TCM pattern · Yin deficiency
Heart Yin Deficiency
心阴虚 Xin Yin Xu Heart system
The Heart has lost the cool, quiet fluid that lets it rest. Insomnia with a hot restless mind, palpitations, night sweats, a dry mouth, mouth ulcers, and a red tongue tip. The warm, dry version of Heart blood deficiency, and the usual sleep pattern of a dry, overworked person.
The Heart is a lamp. Yin is the oil. When the oil runs low the flame flickers and smokes, and that is the hot, restless, sleepless mind.
How to recognize Heart Yin Deficiency
The signs that point most strongly to this pattern:
- Trouble falling asleep with a hot, busy mind
- Palpitations, worse at night
- Night sweats, hot palms
- Dry mouth, mouth ulcers
- A red tongue tip
Also common
- Anxiety, easily startled
- Forgetfulness
- Dry stools
- A flushed face in the evening
- Afternoon heat
- Tongue
- Red, especially the tip, with little coat; sometimes a crack down the middle.
- Pulse
- Thin and rapid.
Formulas for Heart Yin Deficiency
Herbs that matter most for Heart Yin Deficiency
- Mai Dong Mai Dong Ophiopogon Root Tuber Ophiopogon nourishes Heart yin.
- Sheng Di Huang Fresh Rehmannia Root Raw rehmannia cools the Heart blood.
- Bai Zi Ren Arborvitae Seed Arborvitae seed moistens and calms the Heart.
- Suan Zao Ren Sour Jujube Seed Sour jujube seed settles the Heart for sleep.
- Bai He Lily Bulb Lily bulb calms a restless, grieving Heart.
- Wu Wei Zi Chinese Magnoliavine Fruit Schisandra holds the Heart qi and stops the night sweats.
How Heart Yin Deficiency differs from its look-alikes
- Heart Blood Deficiency Blood deficiency is pale and cool: pale face, light sleep, a pale tongue. Yin deficiency is red and warm with night sweats and a red tongue tip.
- Heart and Kidney Not Communicating When the Kidney signs join in, sore back and night dry mouth and ringing ears, the Heart and Kidney are both low and the formula becomes Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan.
- Heart Fire Heart fire is loud excess: a red face, mouth ulcers that burn, dark burning urine, a full rapid pulse. Yin deficiency is quiet and empty with a thin pulse.
What drains into Heart Yin Deficiency
- Long worry and mental overwork
- Late nights
- A fever that burned fluids
- Kidney yin deficiency reaching the Heart
- Too much coffee and stimulants
Food and habits that help Heart Yin Deficiency
- Stop mental work an hour before bed.
- No coffee after noon; it burns the oil.
- Lily bulb, pear, lotus seed, and wheat porridge soothe a dry Heart.
- A warm foot bath before bed brings the fire down.
What should change as Heart Yin Deficiency improves
- Sleep deepens within two to four weeks.
- Night sweats and palpitations ease.
- The red tongue tip fades.
Conditions where Heart Yin Deficiency shows up
Sources
- Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 3rd edition Heart yin deficiency.
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan.
Important Note
A pattern is a picture, not a diagnosis. Most people carry two patterns at once, and the signs here are the classic ones, not a checklist. Use this page to recognize yourself, read a formula label with understanding, and ask a qualified practitioner a sharper question.