5 Element Theory

5 Elements
a) Introduction and Definitions
The 5 elements or “5 phases” as they are sometimes called, are a more refined classification system of natural phenomena. The five elements are a recurring pattern in nature and like Yin and Yang, can be applied both to the human body and to the universe at large.
The five elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal,. Remember, the Five Elements represent 5 different qualities of energy rather than 5 fixed substances. The quality of energy that each element represents goes far beyond what we normally associate with the element. Some of the correspondences and examples of the energy representations are as follows:
1) Water- Winter - North - Black - Salty - Animals with shells and Pigs.
2) Wood - Spring - East - Green - Sour - Fish and Sheep.
3) Fire - Summer - South - Red - Bitter - Birds and Fowl
4) Earth - Late stage of each season - Center - Yellow- Sweet - Humans and Oxen
5) Metal - Autumn - West - White - Pungent - Mammals and Dogs.

b) 5 Elements in TCM:
Applied to the human body, some of the 5 element correspondences are as follows:
1) Water - Kidneys/ Bladder - Ears - Bones - Fear - Groaning
2) Wood - Liver/ Gallbladder - Eyes - Sinews - Anger - Shouting
3) Fire - Heart/ Small Intestine - Pericardium/ San Jiao1 - Tongue - Vessels - Joy - Laughing
4) Earth - Spleen/ Stomach - Mouth - Muscles - Worry/ over thinking - Singing.
5) Metal - Lungs/ Large Intestine - Nose - Skin - Sadness - Crying

Clinical Application of Generating Sequence:
1) Water generates Wood: Kidneys as the origin of the Yin and Yang of the entire body are clearly the root of life and in a way, can be said to generate all the other elements. According to Five Element theory, Kidney yin is the basis for blood which is stored in the liver.
2) Wood generates Fire: The liver stores the blood and the heart is in charge of circulating the blood. The liver must store the blood well in order for there to be ample blood for the heart to circulate *this is my interpretation. In addition, blood houses the mind which is said to be under the auspices of the heart. Ample supply of blood from the liver is necessary for proper housing of the mind.
3) Fire generates Earth: This relationship is probably better viewed as a mutually beneficial relationship rather than a one way benefit as implied by the Generating sequence. Heart Qi circulates the blood and thus plays a role in the Spleen’s ability to Transform and Transport food throughout the body. Perhaps more importantly however, Spleen Qi is responsible for transforming food into Food Qi (Gu Qi), and then raising it to the chest where it is transformed into Chest Qi (Zong Qi) with the aid of the Lung’s respiratory function. According to TCM theory, Food Qi is also sent from the Lungs to the Heart where it is transformed into Blood under the auspices of the Kidney Qi and Original Qi *(This is the Macioca version, but doesn’t the Zong Qi also have a role in this transformation?) We’ll talk more about this in the section on vital substances.
4) Earth generates Metal. As previously discussed, the Spleen sends Food Qi up to the Lungs where it is combined with air and transformed into Chest Qi.
5) Metal generates Water. Lung qi descends and replenishes Kidney Qi *(my interpretation, Macioca p.22). In turn the Kidneys are said to “Grasp” the Lung Qi allowing for deep respiration and replenishment of the body’s qi from the air we breathe. The lungs also descend fluids to the kidney. Some of these fluids are excreted as waste and some are recycled and sent back up to moisten the Lungs *(Macioca p. 97). Again we can see that this relationship is more reciprocal than a one-way generation.

c) Relationships
1) Generating (Promoting) Sequence: Each of the elements gives rise to another element in a Mother/ Son relationship. Water for example, gives birth to Wood, Wood gives birth to Fire, Fire to Earth, Earth to Metal, and Metal to Water (Graphic)
2) Controlling (Acting) Sequence: Each of the elements controls another element and in turn, is controlled by an element in a Grandparent/ Grandchild relationship. Water for example is controlled by Earth, Earth is controlled by Wood, Wood is controlled by Metal, Metal by Fire, and Fire by Water (Graphic).
3) Over-controlling (Interacting): When the Controlling sequence becomes excessive it is known as Over-controlling or Interacting. This means that the Grandparent is limiting the action of the Grandchild to an extent that has become pathological.
4) Insulting (Counteracting): In certain circumstances when the Grandparent is too weak to control the Grandchild or the Grandchild is too strong to be controlled, the Grandchild may insult the Grandparent. For instance while Metal normally controls Wood, if there is excess Liver heat, it may transmit upward to affect the lung. This is an example of Insulting.

