Constitution in Chinese medicine clinical reasoning

The systemic study of Chinese medicine constitution has progressed greatly in recent years. However, a clear and comprehensive understanding of how to apply the theory of constitution to the practice of Chinese medicine is still lacking. In order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the integration of constitution in Chinese medicine clinical reasoning, we qualitatively analysed clinical experience reports and clinical cases in Chinese-language literature on insomnia, asthma, constipation, eczema, infertility and bi syndrome. We identified four major themes: the influence of socio-demographic information on clinical reasoning, constitution identification and pattern diagnosis, integration of constitution in active treatment, and continued management of constitution. This article presents our findings and includes practical examples including formulas, techniques and clinical cases. The findings of our study provide practical and comprehensive guidance on the clinical application of constitution theory in Chinese medicine practice.