Symptoms 12, men and women

Below is a brief description of the major men’s and women’s symptoms, with links to entries that provide more detail.

Problems relating to reproductive functions are most commonly manifest as liver patterns and kidney patterns.

Excessive libido (性欲过强 xìng yù guò qiáng): A greater desire for sex than normal. It results from kidney yīn vacuity with frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire (liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward).

Poor libido (性欲减退 xìng yù jiǎn tuì): Less desire for sex than normal. It results from kidney yáng vacuity or insufficiency of kidney essence.

Men

Problems specific to men are associated with insufficiency of kidney essence, insecurity of kidney qì, kidney yáng vacuity, and frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire.

Impotence (阳痿 yáng wěi): Also called yáng wilt. The inability to achieve or maintain an erection for the complete duration of sexual intercourse. It is mostly associated with kidney yáng vacuity (debilitation of the life gate fire). Impotence is traditionally called yáng wilt; it is now often referred to in biomedicine as erectile dysfunction.

Seminal emission (遗精 yí jīng): Loss of semen during the night. When associated with dreaming, it mostly results from frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire (which means liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward). When unassociated with dreaming, it is usually attributable to insufficiency of kidney qì causing storage failure (insecurity of kidney qì).

Seminal efflux (滑精 huá jīng): Involuntary loss of semen night or day. It is attributed to insecurity of kidney qì.

Premature ejaculation (早泄 zǎo xiè): Ejaculation shortly after insertion. It is mostly attributable to frenetic movement of the ministerial fire (liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward) or to insufficiency of kidney qì causing storage failure (insecurity of kidney qì). It can also result from liver channel damp-heat, dual vacuity of the heart and spleen, or depressed liver qì.

Frequent and persistent erections (阳强易举 yáng qiáng yì jǔ): Erections that are more frequent and persistent than usual. They are the result of kidney yīn vacuity with frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire (liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward) or liver channel repletion heat. When due to liver channel repletion heat giving rise to blood stasis in the penis, blood stasis develops in the penis, making it a dull purple in color and painful and causing difficult urination. When due to yīn vacuity with effulgent fire, erections may persist for several days and the penis is distended and painful. In both cases, there is yellow or reddish urine, constipation, and other heat signs.

Scant semen and infertility (精少不育 jīng shǎo bù yù): Scant ejaculate and resulting inability to produce offspring. It is mostly a sign of insufficiency of kidney essence.

Seminal cold (精冷 jīng lěng): Ejaculate that is cold, scant, and thin. It is mostly attributed to kidney yáng vacuity.

Male infertility (男子不育 nán zǐ bù yù): Inability of men to produce offspring. It is mostly attributed to insufficiency of kidney essence or to seminal cold stemming from kidney yáng vacuity.

Women

The liver’s functions of storing blood and free coursing exerts a strong influence over the thoroughfare (chōng) and controlling (rèn) vessels, which control menstruation and gestation. Problems specific to women are commonly related to liver blood vacuity, depressed liver qì, kidney vacuity, and damp-heat or phlegm-damp evils.

Menstrual irregularities (月经不调 yuè jīng bù tiáo): Any abnormality of the timing of periods or of the color, consistency, or smell of the menstrual discharge. The causes are numerous, but mostly have to do with qì, blood, the liver, the kidney, or the spleen.

Menstrual pain (痛经 tòng jīng): Abdominal pain during or around the time of menstrual periods. In liver disease, it mostly results from depressed liver qì, especially when qì stagnation causes blood stasis. Menstrual pain can also result from dual vacuity of the qì and blood, congealing cold or yáng vacuity, or damp-heat.

Amenorrhea (闭经 bì jīng): Absence of the menses after menarche and before menopause. It is attributed to liver blood vacuity or dual vacuity of qì and blood; depressed liver qì and blood stasis, or phlegm-damp or congealing cold and phlegm obstruction stemming from yáng vacuity.

Vaginal discharge (带下 dài xià): Discharge of mucus via the vagina. Vaginal discharge can be attributable to many causes that are identified by the color and consistency of the discharge and by accompanying symptoms. White vaginal discharge (白带 bái dài) can reflect insufficiency of the spleen’s yáng qì (spleen qì vacuity, spleen yáng vacuity, spleen vacuity qì fall, or cold-damp pouring downward). It may also be attributed to kidney vacuity, in which case the discharge may be thinner and more copious and is accompanied by kidney signs. Yellow vaginal discharge (黄带 huáng dài), usually copious and foul-smelling, is associated with damp-heat. Note, however, that mild damp-heat may manifest in white vaginal discharge and severe damp-heat in red vaginal discharge. Yellow-green vaginal discharge indicates damp toxin.

Female infertility (女子不孕 nǚ zǐ bù yùn): Inability of women of childbearing age to become pregnant. It is mostly attributed to uterine cold arising from kidney yáng vacuity, to kidney yīn vacuity, to insufficiency of kidney essence, to blood vacuity, to qì stagnation and blood stasis, or to phlegm-damp obstruction.

Incessant flow of lochia (恶露不尽 è lù bù jìn): The lochia is a bloody discharge that lasts for about 20 days after childbirth. If it lasts longer than this, it is called incessant flow of the lochia. This is due to qì vacuity, blood heat, or blood stasis.

• Qì vacuity: Incessant flow of the lochia attributed to qì vacuity is characterized by copious pale lochia with withered-yellow facial complexion and with lassitude of spirit and lack of strength.
• Blood heat: When attributed to frenetic movement of hot blood, the lochia is thick and dark red and accompanied by a red face, thirst, constipation, and reddish urine.
• Blood stasis: Clotted purple lochia with stabbing pain in the lesser abdomen that refuses pressure, and green-blue tongue with stasis speckles.

Postpartum heat effusion (产后发热 chǎn hòu fā rè): Persistent heat effusion after giving birth may be due to contraction of external evils, exuberant internal fire evil, or yīn vacuity with exuberant heat.

• External contraction: Postpartum heat effusion with aversion to cold and generalized pain is due to external contraction.
• Internal fire: With vigorous heat effusion, vexation and agitation, thirst with intake of cold fluids, constipation, and reddish urine, it is due to exuberant internal fire evil.
• Yīn vacuity: With continual abdominal pain, dizzy head, white facial complexion, and dry bound stool, it is due to blood vacuity transforming into dryness and engendering heat.

Scant breast milk (缺乳 quē rǔ, 乳汁少 rǔ zhī shǎo): Also called difficult lactation 乳难 (rǔ nán). Insufficient mother’s milk to suckle the infant. It is attributed to postpartum depletion of qì and blood or to depressed liver qì, the latter being easily distinguishable by the presence of distention and fullness of the breasts. When there is hardly any or no milk, it is called breast milk stoppage (乳汁不通 rǔ zhī bù tōng, 乳汁不下 rǔ zhī bù xià).