Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 7] How to Diagnose Your Body

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Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 7]

How to Diagnose Your Body — The Proper Sequence and Practical Tips of the Eight Principles

Part 1: The Eight Principles — Your Inner Compass (Foundational Understanding)

Lesson 5: Applying the Eight Principles in Real Diagnosis

Up to this point, we have examined each component of the Eight Principles (八綱)—
Exterior–Interior, Cold–Heat, Deficiency–Excess, and Yin–Yang—one by one.

Now comes the most important question:
How should these principles be applied in actual diagnosis—whether in clinical practice or in observing one’s own body?

The Eight Principles are not merely a list of concepts.
They form a structured diagnostic system with a precise order.
If this order is ignored, differentiation becomes unstable and treatment direction easily goes astray.

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1. The Core Rule of Diagnosis: Sequence Matters

In Korean and Asian medicine, disease never lies outside the framework of the Eight Principles.
Accordingly, the method of differentiation must also remain within this structure.

Among the Eight Principles, the most practically important are the Six Transformations (六變):

Exterior–Interior → Cold–Heat → Deficiency–Excess

This sequence reflects the natural progression of diagnostic reasoning:

• Where is the disease located?

• What is its nature?

• How strong is the disease force, and how strong is the body’s Genuine Qi?

Classical texts emphasize that differentiating Exterior patterns (表證之辨) must come first.

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1.1 The First Gate: Exterior–Interior — Determining the Location of Disease

Diagnosis always begins by determining whether the condition lies on the Exterior (表) or in the Interior (裏).

● When the disease is on the Exterior (表)

• Caused by externally contracted influences:
  Wind, Cold, Summer-Heat, Dampness, Fire, Dryness

• Key indicators:

  • Floating pulse

  • Fever with aversion to cold

  • Head and body aches

  • White tongue coating, moist tongue body

→ Treatment focuses on releasing the Exterior, often through sweating.

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● When the disease is in the Interior (裏)

• Caused by internal damage:
  Emotional stress, overexertion, dietary imbalance

• Key indicators:

  • Tidal fever or aversion to heat

  • Abdominal pain

  • Dry mouth

  • Yellow or black tongue coating

  • Deep pulse

→ Treatment focuses on draining downward or supplementing Genuine Qi, depending on the pattern.

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Why Exterior–Interior Comes First

The therapeutic direction changes completely based on location:

• Exterior pathogens are expelled through sweating or dispersion.

• Interior pathogens are eliminated through bowel regulation or treated by strengthening the body.

Because treatment methods differ so fundamentally, Exterior–Interior differentiation is always the first step.

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1.2 The Second Gate: Cold–Heat — Understanding the Nature of Disease

Once the location is established, the next step is to determine whether the condition is Cold (寒) or Heat (熱) in nature.

● Cold (寒)

• Aversion to cold

• Cold hands and feet

• Loose stools

• Preference for warm drinks

• Often associated with Deficiency
  → Belongs to Yin

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● Heat (熱)

• Aversion to heat

• Warm or burning sensation in the limbs

• Constipation

• Strong thirst for cold drinks

• Often associated with Excess
  → Belongs to Yang

Cold–Heat differentiation directly determines the thermal nature of treatment and herbal selection.

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1.3 The Third Gate: Deficiency–Excess — Assessing Strength and Genuine Qi

The final step is to determine whether the condition reflects Deficiency (虛) or Excess (實).

● Deficiency (虛)

• Genuine Qi is insufficient

• Most often internally generated

• Principle: “Deficiency should be supplemented” (虛則補之)
  → Use tonifying methods

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● Excess (實)

• Pathogenic factors are strong and abundant

• Often externally contracted

• Principle: “Excess should be reduced” (實則瀉之)
  → Use draining or dispersing methods

At this stage, the treatment strategy becomes fully defined.

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2. Yin and Yang: The Integrating Framework of the Eight Principles

The ultimate purpose of Eight Principles diagnosis is to determine the overall Yin–Yang tendency of the condition.

• Yang: Exterior · Heat · Excess

• Yin: Interior · Cold · Deficiency

In practice, conditions rarely appear as a single category.
Diagnosis requires combining multiple signs into a coherent structure.

Clinical Example

• Fever with aversion to cold + floating pulse → Exterior

• Constipation + agitation → Heat / Excess

→ This is classified as a combined Exterior–Interior pattern, not a simple category.

Eight Principles diagnosis is therefore not mechanical classification,
but a synthetic process that reads the structure of disease.

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3. Closing: Moving into the Next Phase

In Part 1, we established a solid foundation for Eight Principles diagnosis and its practical sequence.

Beginning with the next article, we enter Part 2:
“External Invaders — The Six Climatic Pathogens and Defensive Strategies.”

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Korean Herbal Formulation Studies [Part 8]

Discomfort Caused by Wind — A Symptom Checklist for Wind Pathogens

Wind (風邪) is called the leader of all diseases.
It moves quickly, changes constantly, and causes symptoms that shift in location—such as spasms, itching, and numbness.

In the next article, we will examine how Wind manifests in the body and how to recognize its clinical signs.

 📌 [Previous Episode]: Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 6] The Beginning and the End of All Principles

👉 Next Post: Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 8] Discomfort Caused by “Wind” — A Symptom Checklist for Wind Pathogens

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