Exterior-Full
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? The concept of Exterior The concept of Full
Key attributes
Chinese name: 表实 Pinyin name: Biǎo Shí
Pattern nature: Full
Causes
Common causes: External Wind and Cold
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Fever No sweat Body aches Aversion to cold
Pulse type(s): Tight (Jin), Floating (Fu)
Tongue description: Thin white coating
Treatment
Treatment principle: Warm the Exterior, expel Cold and Wind
Common formulas: Ma Huang Tang
Pathology
An Exterior pattern, by definition, is a Full pattern, because it is characterized by the invasion of an external Pernicious Influence, which then fight with the Body's Defensive Qi. The battle of the two elements gives rise to 'fever', like how our immune system reacts to bacteria and virus according to Western Medicine. Please be aware that ‘Fever’ (发热 /Fa Re) here does not necessarily indicate an actual fever, but rather the patients' objective feeling of the heat. Aversion to cold often accompanies the fever symptom.
When a person has a strong constitution, he or she is prone to have Full pattern. The Qi is relatively intact and it fights strongly against the external Evils, such as the Cold or Wind. The fight causes the severe body aches. The Qi constrains the skin pores, hence there is no sweat. The Pulse is Tight, while an Exterior-Empty pulse is rather Slow.
Causes
External Wind and Cold : Exposure to windy and cold environment can cause this pattern.
Diagnosing Exterior-Full
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): Tight (Jin) or floating (Fu)
Tongue description: Thin white coating
Main symptoms: Fever No sweat Body aches Aversion to cold
Diagnosis commentary: Key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are the fever, aversion to cold and no sweat.
Treating Exterior-Full
Treatment principle
Warm the Exterior, expel Cold and Wind
Herbal formulas used to treat Exterior-Full
Ma Huang Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 4 herbs
Key actions: Releases exterior cold. Treats wheezing.
Formula summary
Ma Huang Tang is a 4-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 220 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Wind-Cold.
Besides Exterior-Full, Ma Huang Tang is also used to treat Wind-Cold invading the Lungs or Wind-Cold.