Abstract
Background : It was not enough to apply three kinds of syndrome differentiation in our oriental medical textbook to tremor's treatment according to reports of Korea and traditional medical textbook of China. Objective : To investigate syndrome differentiations by types of diseases related to tremor through Chinese journals review and to suggest adding possible syndrome differentiations. Methods : Literature search was performed using China Academic Journal (CAJ), the search engine of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from January 1994 to December 2009. Searching key words were Chinese characters in combination meaning tremor, paralysis agitans, and syndrome differentiation. We included all types of articles that explained or referred to definite syndrome differentiations. The symptoms and oriental medications by syndrome differentiation in selected articles were extracted and summarized. Results : 56 Chinese journals were ultimately selected. 37 kinds of syndrome differentiations about tremor were investigated, which included dual deficiency of qi and blood (氣血兩虛) quoted 31 times, liver-kidney yin deficiency (肝腎陰虧) 23 times, liver-kidney deficiency (肝腎不足) 21 times, and phlegm-heat stirring wind (痰熱動風) 20 times. 37 kinds of syndrome differentiation could by group into eight types, such as liver-kidney yin deficiency (肝腎陰虧), dual deficiency of qi and blood (氣血兩虛), phlegm-heat stirring wind (痰熱動風), heart deficiency and spirit weakness (心虛神弱), blood stasis due to qi stagnation (氣滯血瘀), sea of marrow deficiency (髓海不足), liver qi depression (肝氣鬱結), and liver yang transforming into wind (肝陽化風). Conclusion : We suggest that the syndrome differentiations of tremor, such as heart deficiency and spirit weakness (心虛神弱), blood stasis due to qi stagnation (氣滯血瘀), sea of marrow deficiency (髓海不足), liver qi depression (肝氣鬱結), and liver yang transforming into wind (肝陽化風), can be added to liver-kidney deficiency (肝腎不足), dual deficiency of qi and blood (氣血兩虛), and phlegm-heat stirring wind (痰熱動風) of the textbook. Further systematic research will be needed on them.