The identification of disease according to the Three Burners (San Jiao) was first described by Wu Ju Tong (1758-1836) in his book "A Systematic Identification of Febrile Diseases". The system is often combined with Four Stages theory when diagnosing and treating an externally contracted disease caused by a wind-heat pathogen. The disease will be diagnosed and understood according to its location within the three burners. This system is used within the practice of Chinese herbal medicine, rather than acupuncture or other Chinese medicine modalities. Note that San Jiao theory differs slightly from the San Jiao organ, which is described by Chinese Medicine as the passage of heat and fluid throughout the body.

1. Upper Jiao
The Upper Jiao refers to the upper part of the body, and includes the Heart, Lung, and Pericardium organs. Patterns that affect the upper burner include:

Wind-heat invading the lungs
symptoms include fever, aversion to cold, headache, sore throat, red and swollen tonsils, red tip on tongue, floating-rapid pulse.

Heat in the lungs
symptoms include fever, sweating, cough, asthma, thirst, red tongue with yellow coat, rapid pulse.

Heat in the pericardium
symptoms include fever, delirium, aphasia, burning feeling in epigastrium, cold limbs, dark red tongue with no coat, fine-rapid pulse.

2. Middle Jiao
The middle jiao refers to the midsection of the body and includes the Spleen, Stomach, Gall Bladder and Liver organs.

Heat in Yang Ming
symptoms include high fever, profuse sweating, constipation, large thirst, irritability or delirium, red tongue with dry yellow coat, deep and full pulse.
The yang ming pattern is often referred to as the Four Bigs- big fever, big sweat, big thirst, big pulse.

Damp-Heat invading the Spleen
symptoms include aversion to cold, low fever in the afternoon, feeling of heaviness, nausea, vomiting, white-sticky tongue coat, soft and slow pulse.

3. Lower Jiao
The lower jiao refers to the lower section of the body and includes the Small and Large Intestines, the Kidneys and the Urinary Bladder.

Lower jiao pattern
symptoms include low grade fever in the afternoon, hot palms and soles (also called 5 palm heat), dry mouth, convulsions, deep-red tongue with no coat, fine-rapid pulse.