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Normally there is no abnormal odor in healthy people. Under some pathological conditions, stale and turbid qi may be produced and the stale and turbid qi may not be discharged through normal routes. When they are discharged through the mouth there may be fetid mouth odor* and when they are discharged in the sweat there is a bad odor of the sweat. For the same reason, there can be odor of the sputum and nasal discharge, abnormal odor of urine and stool, abnormal odor of vomitus, abnormal odor of menstruation, leukorrhea and lochia. Body odor and the odor of excreta can reflect pathological change.

Generally speaking, a slight fishy odor or odor without foul smell indicates deficiency patterns, cold patterns or cold-dampness patterns. Heavy sour or foul odor indicates excess patterns, heat patterns or dampness-heat patterns.

Bad smell from the mouth is called fetid mouth odor, the same as halitosis*. Fetid mouth odor can be caused by various diseases, such as diseases of the mouth itself, diseases of the stomach or the lungs.

Sour fetid mouth odor associated with lack of appetite and abdominal distension and fullness is mostly caused by food retained in the stomach and intestine. Fetid mouth odor with gum erosion* is usually caused by ulcerative* gingivitis* resulting from stomach heat. Fishy sweating is usually observed in wind-dampness patterns, dampness-heat patterns, or febrile disease. Fishy and foul smells are usually seen in the pattern caused by intense summerheat toxin.

Thick and yellow sputum with some foul smell is usually caused by exuberant lung heat, often seen in external heat contraction. Odorless thin sputum accompanied by thin snivel usually indicates external wind-cold contraction. A large amount of fishy, foul and purulent sputum is usually due to lung abscess, mostly caused by exuberance of heat toxin in the lungs. Frequent discharge of foul and thick snivel suggests sinusitis, mostly due to lung heat or dampness-heat in the gallbladder meridian.

Healthy people discharge clear urine without a strong offensive smell. However, in morbid condition, clear urine indicates deficiency and cold pattern. Reddish-yellow and fishy urine indicates dampness-heat pouring downward. Urine with a sweet smell suggests wasting thirst (diabetes). Sloppy* and fishy stool suggests deficiency cold of the spleen and stomach. Sour, putrid* and foul odor of stool usually indicates food accumulation.

Foul menstruation indicates heat pattern, while fishy menstruation indicates cold pattern. Yellowish thick and foul leukorrhea* is mostly caused by dampness-heat, while thin and fishy leukorrhea suggests cold-dampness. Foul lochia* indicates dampness-heat or dampness toxin pouring downward to the uterus.

Vomitus without foul smell mostly suggests stomach cold, while vomitus with sour and foul smell mostly indicates stomach heat. Vomitus with undigested food and sour and foul smell suggests retained food.

In some cases, the odor of a patient can affect the room that the patient is living in. In this case, the odor in the patient's room can also assist the doctor in diagnosis.