Why does the top of the head sweat easily?

During TCM treatment, many patients will report that they are always sweating, and only their heads are sweating. From the perspective of TCM, this sweating phenomenon may be caused by evil heat in the upper part of the body. Most of them are patients with Yangming heat syndrome and damp-heat syndrome. However, if this situation occurs in the elderly, it may be a deficiency syndrome, which usually occurs in patients who have just recovered from a serious illness. This article analyzes the causes of sweating on the top of the head from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Let’s take a look.

Sweating is limited to the head. It is mostly caused by evil heat in the upper burner, or stagnation of damp heat in the middle burner, and is more common in Yangming heat syndrome and damp-heat syndrome. If it occurs after a serious illness, or in the elderly with shortness of breath and sweating on the forehead, it is mostly a symptom of deficiency. If a person suddenly breaks out in forehead with profuse sweat at the end of a serious illness, it is a dangerous sign that the yin is rising, the yin deficiency cannot attach to the yang, and the yin fluid is lost along with the qi. However, children often sweat on their heads when they sleep. If there are no other symptoms, it is not a sign of illness. Sweating on the head is a symptom of this disease. Localized excessive sweating on the head and face. It is mostly caused by internal accumulation of evil heat and heat steaming upwards.

"The Clear Theory of Treatise on Febrile Diseases·Head Sweating" states: "Only the head sweats but not the body, the sweat stops at the neck, urination is difficult, and the patient is thirsty and drinks water. This is due to internal heat stagnation. The body will turn yellow, as if the heat cannot escape and go up. Also, heat enters the blood chamber, and it is related to deficiency and restlessness, or Yangming being affected by fire, and water accumulation in the chest. All of these are caused by only sweating on the head. All of them are caused by heat stagnates inside and cannot escape." The treatment should include Gardenia and Licorice Decoction, Artemisia Capillaris Decoction, Da Xian Xiong Decoction, etc. Some people sweat on the top of their heads due to deficiency of water and excess of fire, which is caused by excess fire in the kidneys and insufficient water in the kidneys. The treatment should be to nourish the kidney and clear the lung, and you can use mulberry leaves, cooked rehmannia, northern Schisandra, Ophiopogon japonicus, etc.; or nourish yin and reduce fire, use Danggui Liuhuang Decoction (see "Shishi Secret Records·Lianzhi Fa"). Some people suffer from stomach fire, which causes them to sweat profusely on their heads whenever they eat or drink. The treatment is mainly to purge stomach fire, and the prescription is Shouhan Dan (from "Differentiation and Syndrome Record·Sweating Syndrome").

Some cases are caused by excessive dampness, with sweating on the forehead. In this case, Shengshi Decoction (from "Xizhu on the Origin of Miscellaneous Diseases, Origin of Various Sweating") should be used. For those who suffer from internal blood stasis, Xijiao Dihuang Decoction and Taoren Chengqi Decoction can be used (Volume 3 of Zhengzhi Huibu, Leizhengzhicai·Hydrophobia). If the meridians are blocked or the patient is seriously ill and yang is lost, and sweating occurs on the head, it is a critical condition (Volume 20 of "Six Books on Medical Treatises and Treatments for Miscellaneous Diseases").