Damp-Cold Phlegm
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: Nausea Vomiting Dizziness Palpitations Focal distention and two other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Slippery (Hua)
Tongue coating: Thick white coating
Treatment
Common formulas: Er Chen Tang
Pathology
Damp-Cold Phlegm 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 Damp-Cold Phlegm gives rise to such diverse symptoms as nausea, vomiting, stifling sensation in the chest and epigastrium and palpitations (as well as three others).
To diagnose a pattern, analyzing a patient's pulse as well as their tongue is common practice. In the case of Damp-Cold Phlegm patients tend to exhibit slippery (Hua) pulses as well as a tongue with thick white coating.
Patterns aren't exactly the Chinese Medicine equivalent to Western diseases, they're rather the underlying causes behind diseases or health conditions. Here Damp-Cold Phlegm is thought to sometimes induce conditions such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers or chronic bronchitis (as well as four others).
Diagnosing Damp-Cold Phlegm
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): Slippery (Hua)
Tongue coating: Thick white coating
Main symptoms: Nausea Vomiting Dizziness Palpitations Focal distention Coughing with copious white sputum Stifling sensation in the chest and epigastrium
Treating Damp-Cold Phlegm
Herbal formulas used to treat Damp-Cold Phlegm
Er Chen Tang
Source date: 1148 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Key actions: Dries Damp and dispels Phlegm. Regulates Qi and harmonizes the Middle Burner (Stomach and Spleen).
Formula summary
Er Chen Tang is a 5-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1148 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that dry Dampness and transform Phlegm.
Besides Damp-Cold Phlegm, Er Chen Tang is also used to treat Damp-Phlegm in the Lungs or Damp-Phlegm.
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 Damp-Cold Phlegm, 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 Chronic bronchitis Emphysema Upper respiratory tract infections Meniere's disease Goiter