The pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness is a symptom and sign caused by the deficiency of essence and blood within the body, leading to the failure of nourishment and the generation of wind and dryness. It often results from internal damage due to miscellaneous diseases, prolonged illness leading to the depletion of essence and blood, or excessive loss of blood. Clinically, in addition to the manifestations of blood deficiency pattern, there are also symptoms of wind movement and dryness.

The main clinical manifestations include: pale complexion, dizziness and dizzy vision, palpitation and insomnia, trembling hands and feet, muscle twitching, numbness of limbs, dry mouth and throat, hoarse voice, dry cough with little phlegm or blood in the phlegm, dry and rough skin, dry and lifeless hair, or cutaneous pruritus, scanty urine, constipation, pale red tongue with dry coating, and a thin or thin and rapid pulse.

The pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness is commonly seen in diseases such as "deficiency fatigue," "dry Bi-syndrome," "constipation," "psoriasis," and "amenorrhea."

This syndrome should be differentiated from "pattern of blood deficiency generating wind," "pattern of blood dryness," "external dryness pattern," and "blood deficiency pattern."

bubble_chart Differentiation and Treatment

This pattern is characterized by the pathological mechanism of blood deficiency accompanied by wind and dryness transformation. The pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness is often caused by excessive blood loss, chronic illness leading to depletion of essence and blood, aging with diminished essence and blood, or static blood obstructing internally, preventing the generation of new blood, resulting in insufficient nutrient-blood. This leads to the lack of nourishment for the skin and sinews, causing wind and dryness transformation. Insufficient nutrient-blood fails to nourish the heart-mind, leading to dizziness, blurred vision, palpitations, and insomnia. When the blood vessels are empty and blood fails to nourish the liver, the sinews lose nourishment, resulting in internal stirring of liver wind, tremors in the hands and feet, muscle twitching, and numbness in the limbs. Blood deficiency transforming into dryness causes the skin to lose nourishment, manifesting as dry mouth and throat, rough and dry skin, cutaneous pruritus, and lackluster hair. This pattern can be seen in various diseases, with different clinical manifestations.

1. For example, in deficiency fatigue, it manifests as emaciation, vertigo, blurred vision, insomnia with excessive dreaming, numbness in the limbs, soreness or spasms in the muscles, restricted joint movement, lackluster nails, scaly skin, a pale tongue with white coating, and a weak pulse. Blood, being a yin fluid, has the function of moistening and nourishing. When blood fails to ascend and nourish the head and eyes, dizziness and blurred vision occur. When blood fails to nourish the heart, the mind fails to stay in its abode, leading to palpitations and insomnia. When blood fails to nourish the liver, internal stirring of liver wind occurs, and the sinews lose nourishment, resulting in numbness in the limbs, muscle pain or spasms, and restricted joint movement. Blood deficiency transforming into dryness causes the skin to lose nourishment, leading to dry and cracked nails, scaly skin, and other symptoms. Treatment should focus on tonifying deficiency, primarily by tonifying blood and nourishing blood, dispelling wind, and moistening dryness. The formula used is the Four Ingredients Decoction (Hejiju Fang) with modifications.
2. The pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness in dry Bi-syndrome is more common in women. This is related to the physiological characteristics of menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation in women. Women are fundamentally dependent on blood, and menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation all consume blood, making them prone to blood deficiency. Additionally, spleen-stomach weakness leads to insufficient generation and transformation of qi and blood, resulting in yin-blood deficiency and internal dryness. Dryness can further consume fluids and blood, leading to lack of nourishment for the sinews, empty blood vessels, and obstruction of the meridians, causing dry impediment. Clinically, it manifests as dry mouth and nose, itchy eyes, loose and brittle teeth, desire to cry without tears, dry cough with little phlegm or blood-tinged phlegm, dry skin, accompanied by dizziness and blurred vision, and even soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees. The tongue is pale with little coating, and the pulse is thin or thin and rapid. This is mostly caused by the depletion of fluids and blood, transforming into dryness and wind, leading to lack of moisture in the body. When body fluids fail to ascend, it manifests as dry mouth and nose, loose and brittle teeth, and itchy eyes. Blood deficiency transforming into dryness causes the lungs to lose moisture, leading to dysfunction of lung qi, resulting in dry cough with little phlegm or blood-tinged phlegm. Blood deficiency transforming into dryness and dryness transforming into fire further damage yin and consume fluids, leading over time to liver-kidney yin deficiency, manifesting as dizziness, blurred vision, and soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees. Treatment should focus on tonifying the liver and kidneys, nourishing blood to moisten dryness. The formula used is the Lycium and Rehmannia Decoction (from "Medical Levels") with modifications.
3. In constipation with the pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness, the clinical manifestations include dry stools, dry lips, itchy skin, scanty urine, physical weakness, and emaciation. This is often caused by chronic illness depleting essence and blood, aging with weakened constitution and insufficient essence and blood, or excessive sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea leading to loss of fluids and blood, resulting in insufficient fluids and blood, wind and dryness transformation, and lack of nourishment for the stomach and intestines. Treatment should focus on nourishing blood and dispelling wind, nourishing yin and moistening dryness, and promoting bowel movements. The formula used is the Four Ingredients Decoction (Hejiju Fang) combined with the Five-Kernel Pill (Shiyi Dexiao Fang).
4. In psoriasis with the pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness, the clinical manifestations are primarily skin lesions, including dry skin, scaling, roughness, thickening, and cutaneous pruritus. The symptoms come and go, recurring repeatedly, and are accompanied by dizziness, blurred vision, pale complexion, a pale tongue with thin or little coating, and a thin and wiry pulse. This is mostly caused by insufficient essence and blood, leading to lack of nourishment for the skin and wind-dryness transformation. Treatment should focus on nourishing blood and dispelling wind, moistening dryness. The formula used is the Blood-Generating and Skin-Moistening Decoction (Yixue Zhengzhuan).
5. In amenorrhea with the pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness, the main manifestations are blood-depletion amenorrhea, emaciation, scaly skin, dark complexion, dizziness, blurred vision, tremors or convulsions in the limbs, and even fainting. Treatment should focus on nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, extinguishing wind, and moistening dryness. The formula used is the Four Ingredients Decoction (Hejiju Fang) with modifications.

