Symptoms of colitis will depend upon the type of colitis that is present, but in general, colitis most often is associated with abdominal pain and diarrhea. Symptoms and signs of colitis in TCM include:
1. Cold and Dampness Blocking the Middle Energizer
Chief Manifestations: Loose or even watery stools, abdominal pain, borborygmus, gastric stuffiness, anorexia, chills and fever, nasal obstruction, headache, muscular soreness, thin and white or white and greasy tongue coating, soft-superficial and even-soft pulse.

2. Damp Heat Damaging the Middle Energizer
Chief Manifestations: Urgent watery diarrhea, yellowish-brown stools with foul smell, abdominal pain, difficult defecation, feverish sensation in the anus, scanty deep yellow urine, restlessness, fever, thirsty, yellow and greasy tongue coating, soft-superficial and rapid pulse or smooth and rapid pulse.

3. Liver Qi Attacking the Spleen
Chief Manifestations: This syndrome is aggravated by depression, anger or stress and its symptoms include borborygmus, distending pain, abdominal pain before diarrhea with the pain relieved after diarrhea, stiffiness in the chest, distention of the hypochondrium, anorexia, belching, light red tongue, wiry pulse.

4. Deficiency of the Spleen and Stomach
Chief Manifestations: Loose stools or diarrhea with undigested food, increase of bowl movements after intake of greasy food, reduced appetite, epigastric and abdominal flatulence, sallow complexion, lassitude, pale tongue with white coating, thready and weak pulse.

5. Declination of Kidney Yang
Chief Manifestations: Abdominal pain and borborygmus at dawn followed by diarrhea, pain relieved after diarrhea, cold body and limbs, soreness of the waist and knees, pale tongue, deep and thready pulse.

6. Deficiency of both Qi and Yin
Chief Manifestations: Long-term diarrhea with pus and bloody stools, dull pain in the abdomen, low fever in the afternoon, dizziness, insomnia, night sweating, restlessness, irritability, emaciation, red tongue with less coating, thready and rapid pulse.