Cold-Damp

Cold-Damp represents a pathogenic combination where cold contracts and congeals while dampness obstructs and stagnates qi and blood circulation. The cold aspect slows metabolic processes and impairs yang qi transformation, while dampness creates turbidity and blocks clear yang ascension. This pattern commonly manifests in digestive disorders, joint conditions, and gynecological diseases where deficient spleen yang fails to transform and transport fluids.

Clinical Presentation

  • Heavy sensation in head and body
  • Fatigue and lethargy, worse in damp weather
  • Poor appetite with abdominal distention
  • Loose stools or diarrhea
  • Cold limbs and aversion to cold
  • Joint pain that worsens in cold, damp conditions
  • Scanty, clear urination
  • Women: copious white vaginal discharge
  • Tongue: pale, swollen with thick white greasy coating
  • Pulse: slow, slippery, and deep

Pattern Differentiation

vs. Damp-Heat

Cold-Damp presents with aversion to cold, slow pulse, and clear/white discharges, while Damp-Heat shows heat signs including yellow tongue coating, rapid pulse, yellow thick discharges, and burning sensations. Cold-Damp stools are loose and pale, whereas Damp-Heat produces sticky yellow stools with burning anal sensation.

vs. Spleen Yang Deficiency

Both patterns share digestive weakness and cold signs, but Cold-Damp emphasizes the pathogenic factor presence with heavy, turbid sensations and thick greasy tongue coating. Spleen Yang Deficiency focuses on constitutional weakness with chronic fatigue, dawn diarrhea, and a pale tongue with minimal coating. Cold-Damp often has acute or seasonal onset.

vs. Kidney Yang Deficiency

Kidney Yang Deficiency presents with lower back soreness, sexual dysfunction, and edema in lower limbs, with a deep, weak pulse. Cold-Damp primarily affects the middle jiao with digestive symptoms, heavy head sensation, and joint stiffness, presenting a slippery pulse component absent in pure Kidney Yang Deficiency.

Treatment Principle

Warm yang qi and resolve dampness, strengthen spleen transformation and transportation, promote qi movement to dispel pathogenic factors

Formulas for Cold-Damp in Our Catalog

34 formulas in our catalog

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Related Patterns

Bi SyndromeCold-PhlegmDamp-HeatDampnessEdemaExterior InvasionFire ToxinFluid DeficiencyPhlegmPhlegm-HeatWater AccumulationWind-ColdWind-DampWind-Heat

Frequently Asked Questions

The slippery quality combined with slow and deep characteristics. Pure cold patterns typically show slow, tight, or deep pulses without the slippery quality that indicates dampness obstruction.
Primary Cold-Damp responds quickly to warming, drying herbs and shows seasonal or environmental triggers. Secondary Cold-Damp requires treating the underlying organ deficiency first, typically spleen or kidney yang, and symptoms persist despite pathogen-focused treatment.
The thick greasy coating becomes thinner and less greasy, tongue color becomes less pale, and swelling reduces. Complete resolution shows a thin white coating or normal tongue body with appropriate moisture.
Yes, especially in constitutional yang deficiency cases where surface yang qi attempts compensation. Focus on internal cold signs like cold abdomen, cold limbs upon palpation, preference for warm drinks, and the characteristic pulse and tongue presentations.

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This page is provided by Acu-Market (Medical Technology Products, Inc.) as an educational reference for licensed acupuncturists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. It is not medical advice and is not intended for use by the general public.

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