Insufficiency of the stomach yin

Clinical manifestations : Burning pain in the epigastric region, an empty and uncomfortable sensation in the stomach, hunger with no desire to eat ; or dry vomiting and hiccups ; dryness of the mouth and throat ; constipation ; a red tongue with little moisture and a thready rapid pulse.

Etiology and pathology : This syndrome may be due to hyperactivity of heat in the stomach which consumes the stomach yin or to consumption of the yin fluid by persistent pathogenic heat at the late stage of a febrile disease. Consumption of the stomach yin deprives the stomach of moisture and impairs its function of descending, the result being burning pain in the epigastric region, an empty and uncomfortable sensation in the stomach, dry vomiting and hiccups. Insufficiency of fluid in the stomach impairs the function of the stomach in receiving food, the consequence is hunger with no desire to eat. With deficiency of stomach yin the fluids fail to be sent upward creating dryness of the mouth anti throat. Constipation, a red tongue with little moisture and thready rapid pulse are all signs of deficiency of yin producing interior heat.