The 28 Pulse Qualities Cam.pdf

Strength Kaptchuk

CAM

EMPTY (xu mai)

Pulse of Deficiency Type

SOGGY (ru mai)

Soft

SCATTERED (san mai)

N/A

FULL (shi mai)

Pulse of excess type

Description      

Big but soft and weak-balloon partially filled with water. Feels empty on heavier palpation and often slow Yin pulse Qi & Blood deficiency Combination of thin, empty, and floating pulses Extremely soft, it is less clear than a thin pulse and is perceptible only in superficial position. The slightest pressure makes it disappear.  Yin pulse  Deficient Blood or Jing and sometimes Damp  Floating, big and weak—similar to empty. It is larger and less distinct than the empty and tends to be felt as it recedes.  Yin pulse  KI Yang exhausted and floating away.  Big and strong, pounding against all 3 fingers at all levels  Yang pulse  Sign of excess

Depth Kaptchuk

CAM

FLOATING (fu mai)

Superficial

HOLLOW (kong mai)

N/A

LEATHER (ge mai)

N/A

DEEP/SINKING (chen mai)

Deep

FRAIL (ruo mai)

Weak

HIDDEN (fu mai)

N/A

CONFINED/ PRISON (lao mai)

N/A

The 28 Pulse Qualities

Description       

Superficial, buoyant w/very light palpation but obscured w/ heavier palp. Yang pulse type Floating & tight or rapid = EPF, Floating & empty = yin def. Feels like the stem of a green onion—solid on outside but empty within. Yin pulse Deficient Blood and often seen after great loss of blood. Combination of wiry and floating, with aspects of empty. Feels like the tight skin on top of a drum.  Yin pulse  Deficient Blood or Jing  Sinking, found with heavier palpation  Yin pulse type  Yin organ conditions: qi & yang def. (weak) or qi or blood stasis (full)  Soft, weak and somewhat thin. Usually felt at the deep level.  Yin pulse  Extremely deficient qi/yang.  Deep as if below bone  Yin pulse  If strong = Cold obstr. the channels, If weak = Def. yang can’t raise pulse.  Very deep and wiry, and usually long and strong. Form of Hidden.  Yang within Yin  Obstruction due to Cold

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NCCA Study Guide

Width Kaptchuk

CAM

THIN/FINE (xi mai)

Thready

MINUTE (wei mai)

N/A

FLOODING (hong mai)

Surging

BIG/WIDE (da mai)

N/A

LONG (chang mai)

N/A

SHORT (duan mai)

N/A

Description                   

Distinct & clear, like a fine thread Yin pulse Blood deficiency (will fill out with tx, esp. with moxa) and often qi defic. Fine and soft but lacks the clarity of the thin pulse Barely perceptible and seems to disappear. Yin pulse Severe qi and blood deficiency Surges with the strength of a big pulse to hit the fingers at all 3 depths, but leaves with less strength, like a receding wave. Yin in Yang Heat has injured Fluids and Yin. Distinct & broad Yang pulse Heat in Stomach or Intestines Perceptible beyond the 1st and 3rd positions. Yang pulse This is OK unless it is also tight and wiry—then it is excess or heat Doesn’t fill spaces under the 3 fingers and usually felt in only one position. Yin pulse Qi deficiency

Rhythm Kaptchuk

CAM

KNOTTED (jie mai)

Knotted

HURRIED (cue mai)

Abrupt

INTERMITTENT (dai mai)

Regularly intermittent

MODERATE (huan mai)

N/A

The 28 Pulse Qualities

Description  Slow pulse that misses beats irregularly  Yin pulse  Cold obstructing qi or blood or deficiency (qi, blood or jing)  It is a sign that the HT isn’t properly ruling the Blood.  Fast pulse that misses beats irregularly  Yang pulse  Heat agitating qi and blood  Misses more beats than Knotted or Hurried but beats in a regular rhythm  Yin pulse  Serious HT disharmony or Yin organ deficiency/exhaustion  Healthy, perfectly balanced pulse  Normal in depth, speed, strength and width  Don’t need this to be considered “healthy.”  Sometimes considered slightly slippery

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NCCA Study Guide

Speed Kaptchuk

CAM

RAPID (shu mai)

Rapid

SPINNING BEAN/ MOVING (dong mai)

N/A

SLOW (chi mai)

Slow

Description  More than 5 beats per respiration or higher than the given normal rate  Yang pulse type  Heat is indicated  Combo of Short, Tight, Slippery and Rapid.  Felt only in one pos. & is “incomplete, without head and tail, like a bean.”  Yang pulse  Shock, heart palpitations, anxiety, fright, fever or pain  Less than 4 beats per respiration or lower than the normal rate  Yin pulse type  Cold is indicated

Shape Kaptchuk

CAM

SLIPPERY (hua mai)

Rolling

CHOPPY (se mai)

Hesitant

WIRY (xuan mai)

String-taut

TIGHT (jin mai)

Tense

The 28 Pulse Qualities

Description  Very fluid. Slides under the finger, smooth & oily. Common in Pregnancy  Yang within Yin  Full = damp or phlegm  Empty = damp or phlegm with qi deficiency  Uneven, rough, jagged edges  Can be irregular in rhythm & strength  Yin pulse usually  When thin = Blood or Jing deficiency  When full = Congealed Blood  Taut, hard, like a guitar string pushing against the fingers evenly at all levels. No fluidity. Can be deficient or full  Yang pulse  LR/GB stagnation, problems or pain or phlegm causing obstructions  Strong and seems to bounce from side to side like a taut rope. Fuller and more elastic than wiry. It vibrates, can seem faster than it is.  Yang within Yin  Excess, Cold/pain and stagnation

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NCCA Study Guide

The Normal Pulse  Has Stomach qi (superficial level)

o Feels gentle · There’s a connection but it in no way invades another person. · It’s not insubstantial. o Feels calm · Trees nicely swaying in the wind, no disturbance or agitation. · It feels like a cow chewing cud. o Has 4 beats per respiration (you can use the rhythm of your breath to count if the person’s is erratic)

 Has Spirit (middle level

o Soft · The pulse shouldn’t be malleable—it should be soft on outside and strong and resilient on inside. o Neither big nor small

Normal Pulse Rates

o Regular in rhythm & quality · It’s not intermittent or missing beats and there are no speed changes.

 Has a Root (deep level

o There is clarity in the deep position (yin) and in the 3rd pulse positions. o Clarity = pulse should be a distinct entity

The 28 Pulse Qualities

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Age 0-4 4-10 10-35 35-50 50+

Rate 90+ 84 76-80 70-72 68

NCCA Study Guide