Viral myocarditis is commonly divided into five syndromes of pathogenic heat invading the heart, obstruction of chest yang, stagnation of the heart blood, deficiency of the heart yang and deficiency of both qi and yin in syndrome differentiation. The invasion of pathogenic heat into the heart is commonly seen in wind and heat of the lung meridian or dampness and heat in the intestine, marked by chest distress, short breath, listlessness, hypodynamia, thready and rapid or knotted pulse.

Obstruction of chest yang is commonly marked by chest distress with pain, palpitation with restlessness, cough, sticky sputum, nausea, vomiting and soft pulse; stagnation of the heart blood is commonly marked by stabbing chest pain, palpitation, chest distress, purplish tongue or with ecchymosis, unsmooth and knotted pulse; deficiency of the heart yang is commonly marked by palpitation and severe palpitation, listlessness, spontaneous sweating, cold body and limbs, cyanotic lips and nails, weak breathing, thready-weak and rapid pulse, or extremely weak pulse; deficiency of both qi and yin by palpitation with restlessness worsened by moving, dizziness, hypodynamia, spontaneous and night sweat, pale and enlarged tongue with a little or no fur, thready and rapid or knotted pulse.