, and fine pulse. When the heart is deprived of nourishment, there is heart palpitation and insomnia.
Medicinal therapy: Supplement qì and contain the blood with Spleen-Returning Decoction (归脾汤guī pí tāng).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on CV, ST, SP, and GV. Select CV-12 (Center Stomach Duct, 中脘 zhōng wǎn), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), SP-1 (Hidden White, 隐白 yǐn bái), CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán), CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi), and GV-20 (Hundred Convergences, 百会 bǎi huì); needle with supplementation and add moxa. Apart from the above pattern types, a different method of differentiation is to determine whether blood is passed before or after stool. Blood followed by stool is called distal bleeding, whereas stool followed by blood is called proximal bleeding. Distal bleeding is a sign of vacuity or visceral toxin, whereas proximal bleeding is a sign of intestinal wind. Finally, bloody stool associated with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and tenesmus indicates dysentery.