Tongue
Thick greasy coat, heaviest in the center
Pulse
Slippery, full in the middle
Key Symptoms
Epigastric fullness and painSour regurgitation; foul belchingAversion to food; relief after vomitingFoul or sticky stoolsFoul breath
Overview
Undigested food obstructing the middle jiao. When the same picture is written as a Stomach Zang-Fu pattern it is called Food Retention in the Stomach — one page, not two.
Differentiate from
- Qi Stagnation (emotion-triggered, less foul coat)
- Damp-Phlegm (chronic heaviness, no clear food history)
- Stomach Fire (burning hunger, dry yellow coat, no relief after vomiting)
Etiology
Overeating, eating at night, weak Spleen in children, combining rich food with constraint.
Treatment Principle
Relieve food stagnation; restore the descent of Stomach Qi; strengthen Spleen if recurrent.
Representative formulas. Bao He Wan; Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan if Heat and accumulation are stronger.
Representative points. REN-10, REN-12, ST-21, ST-36, LI-10, inner-Neiting.
Acupuncture Points
Related Patterns
Similar Patterns
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