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One of the central pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the theory of Zang Xiang. The ancient Chinese scholars believed that there are five ruling organs in the body: Heart, Lungs, Liver, Spleen and Kidney. Each organ corresponds to one of the five Chinese elements and by combining the two theories we can track their functions and the progress of diseases. The theory of Zang Xiang also studies the psyological, pathological and emotional conditions of organs and their external manifestations. Their interconnectedness and affects on other aspects of the body such as, vital substances (blood, bodu fluid and qi), tissues, emotions and senses.
The Zang organs only store pure and refined substances which they receive from the Fu-organs. The five organs are solid, can hold qi and refined essences but do not discharge them.
The Fu organs, gall bladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, urinary bladder and san jiao (the empty body cavities). They transform and refine food and drink to extract nutrients. The Fu organs are constantly filled then emptied, thereby eliminating waste.
There is another category of Fu organs called the Extraordinary Fu organs. They include: the brain, marrow, bone, blood vessels and the uterus. These are organs that do not come in contact with food substances, but store vital substances like the Zang organs.
While the origins of Zang Xiang ( ) are lost to time, the first occurrence we have in writing comes from Su Wen, or Plain Questions; a part of The Yellow Emperor's Classics (Huang Di Nei Jing ). Zang ( ) referrs to the internal organs of the human body while Xiang ( ) denotes their outward signs of the manifestations.
The five Zang Organs
The Heart （xin 心)
Location: The upper thoracic cavity above the diaphragm
Related Fu organ: Small Intestine
Emotion: Joy
Secretion: Sweat
Manifests in: Complexion
Opens into: Tongue
Functions:
- Governing blood and controlling blood vessles
- Housing the mind (shen神 )
The heart is often called the "Monarch of the Body." When the heart is functions properly, heart qi is exuberant and the blood vessels full of blood. Many westerners get hung up on the term, "heart-qi." What this really refers to is the beating action of the heart and the ability to move the blood through the blood vessels. Healthy heart function can be seen by a rosy complexion and a smooth, regular pulse. If the heart qi is deficient or the blood insufficient, symptoms can include: a pale, dark or grey complexion, blue or purple lips, a thready and weak pulse, chest pains.
In ancient times the mind was said to live in the heart. Even though doctors in the Ming and Qing dynasties proved the brain was responsible for thinking, the functioning and diseases of the heart directly affects emotional and mental activities. The mind, or Shen, includes the spirit, consciousness and thinking. In a broader sense, Shen is said to encompass the whole of a person's mental and spiritual life, including the other aspects of the mind attributed to the other Zang organs: The ethereal soul (Hun ), Corporeal Soul (Po ), Intellect (Yi ), Will-power (Zhi ). If the heart is strong and blood abundant there is: normal mental activity, a balanced emotional life, clear consciousness, a good memory, sharp thinking and good sleep. If the heart is weak or the blood deficient there may be: emotional/mental problems, poor memory, dull wittedness, insomnia, sleep walking or talking in the sleep, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness.
The Lungs (fei 肺）
Location: The thoracic cavity, also the highest of the Zang-fu
Related Fu organ: Lung Intestine
Emotion: Sorrow, melancholy, greif
Secretion: Nasal discharge
Manifests in: Body hair
Opens into: Nose
Functions:
- Dominating Qi and Respiration
- Diffusing and Descending Function
- Regulating Water Passage
- Convergence of Blood Vessels in the Lung
- Dealing with Administration and Regulation
The lungs are responsible for exhaling dirty, used qi and inhaling clean, fresh qi. This is the first step in the formation of Pectoral qi. This is the same as in western medicine saying the lung exhales waste gases and inhales new oxygen to provide a catalyst for the body to make energy. The lungs exert a regulating function on the rest of the body's qi. The breathing movement of the lungs is a manifestation of the ascending, descending, entering and exiting movements of qi. Abnormal breathing can lead to: feeble breathing, asthma, shortness of breath or harsh breathing. Disfunction of dominating Qi: poor production of pectoral qi marked by lassitude, feeble voice, impeded blood circulation and abnormal water metabolism.
