bubble_chart Concept

Head sweating refers to sweating only on the face and head. In "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases: Differentiation of Taiyang Disease Pulse and Symptoms and Treatment," it states: "Only head sweating occurs, stopping at the neck."

The symptom of head sweating can also occur in normal individuals. For example, sweating on the head during meals or when children are sleeping, but without any other symptoms, is commonly referred to as "steamer head" and should not be considered a pathological sign.

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Dampness-heat︰Perspiration on the head and face, dysuria, yellowing of the body and eyes, aversion to cold with fever, yellow and greasy tongue coating, and soggy rapid pulse. Due to the invasion of dampness, which becomes stagnant and transforms into heat, the dampness-heat steams and cannot disperse in all directions, so it ascends along the meridians, forcing the body fluids to leak outward, resulting in perspiration on the head and face. Dampness obstructs the bladder, disrupting its function of separating and distributing fluids, leading to dysuria. When dampness-heat steams the liver and gallbladder, bile overflows into the skin, manifesting as yellowing of the body and eyes, the severity of which depends on the condition. Dampness-heat obstructs internally, unable to reach the exterior, causing disharmony between nutrient and defensive qi, hence aversion to cold with fever. A yellow and greasy tongue coating and a soggy rapid pulse are signs of excessive dampness-heat. The treatment should focus on clearing and draining damp-heat, and the recommended formula is Powder of Capillaris and Five Ingredients with Poria.
2. Yang Qi Deficiency︰Profuse sweating on the head and face, a pale or sallow complexion, cold limbs, shortness of breath, fear of cold, mental fatigue and lack of strength, a pale and tender tongue, and a weak pulse. This belongs to a deficiency pattern. It is often caused by insufficient yang qi after illness, postpartum, or in the elderly, leading to unconsolidated striae and interstices and the outward leakage of body fluids, resulting in excessive sweating on the head and face. Insufficient yang qi also weakens yin blood, which fails to nourish the face, leading to a pale or sallow complexion. Weak yang qi cannot distribute warmth externally, causing cold limbs and fear of cold. Shortness of breath, mental fatigue, lack of strength, a pale and tender tongue, and a weak pulse are all due to insufficient yang qi. Treatment should focus on warming yang and replenishing qi, consolidating the exterior and stopping sweating. The recommended formula is Astragalus and Aconite Decoction supplemented with red ginseng, fossil bone, and oyster shell.

The symptom of head sweating can manifest in both excess pattern and deficiency pattern. However, excess pattern is often caused by dampness-heat, while deficiency pattern is usually due to insufficient yang qi. Clinically, it can also be observed in conditions such as anuria and vomiting, thoracic accumulation of fluid, and shaoyang disease. In the elderly, panting accompanied by head sweating, or head sweating occurring during severe illness with yang collapse, should be given high attention.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. 《Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases: Differentiation and Treatment of Taiyang Disease Pulse and Symptoms》: "Five or six days after the onset of cold damage disease, head sweating occurs, slight aversion to cold, cold hands and feet, fullness in the epigastrium, loss of appetite, hard stool, and a fine pulse. This is slight constipation involving the yang channels, and there must be an exterior syndrome."
2. Leizheng Zhicai ．Sweating Syndrome: "When stomach heat rises and causes yellow sweat on the forehead and difficulty in urination, Five Ingredients with Poria Powder plus Virgate Wormwood is used. For cold damage disease with hypochondriac pain, deafness, alternating chills and fever, bitter taste in the mouth, and head sweating that stops at the neck, it belongs to the shaoyang pattern."