Patterns of disharmony

Wind Cold with Internal Heat

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 Wind The concept of Cold evil The concept of Interior The concept of Heat pattern

Key attributes

Chinese name: 风寒兼内热      Pinyin name: Fēng Hán Jiān Nèi Rè

Pattern nature: Full combined pattern

Pattern(s) it combines from: Wind-Cold

Causes

Common causes: External Wind and Cold

Diagnosis

Common symptoms: Thirst Red face Red eyes Insomnia Headaches and nine other symptoms

Pulse type(s): Overflowing (Hong), Rapid (Shu), Slippery (Hua)

Tongue coating: Yellow coating

Tongue color: Red

Treatment

Treatment principle: Clear Heat, expel Wind-Cold by releasing the Exterior

Common formulas: Shi Gao Tang

Pathology

This pattern represents a complex condition where an External Cold invasion coexists with blazing Internal Heat. This pattern starts with cold damage, often marked by symptoms like fever and chills, absence of sweating, headache, and sensations of heaviness and tightness, indicating severe greater Yang-warp cold damage.

As the condition progresses, signs of intense Internal Heat emerge. These include strong fever, redness of the face and eyes, dry nasal passages, thirst, irritability, insomnia, delirious speech, and a rapid pulse. These symptoms signal that the heat within the body has become excessive.

When this Internal Heat becomes extreme, it can lead to more severe manifestations, such as bleeding or skin blotches. This indicates that the Heat has disturbed the circulation of blood, causing it to move recklessly and manifest as these more serious symptoms. In TCM, this pattern requires careful balancing to clear the external cold while simultaneously cooling the Internal Heat to restore the body's equilibrium.

Causes

External Wind and Cold : Prolonged exposure to windy and cold environment leads to this pattern. In additional to the nature factor mentioned, air condition can also create a windy and cold environment.

Diagnosing Wind Cold with Internal Heat

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): Overflowing (Hong), rapid (Shu) or slippery (Hua)

Tongue coating: Yellow coating

Tongue color: Red

Main symptoms: Thirst Red face Red eyes Insomnia Headaches No sweating Strong fever Irritability Strong chills Coughing blood Dry nasal passages Blotches dotted over the skin General sensation of heaviness General sensation of tightness

Treating Wind Cold with Internal Heat

Treatment principle

Clear Heat, expel Wind-Cold by releasing the Exterior 

Herbal formulas used to treat Wind Cold with Internal Heat

Shi Gao Tang

Source date: 752 AD

Number of ingredients: 7 herbs

Key actions: Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity. Releases the Exterior.

Formula summary

Shi Gao Tang is a 7-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 752 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that Release the Exterior and Clear the Interior.

Besides Wind Cold with Internal Heat, Shi Gao Tang is also used to treat Exterior-Heat.

Read more about Shi Gao Tang