Medical disclaimer
Read this before you use anything here
If this is an emergency
Call your local emergency number now — 999 in the UK, 911 in the US, 112 in most of Europe, or your local equivalent. Do not use this website to decide whether a symptom is urgent.
Educational use only
Everything on this site is general information about how Chinese medicine describes patterns of signs. It is not medical advice, it is not a diagnosis, and it is not a treatment plan. Reading it does not create a practitioner–patient relationship with anyone.
A Chinese medicine pattern is not a medical diagnosis. Two people with the same diagnosis can have different patterns, and two people with the same pattern can have different diagnoses. Nothing here should be used to work out what disease you have.
Do not change prescribed treatment
Never stop, reduce, or delay prescribed medication or treatment because of something you read here, and never substitute a traditional approach for care you have been advised to receive.
Herbs and supplements interact with drugs
Herbs and supplements are not inert. They can interact with anticoagulants, immunosuppressants, diabetes medication, blood pressure medication, and others. If you take any prescription medicine, tell your doctor and your pharmacist about everything you take — including anything you started because of something you read.
Extra caution
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding — many herbs and points are avoided or modified.
- Children — dosing and pattern differentiation differ substantially from adults.
- Bleeding disorders and anticoagulant therapy — avoid acupressure and needling without advice.
- Liver or kidney disease — clearance of herbal constituents may be impaired.
- Before surgery — some herbs are stopped in advance.
About the self-check
The self-check is an educational tool that weighs the answers you give against the signs listed on this site. It does not examine you, it cannot see your tongue or feel your pulse, and it has no information beyond what you type. A result is a list of patterns to read about — not a finding, not a risk score, and not a reason to start or stop anything.
No warranty
The material is provided as is. We work to keep it accurate and to correct errors when they are reported (see the editorial policy), but we make no warranty of completeness or fitness for any particular purpose.
Where to get proper advice
For a diagnosis, see a licensed clinician. For Chinese medicine specifically, see a practitioner who is licensed or registered in your jurisdiction — regulation varies by country, and in most places "TCM practitioner" is not a protected title.
Last revised: 23 October 2026.