17 Pulse Types - Characteristics/Indications

Question 1

Submerged/Deep

Answer 1

• Pulse location is deep, next to the bone and can be barely felt with light/medium pressure; distinct only pressing to bones/tendons
• Indications - Interior Syndrome (Excess: submerged + forceful, Deficiency: submerged + forceless)

Can be a normal pulse in the winter

Key Points: Absent on superficial depth, strength increases wtih depth

Question 2

Floating/Superficial

Answer 2

• Pulse is felt distinctly at the superficial depth; decreases slightly at deeper depths but does not feel empty
• Indications - Exterior Syndrome/Wind (Excess: floating + forceful, Deficiency: floating + moderate), Deficiency Syndrome (Yin,Blood Exhaustion: floating + forceless and thin, Yang Exhastion: floating + forceless)

Can be a normal pulse in autumn

Key Points: forceful on superficial depth, decreases in strength with depth

Question 3

Slow

Answer 3

• Pulse is less than 3x per breath (40 - 60 BPM) with regular rhythm
• Indications - Cold Syndrome (Cold accumulation: slow + forceful, Deficiency cold: slow +forceless), Qi Deficiency

Key Points: 40 - 60 BPM

Question 4

Rapid

Answer 4

• Pulse is over 5x per breath (90-140 BPM) with regular rhythm
• Indications - Excess heat (rapid + forceful), Yin Deficiency (rapid + thin), Blood Deficiency (rapid + hollow)

Key Points: 90-140 BPM

Question 5

Excess/Full

Answer 5

• Pulse can be felt at all 3 positions/depths; long, wide, forceful giving rise to a sense of fullness
• Indications - Excess Syndrome (Pathogenic cold accumulation, food stagnation, phlegm retention, qi/blood stagnation)

Key Points: Long, wide, forceful

Question 6

Deficient/Empty

Answer 6

• Pulse is wide without strength (forceless in all 3 positions with light or heavy pressure)
• Indications - Deficiency Syndrome: Qi (floating + deficient), Internal (submerged + deficienct), Blood (choppy + deficient), Yin (rapid + deficient), Yang (slow + deficienct)

Key Points: Wide, forceless, slack

Question 7

Thready/Thin/Fine

Answer 7

• Pulse width feels thin (like a fine thread) but is distinct and clear with regular rhythm when pressing
• Indications - Deficiency Syndrome (Qi/Blood/Yin), Excess Dampness

Key Points: Small and thin, clear and distinct

Question 8

Surging/Flooding

Answer 8

• Pulse is wide and forceful but fades gently; vessel is wide and thick
• Indications: Excess heat on the qi level

Can be normal during the summer

Key Points: Easily felt at superficial depth, wide and forceful, arrives with more power than when it leaves

Question 9

Slippery/Rolling

Answer 9

• Pulse feels quick (not rapid), slippery and smooth; rounded inside vessel

Key Points: Smooth, slippery

Question 10

Hesitant/Choppy

Answer 10

• Pulse seems to be slow and not smooth; vessel is thin, rythm is irregular in force/fullness
• Indications - Excess Syndrome (Qi/Blood Stagnation, Food Stagnation, Phlegm Retention: choppy and forceful), Deficiency Syndrome (Blood/Essence Deficiency, Threatened abortion, Seminal emission: choppy and forceless)

Key Points: Unsmooth, short, mutable (changes rapidly in rate/strength)

Question 11

Abrupt/Rapid Irregular

Answer 11

• Pulse beats rapidly with irregular pauses (feels agitated/urgent)
• Indications - Excess Syndrome (excess heat, stagnation: rapid irregular and forceful), Deficiency Syndrome (Yin/Yang disharmony: rapid irregular and forceless)

Key Points: Rapid, irregular pauses

Question 12

Knotted/Slow Irregular

Answer 12

• Pulse is slow with irregularly missed beats, immediately resumes after missed beat
• Indications - Excess Syndrome (stagnation, cold, tumor/mass), Deficiency Syndrome (Heart Qi deficiency)

Key Points: Slow, irregular pauses

Question 13

Regularly Intermittent

Answer 13

• Pulse pauses at regular intervals, after the pause it resumes
• Indications - Excess Syndrome (Wind Syndrome, Pain, Emotional Shock: irregular and rapid), Deficiency Syndrome (qi/blood deficiency, zang fu organ qi deficiency: irregular and forceless)

Key Points: Regularly missed beat, long pauses

Question 14

Soft/Soggy

Answer 14

• Pulse is superficial, thin and forceless; it becomes weaker and weaker as more pressure is applied
• Indications - Dampness, Deficieny Syndrome

Key Points: Superficial, thin, forceless

Question 15

Weak/Frail

Answer 15

• Pulse feels forceless, deep and thin; can only be felt on the deep level (with more pressure applied, the pulse is lost)
• Indications - Yin/Yang/Qi/Blood deficiency syndrome

Key Points: Deep, thin, forceless

Question 16

String-Taut/Wiry

Answer 16

• Pulse feels taut, long and forceful under pressure or not (maintains a straight line beneath the fingers)
• Indications - Liver/Gallbladder Disease, Phlegm, Pain, Malaria

Can be normal during the Spring

Key Points: Long, taut, stable (not vibrating)

Question 17

Tense/Tight

Answer 17

• Pulse rises and falls with strength and vibrates to the left/right
• Indications - Cold Pattern, Food Stagnation, Pain

Key Points: tense, taut, forceful, vibrating (unstable, moveable)