Heart and Gallbladder Deficiency

Jonathan Clogstoun-Willmott

November 19, 2024

The background to Heart and Gallbladder deficiency is usually a lack of courage or decisiveness in life.

This can also occur, however, when someone, usually incisive in their decision-making, becomes overcome by events, or overtired from constant challenges. He cannot see his way forward!

In terms of Chinese medicine, the Heart, governor of the Shen, doesn’t have the means to let the Shen rest in the Blood, so the Shen emerges and cannot be put to bed again.

What does that mean?

Happy family life helps avoid heart and gallbladder deficiency siutations — Family fun by sea – Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

A Type of Character

This Heart and Gallbladder deficiency syndrome characterises some people from birth. It seems to be in the genes they inherit.

However, it can be imposed on an otherwise fit individual from exhaustion or chronic or long-lasting disease.

For example, I treated a care-worker with this syndrome. She had, by all accounts, been a cheerful team-member until she was given a very difficult client to deal with.

Because only she was good with him, they left him with her. He wore her down and ‘drained her soul’, as she put it.

She really benefited from acupuncture. But I also listened to her, did some counselling and told her silly stories.

After about six treatments she returned to work, though not full-time with the difficult client.

Typically, however, it develops from a weak Gallbladder energy.

Symptoms of Heart and Gallbladder deficiency

Anxiety
Exhaustion and tiredness
Lack of decisiveness
Gets sad easily
Lack of courage
Unsure of himself, generally unsettled in himself
Inability to take initiative: cannot see the way forward
Depressed
Easily upset,surprised or startled
Palpitations (sudden bursts of speed in the pulse)
Breathlessness
Sleep: wakes up very early in morning and cannot get back to sleep
Sleep is very light
Many dreams
Tongue: crack in the centre of the tongue reaching the tip; pale. The pale colour suggests that there is a lack of Blood in which the Shen can rest during sleep. But this syndrome lacks a strong spirit, a strong Shen, so wants for the cohesiveness to be able to rest contentedly.
Pulse: empty

Confidence building avoids heart and gallbladder deficiency — Throw and Catch! – Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

When growing up, this Heart and Gallbladder deficiency type of person needs a protective environment that allows him gradually to grow in self-confidence. Family life with good communications and time to play enhances the right strengths.

Because this kind of person is not strong intellectually, they tend to make quite big mistakes in life, and are easily led, to their disadvantage.

We need to teach them to ask questions! Not any old questions, of course, but questions pertinent to the matter in hand.

Chinese medicine has some good treatments for it, but even so, in my experience, results don’t come overnight.

As they improve, from treatment, they should learn how to be more assertive.

Get back from Heart and Gallbladder deficiency to Insomnia.