HERBALCONSULTS

The Vital Organs

For diagnosis and treatment of disease the functional relationships among the vital organs are key factors. The vital organs are referred to as the five "solid" (zang) and the six "hollow" (fu) and correspond in part with the exception of the "triple-warmer" (the openings to the stomach, small intestine, and bladder) to the organs distinguished by the Western anatomy. The pericardium (sack which surrounds the heart) was added later as the sixth "solid" organ in order to balance the system (and not anger the emperor but that is another story.) It corresponds to the triple-warmer. Besides the two organs mentioned the vital organs consist of the heart, lungs, liver, kidney and spleen as the five "solid" yin organs intestine, gall bladder, bladder, and stomach as the five "hollow" yang organs.

Each of the organs has a corresponding organ from the opposite classification (yin and yang) with which it forms a pair that is dominated by one of the the Five Elements. The condition and activities of the vital organs determine all other parts of the body. For the cure of ailments of a certain part of the body the corresponding organs are treated according to the relationships of the Five Elements.

The yin organs are considered to be more vital than the yang organs: they "store but do not transmit" whereas the later "transform but do not retain."

The organs and their functions in brief:

* Heart (called "Chief of the Vital Organs", regulates the other organs by controlling circulation of blood; the heart activity is reflected on the color of the face and the tongue)

* Liver (stores blood, houses the human soul, which is said to enter the fetus at the moment of birth)

* Spleen (controls the "moving and transforming" of vital essence extracted by the stomach from food and drink; it houses the mind)

* Lungs (control vital energy (qi) by extracting it from the air and transferring it to the blood; they house the animal-soul, which is said to enter the embryo at the moment of conception)

* Kidneys (control water, receive the vital essence of the vital and store it, both life-essence and semen-essence; with the surrounding glands they control all sexual functions)