Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
At a glance
Preliminary reading: What is a pattern?
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Anemia Vertigo Dizziness Headaches Dry mouth and eight other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Empty (Xu), Wiry (Xian)
Tongue color: Pale
Treatment
Common formulas: Xiao Yao San
Pathology
Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen is a pattern of disharmony in Chinese Medicine.
Chinese Medicine views the human body as a complex system that tends toward harmony. A pattern of disharmony is a disorder that prevents that harmony from occurring.
Patterns give rise to symptoms that may at first glance seem unrelated from a Western standpoint but that actually make a lot of sense when one understands Chinese Medicine theory. For instance here Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen gives rise to such diverse symptoms as chest fullness, chest pain, anemia and dizziness (as well as nine others).
To diagnose a pattern, analyzing a patient's pulse as well as their tongue is common practice. In the case of Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen patients tend to exhibit empty (Xu) or wiry (Xian) pulses as well as a pale tongue.
Patterns aren't exactly the Chinese Medicine equivalent to Western diseases, they're rather the underlying causes behind diseases or health conditions. Here Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen is thought to sometimes induce conditions such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers or hepatitis (as well as eight others).
Diagnosing Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen
Diagnosing a pattern in Chinese Medicine is no easy feat and should be left to professional practitioners. In particular one has to know how to differentiate between different types of pulses and tongue coatings, shapes and colors as well as learn to read from a long list of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Pulse type(s): Empty (Xu) or wiry (Xian)
Tongue color: Pale
Main symptoms: Anemia Vertigo Dizziness Headaches Dry mouth Chest pain Dry throat Leukorrhea Poor appetite Chest fullness Breast distention Irregular menstruation Alternating fever and chills
Treating Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen
Herbal formulas used to treat Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen
Xiao Yao San
Source date: 1107 AD
Number of ingredients: 6 herbs
Key actions: Harmonizes the function of Liver and Spleen. Relieves Liver Qi stagnation. Nourishes the Blood.
Formula summary
Xiao Yao San is a 6-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1107 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that harmonize Liver-Spleen.
Besides Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen, Xiao Yao San is also used to treat Liver Blood Stagnation or Liver Qi Deficiency.
Related conditions
Please keep in mind that a Western Medicine condition can be caused by several Chinese Medicine patterns of disharmony and vice versa. As such a patient suffering from one of the conditions below will not necessarily be suffering from Blood Deficiency with disharmony of Liver and Spleen, it is just one pattern that's commonly associated with the condition. Click on a condition to learn what other patterns it's associated with.
Chronic gastritis Peptic ulcers Hepatitis Cholecystitis Gastric neurosis Cirrhosis Premenstrual syndrome Fibrocystic breasts Perimenopausal syndrome Pelvic inflammatory disease Uterine fibroids