Zang Fu and their functions.
Zang Fu (simplified Chinese:脏腑; traditional Chinese:臟腑;
pin yin: zàng fǔ) refers to twelve internal organs in our body, classified according to the functions of transformation ( yin organs), or transportation ( yang organs). Each organ has a yin and a yang
aspect, but overall, the Zang organs are considered to be yin in nature — Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney; while Fu organs
yang — Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Gall Bladder, Urinary Bladder, Stomach and Sān Jiāo. Each “ Zang” is paired with a “Fu”, and each pair is assigned to one of the Wu Xing (Five elements or Five Phases), sharing their respective element’s qualities. And they also correspond to the twelve standard meridians — each yin meridian is attached to a “ Zang” organ, and each yang meridian is attached to a “Fu” organ.
The heart and its functions: Sovereign of all internal organs; houses the soul/mind (Chinese:神; pinyin: shén); governs the spirit, blood, blood vessels and meridians; controls sweat; opens into the tongue; manifests in facial complexion;
The small intestine and its functions: Paired with the heart, in charge of receiving and transforming waste, and separating various fluids;
The pericardium and its functions: Sac surrounding the heart, protecting the heart from attacks. It governs blood and houses the soul/mind, together with the heart.
The San Jiao and its functions: Paired with the pericardium, Sān
Jiāo (triple heater/warmer/burner, upper, lower, and middle parts of the torso) controls water passages, and facilitates flow of original
Qi, which resides in the lower abdomen, between the kidneys. The original Qi flows to bodily organs via San Jiao, and then enters the 12 standard meridians; San Jiao represents the three parts of the torso, shàng jiāo (upper part) opens outward, transports the five tastes of food essence, moistens the skin, fills the body, and is like a mist; zhōng jiāo (middle part), located in the stomach, is like a maceration chamber. It receives Qi, expels wastes, steams body fluids, transforms refined essences of food and connects upward with the lungs; and xià jiāo (lower part), located in the lower abdomen, is like a ditch. The large and small intestines in xià jiāo
receive waste after digestion of food, transform and expel it;
The liver and its functions: Governs unclogging and deflation, primarily of Qi. The smooth flowing liver-Qi in turn enables free flow of emotions, blood and water; stores blood, governs Jin (tendons), opens into the eyes, and manifests in the nails;
The gall bladder and its functions: Paired with the liver, stores and excretes bile, and controls judgment;
The spleen and its functions: Governs extraction and absorption of food essence and water from food and drink, and successively distributing it to other Zang organs; source of “production and mutual transformation” of Qi and blood; controls blood inside the vessels, controls muscles and limbs; opens into the mouth and manifests in the lips, houses thought.
The stomach and its functions: Paired with the spleen, origin of all post-natal Qi and blood, as well as fluids; controls“rotting and ripening” of food and transportation of food essence; controls descending of Qi ;
The lung and its functions: Governs Qi and respiration; descends and disperses Qi throughout the body; governs the skin and hair, and the exterior (part of immunity); opens into the nose;
The large intestine and its functions:
Paired with the lung, receives wastes from the small intestine, and expels it;
The kidneys and their functions: It is foundation of all yin-yang
energies in the body; store pre-natal essence; govern birth, growth, reproduction, development and natural lifespan; produce marrow, fill up the brain and control bones; govern water; control reception of Qi; house willpower; open into the ears; manifest in the hair;
The urinary bladder and its functions: Paired with the kidneys, removes water by Qi transformation.
Damaging effects of excessive emotions on internal organs:
Rage hurts the liver; fear hurts the kidneys, sorrow hurts the lungs; pensiveness hurts the spleen; excessive joy hurts the heart.
Wu Xing and balancing interactions of Zang Fu (internal organs) in the body
According to Chinese medicine, Wu Xing (Chinese:五行; pinyin
: wǔ xíng; five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water), whose interactions represent dynamic processes (or phases) of constant change in nature or the universe, corresponds to Zang Fu
(internal organs) in the human body. In our body, the liver (yin) and the gall bladder (yang) belong to the Wood phase; the heart (yin) and small intestine (yang) belong to the Fire phase; and the spleen
(yin) and stomach (yang) belong to the Earth phase; the lungs (yin) and large intestine (yang) belong to the Metal phase; the kidneys (yin) and urinary bladder (yang) belong to the Water phase.
Balancing interactions of Zang Fu (represented inWu Xing)
The Chinese term “ Xing” means the process of one thing acting upon another.
The generating cycle:
Grandparent - grandchild relationship: One element suppresses, controls, dominates, overcomes, and weakens another element, preventing it from establishing its power.
The restraining cycle provides for a check and balance system among all of the elements. The restraining cycle: Wood parts Earth - Earth absorbs Water - Water quenches Fire - Fire melts Metal -Metal chops Wood.
In the language of Chinese medicine, when the liver-qi (Wood) is smooth, it can dredge stagnations in the spleen (Earth); the spleen transports essence throughout the body, which avoids the flooding of kidney essence (Water); the kidneys moisten the heart (Fire), thus avoiding overheating of the heart fire; and the heart restrains excessive clearing functions of the lungs (Metal); the lungs bring in clear Qi, thus restraining excessive liver-yang (Wood). However, when one organ is not functioning well, the one it acts upon suffers.
Although the organs are identified by their western anatomical names, Chinese medicine views their functions holistically, taking into account Qi, blood, their flow, and storage responsibilities.
Zang Fu (internal organs), represented in yin-yang pairs and Wu Xing phases, must be balanced to maintain health. Diseases are merely a physical expression of imbalances in the body. Symptoms indicate disharmony. So it’s important for each organ system to be balanced within itself, as well as with other organ systems of the body.
