Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency
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: Fatigue Dizziness Pale face Palpitations Early periods and eight other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Deep (Chen), Weak (Ruo)
Tongue color: Pale
Pathology
Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency 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 Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency gives rise to such diverse symptoms as early periods, pale menstrual blood, lower back pain 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 Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency patients tend to exhibit deep (Chen) or weak (Ruo) 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 Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency is thought to sometimes induce conditions such as early menstruation.
Diagnosing Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency
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): Deep (Chen) or weak (Ruo)
Tongue color: Pale
Main symptoms: Fatigue Dizziness Pale face Palpitations Early periods Lack strength Lower back pain Feeling of cold Shortness of breath Pale menstrual blood Thin menstrual blood Spontaneous sweating Frequent night urination
Treating Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency
Herbal formulas used to treat Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
Source date: 1247
Number of ingredients: 10 herbs
Key actions: Tonifies Qi of the Spleen and Stomach (Middle Burner). Raises the Yang. Detoxifies. Lifts what has sunken.
Formula summary
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang is a 10-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1247, it belongs to the category of formulas that tonify Qi.
Besides Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang is also used to treat Qi Deficiency or Qi Collapsing or Qi Sinking.
Gui Pi Tang
Source date: 1529 AD
Number of ingredients: 12 herbs
Key actions: Tonifies and nourish Qi and Blood. Tonifies Heart and Spleen.
Formula summary
Gui Pi Tang is a 12-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1529 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that tonify Qi and Blood.
Besides Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency, Gui Pi Tang is also used to treat Qi Deficiency or Blood Deficiency.
He Che Da Zao Wan
Number of ingredients: 11 herbs
Key actions: Tonifies the Kidneys. Strengthens the Directing and Penetrating Vessels. Regulates the periods.
Formula summary
He Che Da Zao Wan is a 11-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. It belongs to the category of formulas that tonify Yin and Yang.
Besides Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency, He Che Da Zao Wan is also used to treat Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency or Kidney-Deficiency.
Special highlight: the link between early menstruation and Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency
Ginseng (Ren Shen) is the key herb for Gui Pi Tang, a formula used for early menstruation caused by Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency
Typical symptoms for early menstruation caused by Spleen or Kidney Qi Deficiency: Fatigue Dizziness Pale face Palpitations Early periods Lack strength Lower back pain Feeling of cold Shortness of breath Pale menstrual blood Thin menstrual blood Spontaneous sweating Frequent night urination
Recommended herbal formulas: Gui Pi Tang, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, He Che Da Zao Wan
Qi Deficiency is one of the main causes of early menstruation according to Chinese Medicine. Looking into the details it can be further divided into Spleen Qi and Kidney Qi Deficiency. Concretely the issue is that Qi is deficient and therefore not firm enough to hold Blood inside the vessels. The most common underlying causes are lack of physical exercise, overwork, excessive worry or too much consumption of chilled or uncooked foods.
Spleen Qi plays a major role in containing the Blood within...Read more about early menstruation