Molecular and Vascular Correspondences Linking Systemic Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Osteosclerosis and Arteriosclerosis: Evidence from the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon

Sclerosis, the abnormal hardening of tissue, occurs in systemic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, arteriosclerosis and osteosclerosis. Modern medicine treats these as separate diseases, and the molecular and vascular links between them remain poorly understood. The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (YEIC), an ancient Chinese medical text, describes a single hardening condition, Jue, whose features resemble these diseases. Using a previously published mapping of the text’s terms to signalling molecules and functional vascular networks, we compared 23 YEIC passages on Jue with the modern biomedical literature, examining symptoms, affected vessels and stated causes. Four lines of support emerged. First, imbalances in six molecules (IL-6, IL-1, arginine, tyrosine, nitric oxide and calcium) each corresponded to a documented sclerotic or fibrotic outcome. Second, the effects of Jue on vision, breathing, seizures and foot circulation resemble the multi-organ involvement of systemic sclerosis. Third, in each of six vascular networks, both arterial and venous disease could explain the symptoms. Fourth, Jue subtypes attributed to vasoconstriction or vasodilation matched reported vascular changes. In addition, a passage linking psychosis to hypercalcemia generated three predictions, all supported by modern evidence. We propose endothelin-1 as a possible link between vasoconstriction and sclerosis. These associations remain hypotheses requiring prospective testing.