Zang Fu (simplified Chinese:脏腑; traditional Chinese:臟腑;
pin yin: zàng fǔ) refers to twelve internal organs in our body, classified according to the functions of transformation ( yin organs), or transportation ( yang organs). Each organ has a yin and a yang
aspect, but overall, the Zang organs are considered to be yin in nature — Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney; while Fu organs
yang — Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Gall Bladder, Urinary Bladder, Stomach and Sān Jiāo. Each “ Zang” is paired with a “Fu”, and each pair is assigned to one of the Wu Xing (Five elements or Five Phases), sharing their respective element’s qualities. And they also correspond to the twelve standard meridians — each yin meridian is attached to a “ Zang” organ, and each yang meridian is attached to a “Fu” organ.
The heart and its functions: Sovereign of all internal organs; houses the soul/mind (Chinese:神; pinyin: shén); governs the spirit, blood, blood vessels and meridians; controls sweat; opens into the tongue; manifests in facial complexion;
The small intestine and its functions: Paired with the heart, in charge of receiving and transforming waste, and separating various fluids;
The pericardium and its functions: Sac surrounding the heart, protecting the heart from attacks. It governs blood and houses the soul/mind, together with the heart.
The San Jiao and its functions: Paired with the pericardium, Sān
Jiāo (triple heater/warmer/burner, upper, lower, and middle parts of the torso) controls water passages, and facilitates flow of original
Qi, which resides in the lower abdomen, between the kidneys. The original Qi flows to bodily organs via San Jiao, and then enters the 12 standard meridians; San Jiao represents the three parts of the torso, shàng jiāo (upper part) opens outward, transports the five tastes of food essence, moistens the skin, fills the body, and is like a mist; zhōng jiāo (middle part), located in the stomach, is like a maceration chamber. It receives Qi, expels wastes, steams body fluids, transforms refined essences of food and connects upward with the lungs; and xià jiāo (lower part), located in the lower abdomen, is like a ditch. The large and small intestines in xià jiāo
receive waste after digestion of food, transform and expel it;
The liver and its functions: Governs unclogging and deflation, primarily of Qi. The smooth flowing liver-Qi in turn enables free flow of emotions, blood and water; stores blood, governs Jin (tendons), opens into the eyes, and manifests in the nails;
The gall bladder and its functions: Paired with the liver, stores and excretes bile, and controls judgment;
The spleen and its functions: Governs extraction and absorption of food essence and water from food and drink, and successively distributing it to other Zang organs; source of “production and mutual transformation” of Qi and blood; controls blood inside the vessels, controls muscles and limbs; opens into the mouth and manifests in the lips, houses thought.
The stomach and its functions: Paired with the spleen, origin of all post-natal Qi and blood, as well as fluids; controls“rotting and ripening” of food and transportation of food essence; controls descending of Qi ;
The lung and its functions: Governs Qi and respiration; descends and disperses Qi throughout the body; governs the skin and hair, and the exterior (part of immunity); opens into the nose;
The large intestine and its functions:
Paired with the lung, receives wastes from the small intestine, and expels it;
The kidneys and their functions: It is foundation of all yin-yang
energies in the body; store pre-natal essence; govern birth, growth, reproduction, development and natural lifespan; produce marrow, fill up the brain and control bones; govern water; control reception of Qi; house willpower; open into the ears; manifest in the hair;
The urinary bladder and its functions: Paired with the kidneys, removes water by Qi transformation.
Damaging effects of excessive emotions on internal organs:
Rage hurts the liver; fear hurts the kidneys, sorrow hurts the lungs; pensiveness hurts the spleen; excessive joy hurts the heart.
Wu Xing and balancing interactions of Zang Fu (internal organs) in the body
According to Chinese medicine, Wu Xing (Chinese:五行; pinyin
: wǔ xíng; five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water), whose interactions represent dynamic processes (or phases) of constant change in nature or the universe, corresponds to Zang Fu
(internal organs) in the human body. In our body, the liver (yin) and the gall bladder (yang) belong to the Wood phase; the heart (yin) and small intestine (yang) belong to the Fire phase; and the spleen
(yin) and stomach (yang) belong to the Earth phase; the lungs (yin) and large intestine (yang) belong to the Metal phase; the kidneys (yin) and urinary bladder (yang) belong to the Water phase.
Balancing interactions of Zang Fu (represented inWu Xing)
The Chinese term “ Xing” means the process of one thing acting upon another.
The generating cycle:
Grandparent - grandchild relationship: One element suppresses, controls, dominates, overcomes, and weakens another element, preventing it from establishing its power.
The restraining cycle provides for a check and balance system among all of the elements. The restraining cycle: Wood parts Earth - Earth absorbs Water - Water quenches Fire - Fire melts Metal -Metal chops Wood.
In the language of Chinese medicine, when the liver-qi (Wood) is smooth, it can dredge stagnations in the spleen (Earth); the spleen transports essence throughout the body, which avoids the flooding of kidney essence (Water); the kidneys moisten the heart (Fire), thus avoiding overheating of the heart fire; and the heart restrains excessive clearing functions of the lungs (Metal); the lungs bring in clear Qi, thus restraining excessive liver-yang (Wood). However, when one organ is not functioning well, the one it acts upon suffers.
Although the organs are identified by their western anatomical names, Chinese medicine views their functions holistically, taking into account Qi, blood, their flow, and storage responsibilities.
Zang Fu (internal organs), represented in yin-yang pairs and Wu Xing phases, must be balanced to maintain health. Diseases are merely a physical expression of imbalances in the body. Symptoms indicate disharmony. So it’s important for each organ system to be balanced within itself, as well as with other organ systems of the body.
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