bubble_chart Concept

Sadness refers to the symptom of frequently feeling sad and wanting to cry without encountering sorrowful events, which cannot be controlled

. This symptom, Lingshu in the chapter "Five Pathogens" is called "Xi Bei" (喜悲). Jingui Yaolue refers to it as "Xi Bei Shang Yu Ku" (喜悲傷欲哭).

Sadness originates from the heart and lungs, Lingshu in the chapter Benshen : "Deficiency of heart qi leads to sadness; Suwen in the chapter Xuanming Wuqi : "When essential qi gathers in the lungs, it results in sadness." Sadness is the emotion of the lungs, and sorrow causes qi consumption. Excessive sadness most easily leads to dysfunction of other zang - fu organs, resulting in pathological changes. Lingshu in the chapter Benshen : "When the liver is affected by excessive sadness, it harms the soul." Suwen in the chapter Wei Lun : "Excessive sadness causes the pericardium to be cut off, and when the pericardium is cut off, yang qi moves internally, leading to a collapse in the heart."

bubble_chart Pattern Analysis

1. Heart and Lung Qi Deficiency︰Flusteredness with shortness of breath, low cough, spontaneous sweating upon exertion, tendency to sadness and weeping, pale tongue with thin coating, weak pulse. Mostly caused by overexertion damaging qi, or insufficient postnatal generation and transformation leading to heart-lung qi deficiency. The key points of clinical differentiation are: tendency to sadness accompanied by shortness of breath and reluctance to speak, spontaneous sweating upon exertion, flusteredness, poor appetite, and other qi deficiency patterns. Treatment should focus on tonifying and replenishing the qi of the heart and lungs. Prescriptions include Four Gentlemen Decoction, Middle-Tonifying Qi-Replenishing Decoction.
2. Visceral Agitation︰Restlessness and inability to sleep, uneasiness whether sitting or lying, sadness with a desire to weep, and in severe cases mental derangement, severe constipation, a red tongue with scant fluid, and a thin pulse. As mentioned in Jingui Yaolue, the twenty-second chapter on "Pulse Diagnosis and Treatment of Women's Miscellaneous Diseases" states: "Women with visceral agitation, prone to sadness and weeping as if possessed by spirits, frequently yawning and stretching, are treated with Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction." The syndrome arises from excessive contemplation, emotional depression, damage to the heart and spleen, insufficiency of heart yin, blood failing to nourish the heart, impaired spleen transportation, and lack of source for generation and transformation, leading to cervical malignancy with cachexia in various organs. Therefore, the key points of clinical differentiation are: frequent sadness accompanied by mental confusion, vexation and insomnia, tidal fever and night sweats, uncontrollable weeping, and in severe cases, unpredictable laughter and crying. Treatment should focus on nourishing yin and moistening dryness, with the prescription Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction supplemented with Peony Root, Poria with Pine, jujube seeds, dragon's teeth, Schisandra Fruit, and others.

Sadness is mostly associated with deficiency pattern, characterized by insufficient qi and blood, and internal deficiency of visceral yin, leading to the heart failing to govern the spirit and the lungs failing to store the corporeal soul, which easily manifests as low mood and frequent sadness.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Suwen．Wuchangzheng Da Lun"In the period of Fuqi, the disease manifests as confusion, sorrow, and forgetfulness, which are minor transformations."
2. Suwen．Zhizhenyao Da Lun"The return of taiyang, when severe, enters the heart, causing forgetfulness and frequent sorrow."
3. Lingshu．syncope》"Real headache, heart vessel pain, heart sorrow and frequent weeping, seeing the head stirred pulse and the opposite is strong, puncture to remove blood, then regulate the foot Jueyin."