The sensation of qi rushing up from the lower abdomen refers to the patient's subjective feeling of qi surging upward from the lower abdomen, occurring intermittently. Because the qi rushes up to the chest and throat like a piglet running wildly, it is also known as running-piglet qi.

Jingui Yaolue．The treatment of running-piglet qi and abnormal pulse syndrome describes this condition as: "Running-piglet disease starts from the lower abdomen, rushes up to the throat, causing a sensation of impending death, and then subsides. It is all caused by fright and fear." Later, Zhouhou Beiji Fang、Zhubing Yuanhou Lun、《備急 Qianjin Fang、Waitai Miyao and others have similar descriptions.

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Liver Qi Rising Counterflow︰The clinical manifestations primarily include sudden onset after fright or agitation, with a subjective sensation of qi rushing upward from the lower abdomen to the chest, throat, and heart, accompanied by a feeling of impending death, palpitation due to fright, restlessness, aversion to human voices, or abdominal pain, dyspnea, vomiting, thirst, alternating chills and fever. The symptoms cease when qi returns and often recur repeatedly. The tongue coating is thin white or thin yellow, and the pulse is wiry and tight. After the episode, the patient appears completely normal. The upward rushing of liver qi from the lower abdomen is mostly caused by fright, emotional distress, worry, or anger. It may also result from sudden fright or pre-existing liver qi depression, leading to upward counterflow along the meridians, failure of qi to descend, and disharmony between nutrient and defensive qi. This syndrome involves qi stagnation and heat accumulation, with liver qi ascending counterflow, indicating an excess pattern. Suwen．Zhizhenyao Da Lun: "All disorders with upward perversion are ascribed to fire," which also includes this condition. Patients with upward counterflow of liver qi often exhibit pre-existing symptoms of liver depression and qi stagnation (such as irritability, mental depression, chest tightness, frequent sighing, fullness in the chest and hypochondrium, bitter taste in the mouth, and dry throat). Due to fright, worry, or anger, a sudden attack occurs, with qi rushing upward from the lower abdomen to the chest and throat. The treatment focuses on descending adverse-rising qi, regulating qi and harmonizing the nutrient-defense system, and clearing liver heat. Modified Decoction for Running-Pig Syndrome is used, or alternatively, Inula and Hematite Decoction to suppress counterflow, tonify qi, and harmonize the stomach.
2. Internal Retention of Water and Fluid︰The patient often exhibits symptoms of yang deficiency. At the onset of the illness, there is throbbing below the navel, followed immediately by rebellious qi surging upward from the lower abdomen, accompanied by cold limbs, a pale tongue with white greasy coating, and a wiry-tight pulse. This condition is usually due to pre-existing cold in the lower energizer or mistaken sweating that leads to heart yang deficiency, allowing cold water qi to rise and invade the heart. The resulting yang decline and yin excess cause cold qi to rebel upward. This syndrome is identified as a pattern of deficiency cold. Common symptoms of yang deficiency (cold limbs, pale complexion, clear eyes, clear and abundant urine, etc.) are present. Mistaken sweating damages heart yang, triggering the upward rebellion of cold water qi. The patient may feel qi surging from the lower abdomen, causing throbbing below the navel. Treatment should focus on warming yang, draining water, regulating qi, and descending rebellion. For throbbing below the navel, Poria, Cinnamon Twig, Liquorice, and Chinese Date Decoction (Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang) can be used. If external cold pathogens are involved, Cinnamon Twig plus Cinnamon Twig Decoction (Gui Zhi Jia Gui Tang) is recommended to unblock yang and disperse cold.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Nan Jing．The 56th Difficulty: "The accumulation in the kidney is called running-piglet, it originates from the lower abdomen, ascends to the area below the heart, resembling the shape of a piglet, moving up and down irregularly. If it persists for a long time, it causes panting and counterflow, bone wilting and shortage of qi."
2. Zhubing Yuanhou Lun．The Climate of Running-piglet: "The qi of running-piglet is the accumulated qi of the kidney, arising from fear, fright, worry, and overthinking. If one is frightened, it harms the spirit, as the heart houses the spirit; if one is worried or overthinking, it harms the will, as the kidney stores the will. When the spirit and will are harmed, the qi moves and accumulates in the kidney and descends, moving upwards like a running piglet, hence the name running-piglet. When this qi affects the heart, it feels as if the heart is leaping, as if startled by something, as if frightened by someone, the five zang-organs become unsettled, eating and drinking lead to vomiting, the chest is filled with qi, madness and folly become unsettled, leading to delusional speech and visions, these are the symptoms of running-piglet caused by fear and fright. If the qi fills and supports the heart, causing discomfort and chaos below the heart, aversion to hearing human voices, occurring intermittently, sometimes improving and sometimes worsening, with short and rapid breathing, cold extremities, internal vexation and knotted pain, a warm sensation leading to a desire to vomit, these are the symptoms of running-piglet caused by worry and overthinking."