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Yellow sweat

黄汗 〔黃汗〕huáng hàn

From Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet (金匮要略 jīn guì yào lüè, shuǐ qì bìng mài zhèng bìng zhì). A disease usually arising when immersion in water while sweating causes obstruction of provisioning and defense, or when depressed latent spleen-stomach damp-heat swelters the skin. It is characterized by yellow-colored watery sweat that stains clothing the color of the juice from boiled phellodendron (Phellodendri Cortex, 黄柏 huáng bǎi), limpness of the lumbus and hip, heavy body, inhibited urination, and slow sunken pulse. Yellow sweat is attributed to the interaction of wind, water, dampness, and heat. When due to damp-heat damaging the blood aspect, there may also be sores.

Medicinal therapy: Harmonize provisioning and defense with formulas such as Cinnamon Twig Decoction Plus Astragalus (桂枝加黄芪汤 guì zhī jiā huáng qí tāng), or Astragalus, Peony, Cinnamon Twig, and Liquor Decoction (芪芍桂酒汤 qí sháo guì jiǔ tāng) from Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet (金匮要略 jīn guì yào lüè), which contains astragalus (Astragali Radix, 黄芪 huáng qí), peony (Paeoniae Radix, 芍药 sháo yào), cinnamon twig (Cinnamomi Ramulus, 桂枝 guì zhī), and liquor.

NB: Yellow sweat was considered by Sūn Sī-Miǎo (581–682) in the Táng Dynasty to be a form of jaundice. Later medical books such as The Level-Line of Pattern Identification and Treatment (证治准绳 zhèng zhì zhǔn shéng) and Pathoconditions, Causes, Pulses, and Treatments (症因脉治 zhèng yīn mài zhì) treated yellow sweating with generalized swelling as water swelling and yellow sweating without generalized swelling as jaundice.

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