The diffusing functioning of the lung include exhaling gas, distributing food and drink essence transported by the spleen to all parts of the body, skin and hairs. It also spreads the defensive-qi to the outside the body and regulates the opening and closing of the Couli (the space between the skin and muscles.
The Descending function of the lungs include inhaling fresh air from the external environment and descending qi to the kidneys. Since the lung is the uppermost Zang organ, it sends the the qi downward. The lung also assists in the discharge of urine and stools and keeps the respiratory track clear.
Regulating water passage means that symbolically the lung is in charge of of distributing and discharging body fluids by its diffusing and descending functions. The diffusing function distributes the body fluid upward and outward so that it spreads throughout the whole body. It then discharges sweat through the pores after metabolism. The lung's descending function transmits water to the organs, then to the kidney where it is transformed into urine then excreted.
Convergence of the blood vessls refers to the blood that flows through the lungs, where the gas exchange takes place. Since blood requires qi in order to move, the blood relies on the lung's dominance of qi.
In the classic TCM book, The Yellow Emperor's Classic, the lung is referred to as the Prime Minister. It is considered this because the lung dominates respiration, regulates the functional activity of qi, assists the heart in promoting and regulating blood circulation, and regulates the distribution and discharge of body fluids.
Spleen (pi 脾)
Location: Below the diaphram
Related Fu organ: Stomach
Emotion: Sorrow, Over-thinking, pensiveness
Secretion: Saliva
Manifests in: Lips
Opens into: Mouth
Functions:
- Governs transformation and transportation of food essence
- Controls ascending of Qi and food essence
- Controls the blood
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the spleen is in-charge of digestion and extracting nutrients from food and drink. This is very different from western medicine, which considers the spleen an organ for the lymphatic system. In TCM no actual digestion takes place in the spleen, but the spleen is like the manager giving instructions to the workers: stomach, small intestine and large intestine. If the spleen is functioning properly it can absorb enough nutrients to replace vital essence (stored in the kidney) and produce blood, qi and body fluids. Because of this the spleen is often called, "The root for acquired constitution." If spleen function declines you may get: a protruding stomach, diarrhea, poor appetite, lassitude, extreme weight loss and other disorders related to insufficient qi and blood.
The spleen also plays an important role in the transportation of fluid. While the lung is the overall boss of water and moisture, the spleen is like a middle manager, that controls the absorption of liquids from the stomach, then after taking the nutrients it sends the liquid to the lungs and kidney to be processed and eliminated.
Controlling and ascending qi and nutrients means that the spleen is responsible for taking the substances and moving them to the heart and lungs to be transformed into blood and pectoral qi. The spleen is said to ascend while the stomach descends. This is often referred to as the qi pivot. If spleen qi fails to ascend symptoms such as: fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, abdominal distention, diarrhea, protracted diarrhea, prolapse of the rectum or prolapse of internal organs.
While the heart ultimately is the king of blood, the spleen is said to control blood in two very important ways. The first is to keep blood in the vessels. This really means preventing internal bleeding, but has nothing to do with external bleeding caused by some sort of injury.
Liver (gan 肝)
Location: The hypochondrium region below the diaphragm in the abdomen
Related Fu organ: Gall bladder
Emotion: Anger
Secretion: Tears
Manifests in: Finger and toe nails
Opens into: Eyes
Functions:
- Liver ensures the free flow of qi
- Liver stores blood
The liver relates to the wood element. Wood has the property of ascending and spreading out. The liver is responsible for the free flow of qi throughout the blood vessels and outside of the skin. This is vital for qi to transform into blood and body fluids. The liver governs the flowing of qi in four areas:
The smooth flow of qi relates to the functional activities of qi. If there is unsmooth flow of qi or stagnate qi symptoms such as distending pains in the chest and hypochondrium, breasts or lower abdomen, depresion, it impairs the blood circulation leading to blood stasis, masses, lumps dysmoeorrhea, fluid and water retention. Adverse flow of qi and blood can lead to hematemeses, memoptysis or sudden loss of consciousness (syncope), anger, restlessness or repeatedly abnormal moods.
