Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the philosophy of Daoism (Taoism) where everything in nature has a balance. When in balance with nature, a person is healthy.
Yin-Yang and the Five Elements are the two main theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine that suggest ways and treatments on how to maintain the balance within a body. The Five Elements theory is essentially a more refined version of the Yin-Yang theory.
Examples of Nature or Body organs against the Five Elements:
| Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water | |
| Spring | Summer | Late summer | Autumn | Winter | |
| Wind | Hot | Wet | Dry | Cold | |
| Liver | Heart | Spleen | Lung | Kidney | |
| Gall | Bladder | Small Intestine | Stomach | Colon Bladder | |
| Anger | Joy | Thinking | Anxiety, Sadness | Fear, Fright |
The Human Body in Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine maintains that a human body is made up of organs, energy/blood channels (so-called Meridians) and the four basic elements of Essence, Qi, Blood and Body Fluid. Read more about the human body.
Zang-Fu Organs
In Traditional Chinese medicine knowledge the main eleven human organs are divided into two groups: Zang-Organs and Fu-Organs. The theories of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements apply to these organs.
Zang organs
| Responsible for blood circulation and mental activities | |
| Regulates the digestion of food | |
| Ensures the smooth flow of Qi, Blood and Body Fluid | |
| Regulates the amount of Qi entering the body and the organs | |
| Storage of Essence and responsible for body growth and reproduction |
Fu-Organs
| is a place for primary absorption | |
| responsible for digestion of food | |
| transformation of food into waste | |
| stores the waste body fluid | |
| enhances the process of digestion and absorption | |
| is a channel for the movement of Qi |
Meridians
A meridian is a channel that transports life energy in the form of Qi, Blood and Body Fluid. Whereas Western medicine differentiates between the oxygen circulation system, the blood circulation system and the lymphatic system, Traditional Chinese Medicine consolidates them all under the meridian circulation system.
In Chinese Medicine the twelve Jing Meridians are often given special attention. They are distributed symmetrically throughout the body, each connect one Zang-Fu Organ and represent either the Yin or Yang force.
The Four Basic Elements
In Chinese Medicine the four basic elements of a human body are Essence, Qi, Blood and Body Fluid. Albeit using different names and terms, the same elements also exist in Western medicine.
Essence (Jing)
When a baby is born, it acquires Essence from the parents. The modern Western medicine equivalent is the genetic DNA.
Qi
In Chinese Medicine Qi refers to the life energy of a human being. Life energy is acquired through breathing of air, eating of food and drinking of water, and is required to maintain the physiological functions of a body.
Blood and Body Fluid
In Chinese Medicine the concept of blood is very similar to the one in Western medicine. Chinese Medicine maintains that the function of blood is to carry energy and nutrition to organs and tissues. Body fluid refers to all other body fluids in the human body except blood.