Floating Pulse (superficial)

(Fu Mai)

obtained with light pressure (opposite of deep pulse)

Fades w. greater pressure

Governs exterior

Exterior conditions: exterior wind-cold, wind-heat

Exceptions: interior disease:

enduring disease- depletion of qi & blood

yin xu (floating, deficient, rapid)

Scallion Stalk Pulse (Hollow)

-Kou Mai-

emptiness inside the scallion plant

Floating & large.  Floating & deep level can be felt, middle is empty.

Blood vessel is soft and limp

Blood desertion, loss of blood

serious blood xu

Essence loss (seminal loss)

Soggy Pulse (Soft)

-ru mai-

Superficial, shallow, fine & soft, small forceless

Lacks root...disappears on pressure

Qi & Blood xu

Damp evil invading - qi & blood rush to surface, pulse is floating

Dampness opresses (squashes) vessel - thin

Scattered Pulse

-san mai-

Felt only on superficial level - no root

Doesn't feel like a wave...more like small dots,

feels chaotic, uneven

dissapears with slightest pressure

Scattered is original qi scattering

Always serious condition - severe qi & blood xu,

especially Kidney qi xu

Drumskin pulse (leather)

-ge mai-

Floating, wiry (string-like), hard & tight on outside & empty within

Felt hard & straight on light pressure,

feels empty on heavy pressure

Blood collapse, loss of blood, massive bleeding

Kidney yang xu w. loss of essence,

frequent nocturnal emission

Deep pulse

-chen mai-

Felt clearly only on heavy pressure

felt near sinew or bone

more normal in Winter

Internal disorders

can indicate internal repletion or vacuity

Hidden pulse

-fu mai-

Felt extremely deep

must apply considerable pressure & pushing off

tendon & bone to begin to feel clearly

Xu- extreme Yang xu (Yang cannot raise pulse)

Shi (repletion)- cold obstruction of channels & vessels, extreme pain

Confined Pulse (firm)

-lao mai-

Felt only with heavy pressing at deep level

Felt as though tied to bone, wiry, long, replete

Opposite of drumskin

Replete, stubborn, difficult to treat patterns

Obstruction or stagnation due to cold or hard masses

Rapid Pulse

-shu mai-

Fast

6+ beats/breath (more than 5)

90 + bpm

Racing is 7+ beats/breath, 120-140 bmp

Indicates heat- causes blood circulation to accelerate, increasing pulse rate

Repletion (shi)- rapid w. force

Vacuity (xu) - rapid w.out force; Yin xu

Stirred pulse (Spinning Bean)

-dong mai-

Feels like rolling bean, slippery, rapid, w. force

Felt only in one position, usually in bar position

Felt round & shaking, trembling at all 3 levels

Rarely seen

Extreme pain or fear, shock, anxiety

Palpitations, Pregnancy

Slippery (Rolling)

-hua mai-

Smooth & flowing like pearls rolling in a dish

Arrives & departs smoothly- "Small fish swimming"

opposite of choppy (rough)

Sign of abundant qi & exuberant qi & blood

in disease, indicated exuberance of evil qi and exuberance of right qi

good prognosis

pregnancy

Dampness, Phlegm, excess heat, food retention

Slow Pulse

-chi mai-

3 beats/breath

60 or less bpm

departs & arrives slowly

Governs cold patterns (can be xu or shi, interior or exterior)

Cold contract & stagnates blood flow, slowing pulse

Is often seen in aerobic atheletes

Sometime seen in cold phlegm obstruction

or blood stasis

Moderate Pulse (leisurely)

-huan mai-

4 beats/breath

pulse of Stomach Qi

sign of health, pulse of Stomach qi

Commonly seen in damp patterns

but, prognosis is still good!

(damp is sticky & heavy, blocking qi mechanism & flow of qi & blood not fee, causing pulse to arrive slowly & moderately)

Rough Pulse (Choppy)

 -se mai-

Slow, stagnating, "like knife scraping bamboo"

opposite of Slippery pulse

Arrives slow & w. difficulty, fine & short, uneven.

May appear to speed up & slow down w.out missing beats

Xu: blood xu; blood flow in vessels rough & stagnant

Shi: qi & blood stagnation, phlegm obstruction, food stag.

Circulation impaired, blocked by evil qi blocking & stagnating in vessels

Vacuous Pulse (empty, deficient)

-xu mai-

Felt large but forceless, felt w. light pressure

Empty & vacuous on heavier pressure

Opposite of Replete pulse.

(also can be a general term for all forceless pulses)

dual vacuity of qi & blood

Faint Pulse    (minute)

-wei mai-

Felt extremely fine & slack (felt soft), indistinct, weak

sometimes felt, sometimes not

severe qi & blood xu, yang xu, yang collapse

Weak pulse (frail)

-ruo mai-

Felt deep, fine & small w.out strength

(felt only at deep level)

dual vacuity of qi & blood- forceless, blood xu-fine

Yang xu (sp/st vacuity cold, spleen not engendering, transforming qi, blood)

Replete Pulse   (Full, Excess)

-shi mai-

Felt forceful, hard, long.

Felt forceful as it rises & falls.

percieved at all 3 levels

Right & Evil qi fighting (both are strong)

(also can be a general term for all forceful pulses, indicating repletion)

repletion heat or cold

phlegm or foor retention

Tight governs cold patterns (can be floating or deep)

Tight is image of contraction

cold patterns, pain patterns, food stagnation

always considered repletion

Surging pulse (flooding)

-hong mai-

arrives large & strong, floating & departs debilitated

like roaring wave which hits the rocks & fades away

Opposite of faint pulse

repletion heat: Yang ming disorders (w 4 bigs)

surging & forceful

Qi Aspect- fever, sweat, thirst, surging pulse

May be surging & foceless-yin xu w. yang rising-critical sign!

Natural pulse during summer