Mouth sore

Also sore of the mouth and tongue. A pale yellow or gray-white ulceration appearing singly or multiply on the inside of the mouth (lips, cheeks or palate). A mouth sore is usually oval in shape, surrounded by a red areola, and has a cratered surface. It is associated with scorching pain, affects eating and swallowing and is recurrent. It is attributed to repletion fire, spleen heat engendering phlegm, or dual vacuity of the spleen and kidney.

Biomedical correspondence: aphthous stomatitis.

Patterns

Repletion fire (实火 shí huǒ): Fire in all channels can be reflected in the heart, and heart fire flaming upward into the mouth can engender more sores.

Medicinal therapy: Drain fire and clear the heart with Red-Abducting Powder (导赤散 dǎo chì sǎn) variations.

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on HT, PC, and CV. Select PC-8 (Palace of Toil, 劳宫 láo gōng), HT-8 (Lesser Mansion, 少府 shào fǔ), GV-26 (Water Trough, 水沟 shuǐ gōu), CV-24 (Sauce Receptacle, 承浆 chéng jiāng), LI-19 (Grain Bone-Hole, 禾髎 hé liáo), and LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ); needle with drainage, and prick PC-9 (Central Hub, 中冲 zhōng chōng), and HT-9 (Lesser Surge, 少冲 shào chōng) to bleed.

Spleen heat engendering phlegm (脾热生痰 pí rè shēng tán): When spleen heat engenders phlegm, fire and phlegm bind and flame up to the mouth, causing mouth sores.

Medicinal therapy: Clear heat and dispel phlegm with Two Matured Ingredients Decoction (二陈汤 èr chén tāng) variations.

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on SP, ST, and CV. Select BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), SP-3 (Supreme White, 太白 tài bái), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), ST-40 (Bountiful Bulge, 丰隆 fēng lóng), ST-44 (Inner Court, 内庭 nèi tíng), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), CV-24 (Sauce Receptacle, 承浆 chéng jiāng); and LI-19 (Grain Bone-Hole, 禾髎 hé liáo), needle with drainage.

Dual vacuity of the spleen and kidney (脾肾两虚 pí shèn liǎng xū): Mouth sores may arise when spleen-kidney vacuity is associated with vacuity heat signs and the mouth is deprived of nourishment.

Medicinal therapy: Supplement the spleen and boost the kidney with variations of Four Gentlemen Decoction (四君子汤 sì jūn zǐ tāng) and Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill (六味地黄丸 liù wèi dì huáng wán).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, SP, KI, and CV. Select BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi), KI-1 (Gushing Spring, 湧泉 yǒng quán), HT-8 (Lesser Mansion, 少府 shào fǔ), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), CV-24 (Sauce Receptacle, 承浆 chéng jiāng), and LI-19 (Grain Bone-Hole, 禾髎 hé liáo); needle with supplementation.