bubble_chart Concept

Yellow sweat refers to the symptom of sweat turning yellow and staining clothes, as mentioned in Jingui Yaolue. In the chapter "Abnormal Pulse and Treatment of Water Qi," it states: "Yellow sweat as a disease causes body swelling, fever, sweating, and thirst, resembling wind edema. The sweat stains clothes, appearing bright yellow, like cypress juice." Later medical practitioners often conflated yellow sweat with jaundice, which involves yellowing of the body and eyes. For example, in "Zhengyin Maizhi: Treatise on Jaundice," it says: "The symptom of yellow sweat includes yellowing of the whites of the eyes, yellowing of the facial skin, and sweat that stains clothes, resembling Phelloendron bark juice." Yixue Xinwu further affirms: "Sweat that stains clothes is called yellow sweat, and it is all part of yang jaundice." It confirms that yellow sweat is a type of yang jaundice. However, in reality, yellow sweat and jaundice are not entirely the same. Yellow sweat can be one of the symptoms of yang jaundice, occurring alongside yellowing of the body and eyes; or it can manifest solely as sweat staining clothes yellow like cypress juice, without yellowing of the body and eyes. The yellow sweat discussed in this article mainly refers to the latter case. As for yellow sweat accompanied by yellowing of the body and eyes, see the separate entry on jaundice.

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Obstruction of Ying and Wei︰Sweating like Phelloendron Bark juice, fever, body swelling with heaviness, sensation of insects crawling under the skin, thirst, dysuria, white tongue coating, and deep pulse. This condition is often caused by fever and sweating leading to weakened defense and stagnant nutrient aspects, resulting in heat battling with water; or exposure to rain or cold-water baths, which block the skin and obstruct the nutrient-defense mechanism. Hence, symptoms such as fever, body swelling, heaviness, and the sensation of insects crawling under the skin appear. Internal retention of water-dampness prevents the resolution of dampness, leading to thirst due to failure of fluids to ascend, while impaired bladder qi transformation results in dysuria. Treatment should focus on dispersing stagnation and harmonizing the nutrient and defense aspects, using Astragalus, Peony, Cinnamon Twig, and Vinegar Decoction.
2. Dampness-heat︰Yellow sweat, fever, slight swelling of the body, hypochondriac pain, anorexia, bitter taste in the mouth, dark urine, yellow and greasy tongue coating, wiry and slippery pulse. This is mostly caused by external contraction of dampness-heat pathogens, or prolonged internal dampness that stagnates and transforms into heat, leading to the accumulation of dampness-heat, which steams the spleen and stomach. As a result, symptoms such as yellow sweat, fever, bitter taste in the mouth, hypochondriac pain, anorexia, dark urine, yellow tongue coating, and wiry-slippery pulse manifest—typical dampness-heathexpressions. As stated in Yizong Jinjian: "Yellow sweat and slight swelling are all signs of dampness-heat." Treatment should focus on clearing heat and draining dampness, using modified Jade Screen Powder with adjustments.

The above two syndromes are caused by sweat entering water, leading to obstruction of nutrient-defense, and by internal accumulation of dampness-heat, which steams the spleen and stomach. One is on the surface of the skin, and the other is due to internal dampness in the spleen. The former should be treated by regulating nutrient-defense to expel surface dampness, while the latter should be treated by clearing dampness-heat. When nutrient-defense is unblocked and dampness-heat is eliminated, yellow sweat will naturally heal. However, in clinical practice, there are also cases where only yellow-stained clothes from sweating are present without other symptoms, and in such cases, Manjing Powder can be used for treatment.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Jingui Yaolue．Water Qi Abnormal Pulse Syndrome and Treatment》: "The disease of yellow sweat is characterized by coldness in both shins; if there is fever, it belongs to multiple arthralgia. Sweating after eating, and night sweating when lying down at dusk, this is due to the nutritive qi. If after sweating, there is still fever, over time the body will become scaly; if the fever persists, it will lead to malignant sores. If the heavy body sweats and then feels lighter, over time there will be body twitching, and chest pain, and sweating from the waist upwards, but no sweating below, with pain and laxity in the waist and hips, as if there is something in the skin, severe cases cannot eat, body pain and heaviness, dysphoria, difficulty in urination, this is yellow sweat, Cinnamon Twig plus Astragalus Decoction is the main treatment."
2. 《Syndrome, Cause, Pulse, and Treatment．Jaundice Theory》: "The pulse of yellow sweat, if it is large and full, is easier to cure; if it is thin and choppy, it is harder to cure."