At a pathological level, stools may tend toward diarrhea or constipation, or present alterations such as undigested food, blood, or pus.

Diarrhea

see in more detail: Diarrhea

Cold type

Spleen-Yang deficiency, the function of transportation and transformation of food is lost.

• Causes: medication, diet
• Symptoms: Diarrhea with undigested food in the stools, abdominal pain, weakness of the limbs, cold, aversion to cold, cold limbs. Stools have no odor. Tongue with white greasy coating, slow pulse.
• Treatment: Moxa GV-20; CV-8; CV-4; ST-25; CV-12;SP-9

Heat type

• Damp-Heat in Stomach and Large Intestine. Stomach Heat, Damp-Heat in Large Intestine
• Symptoms: yellowish, pasty, foul-smelling stools. Anal burning sensation. Thirst, restlessness, rapid pulse, tongue with yellow coating.
• Treatment: ST-36; LI-11; ST-44; SP-9; SP-3; LI-4

Constipation

see: Constipation

Deficiency of Body Fluids in Large Intestine

The most frequent constipation pattern. Deficiency of Body Fluids in Large Intestine.

• Causes: food accumulation, Heat in ST and LI eventually consuming Body Fluids.

Difficulty evacuating but frequent urination

Earth function is suppressed, Spleen dampness disappears. It manifests as dryness of the Stomach and Large Intestine. Slow digestion, no evacuation. Frequent urination because Earth does not control Water.

• BL-20, BL-22, BL-25, BL-32, BL-57, ST-36, SP-6

Due to Qi deficiency

Elderly people, women after childbirth, have difficulty evacuating due to Qi and Blood deficiency.

Stools with undigested food

Most of the time it appears with diarrhea, poor appetite, tiredness, cold (Spleen-Yang deficiency). But it can be due to Spleen- and Kidney-Yang deficiency: clear and abundant urine, lower backache...

Stools with blood

• If the blood is black: problem of the upper digestive tract (ST, esophagus...). Digested blood appears black in the stools.
• If the blood is red: involvement of the yin blood vessels (interior, internal hemorrhage), usually due to Heat in the Blood or dietary disorder that damages the blood vessels. Other symptoms: yellow face, tiredness, physical and mental asthenia, empty pulse.

Stools with blood and pus

(For example dysentery). Infection typical of tropical countries or situations with poor hygiene.

• Damp-Heat in Large Intestine: abdominal pain, rectal tenesmus, blood in the stools, foul smell, pus. Goes to the bathroom 10 to 30 times a day. The person loses energy and cannot absorb food. Slippery or tight pulse. Red tongue with yellow greasy coating. Treatment (LI and SI):
• BL-27, BL-25; BL-29, ST-25
• Drain Yang Ming Heat LI-4; ST-36
• TE-5
• KI-7
• For pain SP-14, SP-15 or SP-16

Alternating constipation / diarrhea

• Liver-Qi stagnation, Wood-Earth disharmony Liver invading Spleen.
• Irritable bowel, abdominal and hypochondrial pain. Restlessness.
• LI-4; LR-3 ; PC-6 (abdominal pain); GV-26 (nervous system); ST-25; ST-36

Stools hard at first then loose and diarrheal

When this occurs in the same bowel movement it indicates digestive problems. Review the state of the Spleen.