Library

When the Liver, Kidney, and Lung are "full" (excess of pathogenic qi) and the pulse is solid, edema (swelling) will occur. When Lung qi is congested, there is panting and fullness in both hypochondriac regions. When Liver qi is congested, there is fullness in both hypochondriac regions, fright during sleep, and inability to urinate. When Kidney qi is congested, there is fullness from the soles of the feet to the lower abdomen, unequal size of the calves, enlarged thighs with limping gait, and a tendency toward hemiplegia (partial paralysis). If the Heart pulse is full and large, it leads to epilepsy with convulsions and tendon cramps. If the Liver pulse is small and tense, it also leads to epilepsy with convulsions and tendon cramps. If the Liver pulse is rapid and violent due to fright or shock, the pulse may become imperceptible or the patient may lose their voice; even without treatment, this condition will resolve spontaneously. If the Kidney, Liver, and Heart pulses are all small and tense, and do not rebound strongly upon pressure (non-bouncing), they indicate Jia masses (abdominal lumps). If both the Kidney and Liver pulses are deep, it indicates Shui Water disease (stone water); if both are floating, it indicates Feng Water disease (wind water); if both are deficient, it is a death sign; if both are small and wiry, it indicates susceptibility to fright. If the Kidney pulse is large, tense, and deep, and the Liver pulse is large, tense, and deep, both indicate Shan disease (hernia). If the Heart pulse is slippery, rapid, and tense, it indicates Xin Shan (Heart Hernia); if the Lung pulse is deep and forceful like striking, it indicates Fei Shan (Lung Hernia). If the Three Yang meridians have tense pulses, it forms Jia masses; if the Three Yin meridians have tense pulses, it forms Shan disease; if the Two Yin meridians have tense pulses, it leads to epilepsy and cold limbs; if the Two Yang meridians have tense pulses, it leads to fright. If the Spleen pulse beats externally and feels obstructive when pressed deeply, it indicates Chang Pi (intestinal dysentery/stasis), which will resolve on its own after a long duration. If the Liver pulse is small and slow, it also indicates Chang Pi, which is easy to treat. If the Kidney pulse is small, forceful, and deep, it causes bloody stools; if the blood is warm and the body is hot, it is a death sign. If the Heart and Liver pulses also show bloody stools, and both Zang organs are diseased simultaneously, it is treatable; however, if the pulse is small, deep, and choppy with intestinal stasis and body heat, it is a death sign, and death occurs within seven days of fever appearance. If the Stomach pulse is deep, beating, and choppy, or beats externally and is large, and the Heart pulse is small, hard, and tense, these indicate Ge obstruction (diaphragmatic blockage) and Pian Ku (hemiplegia). In men, onset is often on the left; in women, on the right. If there is no aphasia and the tongue moves freely, it is treatable, with recovery starting in thirty days; if accompanied by aphasia, recovery takes three years; for those under twenty years old, death occurs within three years. If the pulse is forceful and pounding, accompanied by nasal bleeding and body heat, it is a death sign; a pulse that is suspended, hooked, and floating is considered normal. A pulse that comes rapidly like panting is called Bao Jue (sudden syncope); patients with sudden syncope are unconscious and cannot speak. A pulse that is rapid can cause sudden fright, resolving spontaneously in three to four days. A "Fu He" (floating convergence) pulse, resembling a rapid pulse with more than ten beats per breath cycle, indicates severe deficiency of Jing Qi (meridian qi). Death occurs within ninety days if this pulse appears slightly. A pulse burning like firewood indicates the depletion of Heart Jing Essence; death occurs when grass dries up. A pulse scattered like falling leaves indicates Liver Qi deficiency; death occurs when tree leaves fall. A pulse resembling a rare visitor (blocked yet occasionally beating) indicates Kidney Qi deficiency; death occurs when jujube flowers fade. A pulse like a mud pellet indicates Stomach Jing Essence deficiency; death occurs when elm seeds fall. A pulse like a horizontal bar indicates Gallbladder Qi deficiency; death occurs when grain ripens. A pulse like a silk thread indicates Cong Jing Essence (Uterus/Essence) deficiency; if the patient talks excessively, death occurs at frost; if silent, it is treatable. A pulse like mixed paint (coming from both sides chaotically) indicates chaotic Qi and Blood; death occurs within thirty days if this pulse appears slightly. A pulse like a spring bubbling up, beating superficially in the muscles, indicates Tai Yang Qi deficiency; death occurs when leek flowers bloom, especially if breath is faint. A pulse like crumbling earth, unobtainable upon pressing, indicates Muscle Qi deficiency; death occurs when black and white colors appear on the face and symptoms pile up. A pulse like a uvula, which becomes larger upon light palpation, indicates deficiency of the Twelve Shu points' Qi; death occurs when water freezes. A pulse like an inverted knife, small and tense on light palpation but firm, large, and tense on heavy palpation, indicates stagnation and heat in the Five Zang organs with cold-heat pathogens concentrating in the Kidney; such patients cannot sit upright, and death occurs at Lichun (Start of Spring). A pulse like a smooth pellet but ungraspable (cannot be felt firmly) indicates Large Intestine Qi deficiency; death occurs when jujube leaves sprout. A pulse like a flower, causing fearfulness, restlessness, and constant listening while standing or walking, indicates Small Intestine Qi deficiency; death occurs in late autumn.