I. Classical TCM Texts

I. Classical TCM Texts

In "Jin Gui Yao Lü," it is stated: "The disease of chest obstruction manifests as shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm, chest and back pain, and gasping for air. The pulse at the wrist is deep and slow, while the pulse at the wrist is slightly tight and rapid. The Guo Lou Xie Yu Tang formula is prescribed for this condition." This passage serves as the overarching framework for TCM treatment of coronary heart disease. Chest obstruction refers to the blockage of qi and blood in the chest; when qi and blood are blocked, symptoms such as chest and back pain, shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm, and gasping for air arise—this is precisely what is meant by "obstruction leads to pain." To understand why qi and blood become blocked in the chest, consider the following: the pulse at the wrist is deep and slow, indicating a sign of yin deficiency; the yin-yang imbalance resides in the upper part of the body, where the yin-yang are dominated by the lower part of the body. Modern medicine believes that coronary heart disease results from atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries; the root cause of atherosclerosis lies in the deposition of lipids, which originate from food, the digestive system, the middle burner, and the lower part of the body—these are the sources of the yin-yang imbalance in the middle burner. From this perspective, TCM’s understanding of coronary heart disease is rooted in logical reasoning, yet its implications align closely with modern medical knowledge.