This is a treatment for expelling pathogenic factors from the exterior of the body by opening the pores of the skin to induce perspiration. It has the activities of relieving exterior syndrome, subsiding fever and swelling, expelling wind and dampness, and letting out skin eruptions. 

So it is widely applied for diseases or syndromes with exogenous pathogenic factors on the superficial part of the body, e. g., exogenous exterior syndromes, some acute infectious disease at the early stage, edema and bi-syndrome with the manifestations of exterior syndrome, and measles at the early stage. In order to avoid improper or excessive diaphoresis the dosage of diaphoretic drugs should be carefully controlled.

  

This is a treatment for eliminating harmful substances and pathogenic factors from the body by the application of vomitive drugs, or by physical stimuli that can induce vomiting, including potent emesis, mild emesis, emesis by physical stimuli, and gastrolavage. 

It is used for disorders with the retention of phlegm fluid, undigested food and poisonous substances in the throat, esophagus and stomach, e.g., manic-depressive syndrome, excess syndrome with coma, food poisoning, and over intake of alcohol, but it is contraindicated in the elderly and debilitated patients, critically ill patients. patients with severe cardiovascular diseases, or with history of pneumorrhagia or hemorrhage of upper digestive tract, and pregnant and postpartum women.

This is a treatment for relieving constipation, eliminating indigested food, excessive heat and pathogenic fluid by the application of purgatives or lubricants, including purgation with drugs of cold nature, that with drugs of warm nature, that with lubricants, and drastic purgation to eliminate retained fluid. 

It can be applied to various interior-excess syndromes, for instance, obstruction in the stomach and intestines such as constipation, retention of undigested food, malnutrition due to parasitic infestation, blood stasis, retention of phlegm, etc. ; or to disorders like endogenous heat accumulation, dysentery at the early stage, food or drug poisoning, etc. The timing is very important in using purgation. And the intensity of purgation should be carefully controlled to the appropriate extent.

This is a treatment for eliminating pathogenic factors from Shaoyang meridian, strengthening anti-pathogenic qi to conduct pathogenic factors out of the body, and coordinating the functions of the viscera. It can be used to coordinate the interior and the exterior, and the yingfen and weifen for exogenous febrile disease, but mainly used to coordinate the functions of the liver and spleen, of the bladder and stomach, and of the stomach and intestine for endogenous diseases. Though the drugs used in regulating are mild in nature, this therapy should by means be abused.

Warming therapy is a treatment to invigorate yangqi and dispel pathogenic cold by the application of drugs of Warm or hot nature. It can revive yang for resuscitation, Warm the middle energizer to dispel cold and warm the meridians to activate yang. Therefore, it is widely used for interior cold syndromes such as vomiting, diarrhea, limbs and intolerance to cold, and spasmodic pain. The therapy should be used with cautions for patients with yin deficiency constitution, and dry throat and mouth, or patients with a history of hemorrhage such as haematemesis and epistaxis.

Heat-clearing therapy is a treatment to clear away pathogenic heat by the application of drugs of cold or cool nature, including clearing away heat from qifen, clearing away heat from yingfen and cooling blood, clearing away heat and toxic material, clearing away heat from the viscera, and clearing away heat to conserve yin and body fluid. 

It is widely used for disorders due to heat pathogenic factors such as fever, hyperfunction of the viscera, restlessness, bleedings, rashes, and ulceration and pyogenic infection of the skin. Attention should be paid to the differentiation of true or false cold or heat, of deficient fire or excessive fire, and to the differentiation of syndromes and differentiation of individuality of patients as well.

Resolving therapy is a treatment to resolve the accumulation of tangible pathogenic factors by the application of drugs effective for promoting digestion, promoting the flow of qi and blood circulation, resolving phlegm, and softening hard masses. It is indicated for retention of indigested food, abdominal mass, subcutaneous nodule, scrofula, calculus, ulcer and pyogenic infection of the skin. It should be used with caution for patients with qi and blood deficiency, and patients with cold syndrome due to deficiency of kidney yang and spleen yang.

Invigorating therapy is a treatment to replenish qi, blood, yin and yang, or nourish the viscera of the human body by the application of tonics. It is widely used for congenital and postnatal deficiency, and deficiency of qi, blood, yin, yang and body fluid after a prolonged illness or serious illness. It is also applied to protecting the antipathogenic qi of the patient undergoing purgative or resolving therapies. 

When this therapy is applied, consideration should be given simultaneously to qi and blood, yin and yang, and the five zang-organs should be invigorated accordingly. Any unconsidered or excessive use of invigorating treatments should be avoided.