This pattern is more common in the elderly and those with chronic internal damage. It develops on the basis of fluid and blood deficiency, further transforming into dryness and wind. Dryness further damages fluids and yin, leading to liver-kidney yin deficiency. Yin fails to control yang, resulting in internal deficiency heat. This cycle repeats, with yin impairment affecting yang, leading to decline of life gate fire and deficiency of dual yin and yang.

bubble_chart Differentiation of Similar Patterns

1. pattern of blood deficiency generating wind and pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness: Both are caused by the depletion of nutrient-blood, the failure of blood to nourish the liver, the internal stirring of liver wind, and the loss of nourishment to the tendons and vessels, thus they are similar in terms of disease cause, mechanism of disease, and clinical manifestations, but there are also certain differences. The pattern of blood deficiency generating wind is a wind pattern manifested due to the deficiency of essence and blood, leading to the loss of nourishment to the tendons and vessels. Symptoms include vertigo, tinnitus, pale complexion, trembling hands and feet, muscle twitching, numbness of limbs, and lack of luster in the nails, with prominent wind symptoms. On the other hand, the pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness is caused by advanced age and physical weakness, prolonged illness and internal damage, depletion of essence and blood, and the generation of wind and dryness. Clinically, in addition to the manifestations of the pattern of blood deficiency generating wind, there are also manifestations of internal dryness, such as dry lips and tongue, dry eyes, dry and rough skin, dry and dull hair, scanty urine, and dry stools, making it easy to differentiate clinically.
2. pattern of blood dryness and pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness: Both syndromes are caused by the deficiency of essence and blood in the body, leading to the loss of nourishment. The pattern of blood dryness is caused by the deficiency of essence and blood, further transforming into dryness. Clinically, it manifests as dry mouth and throat, dry and rough skin, dry hair, emaciated muscles, scanty urine, and dry stools, among other dryness pattern. The pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness, on the other hand, is caused by the depletion of yin blood, further transforming into dryness and generating wind. Clinically, in addition to the manifestations of blood dryness, there are also wind symptoms, such as trembling hands and feet, muscle twitching, and joint stiffness, which can be used for differentiation.
3. blood deficiency pattern and pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness: Both syndromes are caused by the depletion of blood. They share many similarities in terms of disease cause, mechanism of disease, and clinical manifestations. The blood deficiency pattern is the basis for the occurrence of the pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness. If the blood deficiency pattern is not actively treated, the condition may further develop, generating wind and dryness, leading to the pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness. The former simply manifests as blood deficiency, while the latter, in addition to the manifestations of blood deficiency, also includes wind symptoms and internal dryness, which can be used for differentiation.
4. external dryness pattern and pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness: The external dryness pattern refers to a series of dryness pattern caused by the dryness qi prevailing in autumn and winter, or the dry external climate, which depletes the body fluids. Since the skin, mouth, nose, and lung system are most closely in contact with the external environment, the dryness damages the fluids, and the lung-defense is affected, leading to prominent xerosis symptoms in the skin, seven orifices, and lung system, such as dry mouth and nose, dry throat, thirst, dry skin, even rhagades, desquamation, dry cough with little phlegm, sticky phlegm difficult to expectorate, scanty yellow urine, dry stools, and dry tongue coating. The pattern of blood deficiency and wind-dryness, on the other hand, is caused by blood deficiency and fluid depletion, leading to the loss of nourishment to the body, and belongs to the category of "internal dryness." The former manifests as an excess pattern, and the treatment should focus on moistening dryness and dispelling pathogens; while the latter is of a deficient nature, and the treatment should focus on nourishing blood to moisten dryness, making it easy to differentiate.

AD

TCM's treatment of atopic dermatitis is more comprehensive, fundamental, non-toxic and effective than Western medicine's symptomatic treatment

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Zhengzhi Huibu‧dryness pattern: "wind-dryness, caused by the liver blood failing to nourish the tendons, hence tendon pain and nail splitting."
2. Shenzhai Yishu‧Heat Summer Dryness: "dryness-heat disease, resembling heat pattern, stomach qi not moving, internally lacking body fluids and drying up, seeking soup and drink to save oneself, not thirst, but dry mouth. Although the tongue is dry, the root of the tongue is mostly moist, wanting to drink but not drinking much soup, pulse broad and weak, severe dryness, also unconscious murmuring without delirious speech, this is a sign of blood withering."