EPIGASTRIUM MANIFESTATION ON PULSE & TONGUE

On the tongue, the epigastric area is reflected either in the centre or on the sides around the centre. An examination of the coating in this area is essential to distinguish Full from Empty conditions as a Full condition will be reflected by a thick coating in this area and an Empty condition by a rootless coating or the absence of coating.

With regard to the pulse, the right-middle position of course reflects closely Stomach disharmonies. The most common pulse qualities in this position are Slippery, Soggy, Floating-Empty and Wiry. A Slippery pulse in the Stomach/Spleen position indicates retention of Dampness in the Stomach and Spleen; a Soggy quality indicates Dampness occurring against a background of Stomach and Spleen deficiency; a Floating-Empty pulse in this position indicates Stomach-Yin deficiency; a Wiry pulse in this position denotes Stomach-Qi stagnation which may occur by itself or as a consequence of Liver-Qi stagnation, in which case the pulse would be Wiry in both Middle positions. An interesting aspect of the Stomach pulse is its upper part, which is felt by rolling the finger distally (towards the fingers) very slightly; this corresponds to the esophagus, and, if the pulse is Tight in this area, it indicates rebellious Stomach-Qi or stagnation of food in the upper part of the Stomach, often due to eating too fast or eating when under pressure at work.