Blood.
Yin, like Blood, is the residence and anchor of the Mind and Spirit. Emotional problems can
affect the Yin of different organs and especially the Heart, Liver, Kidneys, Lungs and Spleen.
The effect depends on whether Yin deficiency gives rise to Empty-Heat or not. If there is Yin
deficiency only, without Empty-Heat, the Mind and Spirit become weakened and the person
feels depressed, tired and dispirited, the Mind is confused and the memory and concentration
poor. If Yin deficiency gives rise to Empty-Heat, this unsettles the Mind and Spirit causing
anxiety and mental restlessness.
Heart-Yin
Heart-Yin is readily affected by emotional stress since it is the residence of the Mind. Stress
deprives the Mind of residence and there will be palpitations, insomnia (inability to stay asleep),
propensity to be startled, poor memory, anxiety, mental restlessness, a malar flush, night
sweating, a dry mouth, 5-palm heat, a Red tongue (with redder tip) without coating and a
Rapid-Thin or Floating-Empty pulse. The person will feel very anxious, particularly in the
evening, with a vague and fidgety sense of anxiety, uneasy without knowing why. "Mental
restlessness" is a loose translation of a typical Chinese expression, which always refers to this
pattern and literally means "heart feels vexed". The person will also feel dispirited, depressed
and tired. Memory and concentration will be poor. The sleep will be disturbed and, typically, the
person wakes up frequently during the night. All this is due to the Mind being deprived of its
residence.
If there is Empty-Heat as well, the effects on the Mind will be more pronounced; the patient will
feel extremely restless and anxious, and the sleep will be very disturbed. On a mental level, the
patient may become aggressive and very impatient.
Liver-Yin
Liver-Yin is the residence of the Ethereal Soul and when emotional stress depletes Liver-Yin it
may cause a deep depression, a lack of purpose in life and a confusion about objectives and aims.
On a physical level this may cause poor memory, dizziness, dry eyes, skin and hair, scanty
periods, insomnia, 5-palm heat, night sweating, a red tongue without coating and a
Floating-Empty pulse. The patient may also have a floating sensation immediately before falling
asleep.
Kidney-Yin
Kidney-Yin is the residence of Will-Power and memory. Emotional stress that affects
Kidney-Yin will cause great exhaustion, a lack of will-power and drive and a decrease in mental