Sweet taste in the mouth

The subjective sensation of sweetness in the mouth; attributable either to spleen-stomach heat or to dual vacuity of spleen-stomach qì and yīn.

Patterns

Steaming spleen-stomach heat (脾胃热蒸 pí wèi rè zhēng) gives rise to a sweet taste in the mouth associated with dry mouth with desire to drink, large food intake and rapid hungering, mouth and tongue sores, dry stool, yellow urine, red tongue with dry yellow fur, and a forceful rapid pulse. Spleen-stomach damp-heat is often observed in dispersion-thirst patients given to eating rich sweet and fatty foods.

Medicinal therapy: Clear heat and drain fire. For mild cases, use Yellow-Draining Powder (泻黄散 xiè huáng sǎn). If there are signs of bowel repletion, use variations of Rhubarb and Coptis Heart-Draining Decoction (大黄黄连泻心汤 dà huáng huáng lián xiè xīn tāng).

Dual vacuity of spleen-stomach qì and yīn (脾胃气阴两虚 pí wèi qì yīn liǎng xū) gives rise to a sweet taste in the mouth associated with no thought of food and drink, dry mouth with no great desire for fluids, lassitude of spirit and lack of strength, stomach duct and abdominal distension, abnormal stool, a dry, slightly red tongue with little fur, and a weak fine pulse. Plain Questions (素问 sù wèn, qí bìng lùn) states, When there is illness marked by sweet taste in the mouth..., this is a spillage of the five qì and is called splenic pure heat.

Medicinal therapy: Boost qì, fortify the spleen, and nourish stomach yīn. Use Center-Supplementing Qì-Boosting Decoction (补中益气汤 bǔ zhōng yì qì tāng) minus cimicifuga (Cimicifugae Rhizoma, 升麻 shēng má) and bupleurum (Bupleuri Radix, 柴胡 chái hú), with the addition of basil (Basilici Herba, 罗勒 luó lè) and pueraria (Puerariae Radix, 葛根 gé gēn). Alternatively, use Seven-Ingredient White Atractylodes Powder (七味白朮散 qī wèi bái zhú sǎn) plus dioscorea (Dioscoreae Rhizoma, 山药 shān yào), dendrobium (Dendrobii Herba, 石斛 shí hú), and lotus fruit/seed (Nelumbinis Semen, 莲子 lián zǐ).

See taste in the mouth.