Liver-Blood (Heart Blood Deficiency)

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The information in the previous post was from pp. 224-225 of

Giovanni Maciocia's The Foundations of , 1st ed..

 

The following also is taken from The Foundations of Chinese

Medicine, pp. 205-206, 1st ed.. My comments are in parentheses.

 

" Clinical manifestations

 

" Palpitations, dizziness, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, poor

memory, anxiety, propensity to be startled, dull-pale complexion,

pale lips.

 

" Tongue: Pale, Thin, slightly dry.

 

" Pulse: Choppy or Fine. " (This is the same pulse as for Liver Blood

Deficiency, so you can't differentiate the two based on pulse.)

 

" Key symptoms: palpitations, insomnia, poor memory, Pale tongue.

 

" Pathology

 

" The Heart governs Blood, if Blood is deficient the Heart suffers

and the Mind " (Shen, Spirit) " is deprived of its 'residence', hence

the insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, anxiety and propensity to be

startled. The Heart also controls the mental faculties and if Heart-

Blood is deficient thinking will be dull and the memory poor.

 

" Blood is the mother of Qi: if Heart-Blood is deficient, Heart-Qi

also becomes deficient causing palpitaitons. There is a subtle

difference between the palpitaitons from Heart-Qi or from Heart-

Blood deficiency. In the former case, it is the Qi of the Heart

which is deficient and fails to control the Blood. In the latter

case, it is the Blood of the Heart which is deficient and fails to

nourish Qi. Although they are both described as palpitations, the

clinical appearnace of the symptoms will be different in each case.

In the case of Heart-Qi deficiency, the palpitations will occur more

in the daytime and maybe on exertion without any other particular

feeling. In the case of Heart-Blood deficiency, the palpitations

will occur more in the evening, even at rest and with a slight

feeling of uneasiness in the chest or anxiety. " (It's that thing

about the Liver " storing " Blood at night; hence the symptoms of

Blood Deficiency tend to be worst at night. On the other hand, when

one is active during the day, one " uses " more Qi than when at rest.

If the person is Qi Deficient or borderline, symptoms are going to

tend to come out the strongest when the person is active. BTW, in

some medical conditions the person is only going to get well with

proper rest. Overactivity will further weaken the Spleen and the

Qi. The Spleen plays a critical role both in the accumulation of Qi

and in the production of Blood.)

 

" Dizziness is a general symptom of Blood deficiency and is caused by

Blood not nourishing the brain.

 

" Dull-pale complexion refects the deficiency of Blood (in deficiency

of Yang, it is bright-pale). " (Or shiny-pale.)

 

The tongue is the offshoot of the Heart and when Heart-Blood is

deficient, not enough Blood reaches the tongue which becomes Pale.

The slight dryness (related to the deficiency of Blood)

distinguishes this tongue from that of Heart-Yang deficiency which

is wet. When not enough Blood reaches the tongue over a long period

of time, this becomes also Thin. This is another factor which

distinguishes this tongue from that of Heart-Yang deficiency which

is Swollen.

 

" The Choppy or Fine pulse refects deficiency or Blood. "

 

(Again, once it's determined that a person is Heart Blood Deficient,

the next question is why. There is an additional factor for Heart

Blood Deficiency.)

 

" Aetiology

 

1) A diet which has not enough nourishment or is lacking in Blood-

producing foods, can lead to Spleen-Qi deficiency. Food-Qi produced

by the Spleen is the basis for the production of Blood, hence Spleen-

Qi deficiency, over a long period of time, may lead to Blood

deficiency. Blood deficiency, in turn, can weaken the Heart and

cause Heart-Blood deficiency. " (Remember, the three most important

Organs in the production of Blood are the Spleen, Kidneys, and

Heart.) " For this reason, Heart-Blood deficiency is often associated

with Spleen-Qi Deficiency.

 

" 2) Anxiety and worry over a long period of time can disburb the

Mind which, in turn, can depress the Heart function. Since the

Heart governs Blood, this eventually leads to Heart-Blood deficiency.

 

3) A severe haemorrhage (such as during childbirth) can lead to

Blood deficiency; since the Heart governs Blood. This, in time, can

lead to Heart-Blood deficiency. In fact, holds

this to be the cause of post-natal depression and mental confusion. "

 

(Note for the students on the list: Any time you hear the diagnosis

Heart Yin Deficiency, this automatically includes Heart Blood

Deficiency too. (p. 206.) A person can be Heart Blood Deficient

without being Heart Yin Deficient, but if a person is Heart Yin

Deficient, the person also is Heart Blood Deficient.)

 

(The symptoms of Heart Yin Deficiency will include those of Heart

Blood Deficiency plus many of the usual symptoms of Yin Deficiency

like " malar " (blotchy) flush, " 5-palm heat " (heat in the soles of

the feet, the palms of the hand, and the chest), aggitation, etc.

The pulse for Heart Yin Deficiency will be different from that for

Heart Blood Deficiency. The tongue will be red instead of pale,

reflecting the Heat that is present because of the Yin Deficiency.)