Syndrome differentiation and treatment
The basic therapeutic principles are activating the spleen and removing dampness. Sthenia syndrome is treated by dispelling cold and dampness, clearing away heat removing dampness, promoting digestion to remove food retention; asthenia syndrome is treated by strengthening the spleen to remove dampness, warming yang to remove dampness; deteriorated syndrome is urgently treated by supplementing qi and nourishing yin as well as recuperating yang to prevent collapse.

1. Diarrhea due to wind and cold
Main symptoms and signs: Thin stool with light colour and foam, borborygmus, relieved by pressure and warmth, accompanied by nasal obstruction with thin discharge, aversion to wind and cold or fever, pale tongue with thin and whitish or slightly greasy fur, floating and tight pulse.
Therapeutic methods: Expelling wind and removing cold, eliminating dampness and regulating the middle energizer.

2. Diarrhea due to dampness and heat
Main symptoms and signs: Urgent diarrhea, thin or watery stool with mucus and fetid odour, anal burning sensation, fever with dysphoria, abdominal pain with poor appetite, thirst with preference to drinking, dark and scanty urine, red tongue with yellowish and greasy fur, slippery and rapid pulse.
Therapeutic methods: Clearing away heat from the intestine, removing dampness and regulating the middle energizer.

3. Diarrhea due to improper diet
Main symptoms and signs: Epigastric and abdominal distension and pain with the desire for defecation, relieved by diarrhea, thin stool with sour and fetid odour, or with undigested food, eructation with sour and spoiled odour or vomiting, poor appetite and sleep, red tongue with thick and greasy fur, slippery and rapid pulse.
Therapeutic methods: Promoting digestion to remove food retention and strengthening the spleen to stop diarrhea.

4. Diarrhea due to asthenia of the spleen
Main symptoms and signs: Thin stool with intermittent onset, susceptibility to postcibal diarrhea with light colour and without fetid odour, sallow complexion, poor appetite, listlessness, emaciation, pale tongue with whitish fur, thready and weak pulse.
Therapeutic methods: Strengthening the spleen, supplementing qi, promoting the splenic function of transportation and transformation to check diarrhea.

5. Diarrhea due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney
Main symptoms and signs: Chronic diarrhea without recovery, or dawn diarrhea, thin and cold stool, or stool with undigested food, cold body and limbs, pale complexion, listlessness, poor appetite, or sleep with eyes slightly open, pale tongue with whitish fur, deep and thready pulse.
Therapeutic methods: Warming and tonifying the spleep and kidney, inducing astringency to arrest diarrhea.

6. Impairment of both qi and yin
Main symptoms and signs: Endless diarrhea, listlessness, hypodynamia, dysphoria with restlessness due to deficiency, dry skin, sunken sockets of eyeball and fontanel, cry without tears, scanty urine, and even anuria, dry mouth with red lips, red tongue with a little fluid and fur, thready and rapid pulse.
Therapeutic methods: Promoting the generation of yin with sour and sweet drugs generation.