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TCM patterns (证型) explain why seemingly unrelated formulas are connected. A horizontal aggregation tag, not a diagnosis, not a prescription.

8 patterns

Pattern · qi-xu
Qi deficiency (qì xū)
Low drive and stamina — the "running on empty" pattern
In TCM, qì xū describes a state where the body's functional energy is running low. The formulas grouped under this tag share a common thread: they address situations where "something that should be moving isn't moving enough" — whether that's the defensive qi that should be keeping the pores closed, the middle-burner qi that should be lifting the organs, or the qi-and-yin that should be sustaining the pulse. Notice how these formulas cross concern boundaries: Buzhong Yiqi Wan is discussed for chronic fatigue (stress), Yupingfeng for recurrent colds (immune), and Shengmaiyin for the exhausted-and-dry feeling that shows up under both stress and sleep concerns. That cross-cutting is exactly why this pattern exists as a tag — the same "low fuel" logic connects formulas a Western reader would otherwise see as unrelated.
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Pattern · yin-xu
Yin deficiency (yīn xū)
Dryness and inner heat — the "radiator with no coolant" pattern
In TCM, yīn xū describes a state where the body's cooling, moistening, and anchoring substance is insufficient. Without enough yin to temper yang, a kind of "empty heat" arises — not the fever of an infection, but a low-grade internal warmth that flares at night, dries the mouth and throat, and makes restlessness feel like the new normal. The formulas under this tag form the most recognizable family on the entire site: they are all variations on the Rehmannia Six-Flavor root (Liù Wèi Dì Huáng Wán). Zhibai adds ingredients to clear that "empty heat"; Maiwei targets the lung-and-kidney axis specifically. What connects them is the same underlying logic — replenish the coolant so the radiator stops running hot — but each does it with a different emphasis, which is why a reader encountering two of them on the same concern page might wonder "what's the difference?" This tag exists to answer that.
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Pattern · yang-xu
Yang deficiency (yáng xū)
Coldness and low metabolic warmth — the "furnace won't stay lit" pattern
In TCM, yáng xū describes a state where the body's warming, activating, and transforming force is running low. If qi deficiency is "not enough fuel," yang deficiency is "the furnace won't hold a flame" — not just low energy, but a pervasive sense of cold, especially in the lower body and extremities, along with a tendency toward fluid that should be warming and moving instead pooling or leaking. Jingui Shenqi Wan is the canonical kidney-yang formula; Fuzi Lizhong Wan warms the middle burner (spleen-kidney axis). Both address cold, but from different anatomical and functional angles — one from the "root fire" at the lower burner, the other from the "digestive fire" at the middle. This tag helps a reader see why they share a page despite targeting different concerns.
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Pattern · xue-xu
Blood deficiency (xuè xū)
Tissues under-nourished — not the same as anemia
In TCM, xuè xū (blood deficiency) does not mean anemia. It describes a broader pattern of insufficient nourishment reaching the tissues — a pale complexion, dizziness, brittle nails, dry hair, and a sense that the body's "reservoir of moistening substance" is running low. A person can have xuè xū without being anemic by lab standards, and conversely, anemia is only one possible expression of what TCM calls blood deficiency. Danggui Buxue Wan is the classic two-herb formula that embodies the principle "qi generates blood"; Guipi Wan addresses blood deficiency that arises when the spleen (the TCM concept, not the anatomical organ) fails to produce enough blood and the heart fails to house it. These two formulas bridge the women's-health and stress concerns — blood deficiency shows up wherever tissue nourishment and emotional anchoring intersect.
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Pattern · shi-re
Damp-heat (shī rè)
A heavy, sticky, internally hot feeling — "muggy weather inside the body"
In TCM, shī rè describes the simultaneous presence of dampness (heaviness, stickiness, sluggishness) and heat (redness, burning, yellow discharges). It is the pattern of "muggy tropical weather, but inside the body" — a feeling of being simultaneously weighed down and inflamed, often showing up as yellow, sticky, or malodorous discharges and a general sense of "something hot and wet is stuck." Longdan Xiegan Wan targets damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder channel — the "heat" manifests as irritability and bitter taste, the "damp" as genital discharge or lower-body heaviness. Bazheng Pian targets damp-heat in the bladder — the "heat" shows as burning urination, the "damp" as urgency and frequency. Same tag, different anatomical terrain.
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Pattern · gan-qi-yu-jie
Liver qi stagnation (gān qì yù jié)
Frustration and physical tightness — "liver" here is a TCM concept, not the anatomical organ
In TCM, "liver" (gān) does not refer to the anatomical organ on the right side of the abdomen. It refers to the functional sphere responsible for the smooth flow of qi — keeping emotions moving, digestion flowing, and menstrual cycles regular. When this "liver qi" gets stuck, the result is a cluster of feelings Western readers might recognize: frustration, chest or rib-side fullness, frequent sighing, a sense that something emotionally is "bottled up." Xiaoyao Wan is the household name for this pattern — its name literally means "free and easy wandering." Danzhi Xiaoyao Wan adds heat-clearing herbs for when the stuck qi has "compressed into fire." Chaihu Shugan Wan targets the pain dimension — when stagnation shows up as tension and ache in the chest and ribs. All three come up under both stress and women's-health concerns, because the "liver" in TCM governs both emotional flow and menstrual regularity.
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Pattern · xue-yu
Blood stasis (xuè yū)
Circulation that feels stuck or blocked — broader than a blood clot
In TCM, xuè yū (blood stasis) is broader than a blood clot in the Western sense. It describes any state where blood is not flowing freely — a fixed, stabbing pain (as opposed to a moving, aching one), dark or purplish discoloration, lumps or masses, and in women's health, menstrual clots or a delayed, painful period. The "stuckness" can arise from trauma, from cold congealing the blood, from qi failing to move it, or from long-standing deficiency that leaves the vessels empty and sluggish. Guizhi Fuling Wan addresses blood stasis in the lower abdomen — its classic application is masses or pain in the uterus area. Dieda Wan addresses traumatic blood stasis — the kind that follows a fall, impact, or sports injury. Both share the same "stuck blood" logic, but one arises from internal accumulation and the other from external force.
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Pattern · pi-xu
Spleen deficiency (pí xū)
Weak digestion and chronic fatigue — "spleen" here is a TCM concept, not the anatomical organ
In TCM, "spleen" (pí) does not refer to the anatomical organ that sits under the left rib cage and filters blood. It refers to the functional sphere responsible for transforming food into usable substance and transporting that substance where it needs to go — in Western shorthand, it is closer to "digestive fire plus metabolic efficiency." When the spleen is weak, food doesn't transform properly (bloating, loose stools, poor appetite), energy doesn't generate efficiently (chronic fatigue), and dampness accumulates (a feeling of heaviness). Shenling Baizhu San is the canonical spleen-qi formula with a dampness-draining emphasis — "nourish the earth so the metal can breathe." Jianpi Wan addresses spleen weakness that has led to food stagnation. Xiangsha Liujun Wan adds qi-moving and dampness-transforming herbs to the basic spleen-tonifying structure, for when the stagnation is more about qi and phlegm than pure dampness. All three sit under the digestion concern, because the TCM "spleen" is primarily about what happens after you eat.
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