The liver also helps to regulate menstruation in women and spermatic functions in men by way of ensuring the free flow of blood and qi. Abnormal liver function can lead to irregular menstrual cycles, painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), and spermatemphraxis in men.
In ancient times it was believed that the liver stores excess blood. When needed for exercise, menstruation or incase of injury the liver released the blood to the rest of the body. If the liver fails to store the blood properly, deficient blood or hemorrhage may appear.
Kidney (shen 肾)
Location: At the floating ribs on both sides of the spinal column
Related Fu organ: Urinary bladder
Emotion: Fear
Secretion: Spittle
Manifests in: Hair
Opens into: Ears, urethra and anus
Functions:
- Storing Essential Essence, dominating growth, development and reproduction
- Governing water
- Controls the reception of qi
The primary function of the kidney is to store the Essential Essence. It is said this the qi or life force, given to us by our parents. The body then uses this qi to for our body functions, growth and development. When it is exhausted we die. The Essential Essence stored in the kidney is constantly replaced by nutrient qi the spleen makes from digesting food and drinks. Many traditional qi-gong exercises focus on strengthening and expanding the kidney in order to store more Essential Essence.
Difficent kidney function can affect people of different ages in different ways:
Children: poor development, retardation on standing, walking speaking, teeth and hair growing, softness of the hands, feet, mouth, neck muscles and retarded intelligence.
Young people: slow maturation of sexual glands and organs, declined sexual activities and infertillity
Middle-age people: early senility, early loss of teeth and hair, blurred vision, decreased memory, fatigue, declined sexual activities
Seniors: fast aging
The kidney is said to govern water in the sense that it forms and eliminates urine. The kidney is also said to have a "vaporizing" (Qi Hua )action necessary to form qi. Blood from the heart brings warmth down to the kidney, which allows the kidney to turn water into vapor. This principle is know as the "Mutual Assistance of Fire and Water" because the heart corresponds to fire and kidneys correspond to water.
The kidney is often called the root of qi because it contains the essential essence. If the kidney can receive the qi properly, it guarantees smooth and normal breathing. Impaired kidney function can lead to a morbid condition which presents with symptoms of shallow breath, propensity to dyspnea on slight exertion, prolonged exhaling and shortened inhaling.
Fu Organs
The six Fu organs are the gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, urinary bladder (bladder) and the San Jiao. The San Jiao is a division of the body into three parts: the Upper Jiao containing the upper chest including the heart and lungs, the Middle Jiao containing the stomach, spleen and the Lower Jiao, which contains the kidneys and liver.
Their common functions are digestion, transformation and transportation of food and drink. The Fu organs are sequentially connected, and unlike the Zang organs, they are hollow. The Fu organs pass food and waste materially downward in sequence until it is eliminated as feces or urine. The organs work well if they are unobstructed.
Gall Bladder (胆)
Related Zang organ: Liver
Bile, a digestive juice, produced by the liver is stored in the gallbladder to be released during digestion. The gallbladder excretes bile directly into the small intestine. The gallbladder holds about 1.5ml of bile. It releases about 0.5ml at a time. If meals are skipped the bile has the possibility of concentrating and crystallizing, there by forming gallstones.
Traditionally the gallbladder is considered a mediator of emotions and decision making. Disorders in this organ can cause: timidness, easily frightened and panic disorder. In Chinese someone who is a coward is said to have a small gallbladder (dan xiao 胆小).
Stomach (wei 胃)
Related Zang organ: Spleen
In classical TCM literature, the stomach is described as the Barn in which grain and water are stored. Its main function is to receive food and drink and begin the decomposition process. From there the stomach's job is to descend the chyme into the small intestine.
If stomach-qi (meaning the function of the stomach) does not descend it can load to adverse flow of stomach-qi. This presents with symptoms of hiccup, belching, nausea, vomiting and acid reflux.
The stomach likes wet and hates dryness therefore it is easily damaged by spicy and pungent foods.
Small Intestine (xiao chang 小肠)
Related Zang organ: Heart
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