Slow convulsion, also known as "chronic infantile convulsion," is characterized by weak spasms, slow twitching, or minor twitching.

This syndrome is distinguished from the acute infantile convulsion associated with yang heat excess pattern. The term chronic infantile convulsion was first coined by Qian Yi of the Song Dynasty in "Xiao'er Yaozheng Zhijue" , and has been discussed by many later physicians. This condition often occurs after severe vomiting or diarrhea, or following Rebing , due to injury to body fluids, spleen and stomach deficiency, earth deficiency with wood excess, liver malnutrition, and internal stirring of deficient wind. If prolonged vomiting or chronic diarrhea severely damages the spleen and stomach, leading to middle earth deficiency, it can further result in spleen and kidney yang decline, becoming a critical condition of chronic convulsion due to spleen disorder. The pathological changes of this condition mainly involve the spleen, kidney, and liver.

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1. Liver-kidney Yin Deficiency︰Weak and intermittent convulsions, or trembling of hands and feet, accompanied by low-grade fever, emaciation, flushed complexion, or restlessness and insomnia, feverish sensation in palms and soles, red tongue with scant coating, dry lips and tongue, and wiry, thin, rapid pulse. This condition arises when acute convulsions fail to resolve and progress to chronic convulsions, or when Rebing depletes the anal fluids, leading to yin deficiency and blood deficiency. Yin deficiency results in blood failing to nourish the tendons, while fluid deficiency causes stagnation in the collaterals. Insufficient kidney yin leads to water failing to nourish wood, and liver blood deficiency causes tendon constriction, giving rise to internal stirring of deficient wind and chronic convulsions. In addition to trembling hands and feet and weak convulsions, symptoms include feverish sensation in palms and soles, dry lips and tongue, red tongue with scant coating, and wiry, thin, rapid pulse. Treatment should focus on nourishing yin and subduing yang, emolliating the liver to extinguish wind, using the formula Major Wind-Stabilizing Pearl.
2. Spleen and Stomach Yang Deficiency︰There may be convulsions, upward staring of the eyes, somnolence with eyes half-open, or unconsciousness, a shallow yellow complexion, cold limbs, loose stools, a pale tongue with white coating, and a deep weak pulse. This is often caused by severe vomiting or diarrhea, excessive use of harsh medications, overuse of cold and cooling herbs that damage spleen yang, or constitutional deficiency with inherent spleen-stomach weakness and malnutrition leading to insufficient middle yang. Spleen deficiency results in liver hyperactivity, and weak earth fails to restrain wood, leading to internal stirring of liver wind. Symptoms include intermittent convulsions, a shallow yellow complexion, somnolence with eyes half-open, cold limbs, and a deep weak pulse. Treatment should focus on warming the middle and dissipating cold, fortifying the spleen and soothing the liver. The formula Huan Gan Li Pi Tang (Liver-Soothing and Spleen-Regulating Decoction) is recommended.
3. Spleen-kidney Yang Deficiency︰Spasm and convulsion, wriggling of limbs, mental fatigue, unconsciousness, dull complexion, sunken fontanel, cold sweating, reversal cold of limbs, clear and loose stool, weak breathing, pale tongue with white coating, deep and faint pulse. Also known as "chronic convulsion due to spleen disorder." It occurs after prolonged illness or chronic vomiting and diarrhea, damaging the spleen and stomach, impairing yang qi, leading to spleen yang deficiency and further harming kidney yang, resulting in kidney yang exhaustion. Symptoms include wriggling of limbs, weak breathing, reversal cold of limbs, sunken fontanel, cold sweating, and deep, faint pulse. This condition belongs to yang qi depletion and should be treated by warming and tonifying the spleen and kidney, replenishing qi to prevent collapse. The recommended formula is Guzhen Decoction.

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1. "Xiao'er Yaozheng Zhenjue · Slow Convulsion": "Due to illness or vomiting and diarrhea, spleen and stomach deficiency damage, the whole body is cold, the breath from the mouth and nose is also cold, hands and feet sometimes spasm and convulsion, drowsy with eyes exposed, this is a lack of yang."
2. "Youke Shimeng · Chronic Infantile Convulsion": "Yu Bo said: Slow convulsion is caused by prolonged vomiting and diarrhea, leading to great deficiency of middle qi. Spleen deficiency then generates wind, and excessive wind causes tendon tension.
3. "Fuyou Pian": "The symptoms of slow convulsion are mostly caused by vomiting and diarrhea in children, or by consumptive malaria, chronic dysentery, or after smallpox and measles, or due to wind-cold and food accumulation stagnation, excessive use of purgatives damaging the spleen, or congenital deficiency, or mistakenly taking cold medicine, or excessive use of purgatives for acute convulsion, or lack of proper care, all of which can lead to this condition."
4. "Wenbing Tiaobian · Lower Energizer Chapter": "Pathogenic heat lingering for a long time depletes true yin, or due to mistaken exterior treatment, or reckless purging, leading to fatigue, spasm and convulsion, weak vessel qi, crimson tongue with little coating, and a tendency to collapse, Major Wind-Stabilizing Pearl is the main treatment."
5. "Linzheng Zhinan Yi'an · Convulsion": "Generally due to children's yin qi not being sufficient, external contraction of wind-dampness, wind-heat, wind-fire, as well as cold evil transforming into heat, and dry-fire symptoms, most likely to damage yin, yin damage then blood does not nourish tendons, fluid damage then meridians become stagnant, excessive heat can also cause internal wood-fire to rise successively."