Six excesses

Etiology of tcm

Six excesses are a general term for six kinds of exopathogens: wind, cold, summer-heat, dampness, dry and fire. Under the normal conditions, they are called six qi. They are six different climatic changes in the natural field. Six qi is the conditions that everything grows. In general they are not harmful. The six normal qi cannot easily make man diseased. Six qi that cause man to be ill are called six excesses.

Wind

Etiology of tcm

Wind is the main qi in spring, but there is wind in four seasons. The wind in the natural field, is shapeless, light and floating, good at moving and always changing. When wind, the natural climate, causes a disease, it is termed wind evil. The external invasion of wind evil usually enters the body from skin, hair and ji-cou (interstices of the flesh), so that external wind syndrome results.

Cold

Etiology of TCM

Cold is the main qi in winter, but it can also be seen in other seasons when temperature rapidly decreases. The cold weather in the natural field is mainly manifested at cold air, storage of everything, water being difficult to evaporate, things being not easily erosive and animals rolling up and sleeping quietly with skin and hair contracted, etc. When cold, the natural climate, causes illness, it is called cold evil. The diseases caused by cold evil are divided into injury of cold and cold stroke. The one that cold evil injures skin surface and depresses defensive yang is called injury of cold; that cold evil directly attack the interior of the body and injures yang qi of the viscera is called cold stroke.

Summer-heat

Etiology of TCM

Summer-heat is the chief qi in summer and formed from fire and heat. When summer-heat (the natural weather) makes one ill, it is called summer-heat evil. Summer-heat to cause diseases is obviously seasonal, i.e., summer heat is only seen in summer, chiefly after the Summer Solstice, and before the Beginning of Autumn.