stores Blood. Any emotional stress that affects Heart or Liver would influence Heart-Blood or
Liver-Blood and therefore the Mind or Ethereal Soul.
The Blood can be affected by emotional problems in three ways: it can become deficient,
stagnant, or hot.
Blood Deficiency
This is one of the most common consequences of emotional problems. Its manifestations will
vary according to whether the Heart or Liver is more affected.
Heart-Blood Deficiency
If the Heart is affected (as it is by sadness and grief) there will be palpitations, mild anxiety,
insomnia (inability to fall asleep), poor memory, mild dizziness, propensity to be startled, a
dull-pale complexion, a Pale-Thin tongue and a Choppy pulse. From a mental-emotional point
of view, such a person may feel depressed and tired, and the Mind may be confused and lack
concentration. This is due to a weakness of the Mind, it being deprived of its residence and
therefore failing to direct all the mental activities.
Liver-Blood Deficiency
If Liver-Blood is affected (as it is by anger) there will be mild dizziness, numbness of the limbs,
insomnia (inability to fall asleep), blurred vision, floaters in eyes, scanty menstruation or
amenorrhoea, a dull-pale complexion, muscle cramps, brittle nails, a Pale-Thin tongue and a
Choppy pulse. From a mental-emotional viewpoint, the person may also feel depressed and tired,
and may lack a sense of direction in life and "vision". He or she may be confused as to what aims
in life they should follow. Alternatively, he or she may be fearful of making decisions lest they
make the wrong one. This is due to the Ethereal Soul not being rooted in Liver-Blood and
therefore failing to provide the Mind with vision, planning, and relating to other people. Both
these conditions of Blood deficiency are very much more frequent in women who are more
prone to Blood disorders.
Blood Stasis
This also affects the Mind albeit in a different way.
Heart-Blood Stasis
If Blood stasis affects the Heart it will cause chest pain, a feeling of oppression in the chest,
anxiety, insomnia, cold hands, cyanosis of lips and nails, a Purple tongue and a Knotted or