Profuse sweating accompanied by listlessness and cold limbs may indicate which condition?

Profuse sweating alongside listlessness and cold limbs is indicative of Yang qi exhaustion. This condition reflects a deficiency in the body's warming and motivating energy, leading to a lack of vitality and an inability to maintain normal body temperature. In this state, the body cannot effectively defend itself against external environmental factors, resulting in excessive perspiration and a sense of weakness or fatigue. The cold limbs indicate poor circulation and diminished warmth in the body's extremities, which is characteristic of a Yang deficiency.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Yang represents the active, warming force within the body. When Yang qi is exhausted, it fails to provide sufficient warmth, leading to symptoms such as cold limbs and a general feeling of lethargy. The profuse sweating is the body's attempt to regulate temperature but reflects an imbalance rather than healthy thermoregulation.

Understanding this context clarifies why this symptomatology aligns most closely with Yang qi exhaustion rather than the other conditions presented. Qi deficiency may lead to low energy but does not necessarily present with cold limbs and profuse sweating to the same extent. Yin deficiency is often associated with heat signs like night sweats and dryness, while excessive Yang heat would be characterized by signs of heat and agitation, rather than cold and listlessness. Therefore,