5) There is a Fifth sequence mentioned in certain texts called the Cosmological Sequence. In this sequence the Five elements are assigned numbers as follows 1- Water, 2- Fire, 3- Wood, 4- Metal, 5- Earth. In this sequence Water is given primary importance as the Kidneys pertain to Water and are the root of the Yin and Yang of the entire body. The kidneys store Essence and also house the Ming Men Fire. The Essence is nothing less that the physiological and psychological potential of the human being (Original Yin), while the Ming Men Fire is the catalyst that transforms the essence into usable energy (Original Yang). More about this when we discuss Vital Substances. The cosmological sequence highlights the importance of the relationship between Kidneys (Water) and the Heart (Fire) in physical and mental health. This sequence also highlights the importance of the Stomach/Spleen (Earth) as the center.

The Three Treasures

The Three Treasures
a) Jing, Qi, Shen
- introductions and definitions
Jing, Qi, and Shen, also known as the 3 treasures, are the 3 main constituents of human life. They represent the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of a human being respectively. The 3 treasures are simply a more refined differentiation of Yin and Yang with Jing being Yin, Shen being Yang, and Qi in between. Like Yin and Yang, the 3 treasures support each other and are very much interdependent. The strength of the Qi and Shen depend on the foundation of Jing, while the foundation of Jing is replenished by Qi and protected by Shen. Quite simply, the health of an individual is dependent on the strength and balance of Jing, Qi, and Shen.
- classifications
1) Jing: The most common translation for the word Jing is “Essence”. There are 3 subdivisions of Essence including Pre-Heaven, Post-Heaven, and Kidney essence.
Pre-Heaven: Pre-Heaven essence is basically the genetic potential provided by one’s parents at conception. It determines the individual’s basic constitutional make-up. It’s the foundation, the basic capitol allotted to each person when they came into this world. Pre-Heaven essence may or may not be fixed at birth. There is some debate as to whether it is possible to enhance pre-heaven essence, but even if it is, it can be done only minimally at best.

Pre-Heaven Essence is the foundation for all of life’s activities and endeavors and is used up slowly or quickly depending on how we live our lives. While we may or may not be able to enhance Pre-Heaven essence, what we do have control over is the rate at which we expend it.
Post-Heaven Essence
Post-Heaven Essence is the nutrition derived from the food we eat. It is extracted and processed by the digestive system on a daily basis. The term Post-Heaven is simply used to designate the nutrition we extract and process on a daily basis as opposed to the Pre-Heaven, which is largely fixed in quantity and difficult to replenish.
Kidney Essence: Kidney essence is derived from a combination of Pre and Post Heaven Essence. It is a more functional form of Pre-Heaven essence that is stored in the Kidneys and replenished by the nutrition from Post-Heaven essence. Kidney essence is the basis for growth, maturation, physical development, and reproduction. In addition to it’s role in physical development, the rate of expenditure of Kidney Essence determines our patterns of aging and physical decline. Women’s essence is said to move in a 7 year cycle, while Men’s essence is said to move in an 8 year cycle.
In addition to being stored in the Kidneys, Kidney essence circulates throughout the body, most especially in the 8 Extraordinary Vessels.
Kidney essence can be said to be the basis for Original Qi, which in turn, is the basis for Kidney Yin and Yang. In addition, Kidney Qi is derived from Kidney essence under the catalytic action of Kidney Yang. You may wonder how Original Qi is derived from Kidney essence if it is itself the foundation for Yin and Yang. This is a bit of a paradox similar to the chicken and egg question. Suffice it to say, that the process is a natural evolution that functions as a kind of feedback loop.
2) Qi: In general Chinese thought, Qi is said to be the fundamental substance which composes the entire universe. Qi is the dynamic force and catalyst for change that springs forth from the tension between the two poles of Yin and Yang, and at the same time, Qi is the basis for all of existence. Following this line of thinking, even Yin and Yang are forms of qi. Yin and Yang could be said to be descriptions of the relative qualities of Qi, while Qi is the substrate of the entire universe from Yin to Yang and back again.
In The Human Body: When discussed in the context of the human body, there are 6 main types of Qi, Original Qi (Yuan Qi), Food Qi (Gu Qi) (not to be confused with Gucci), Gathering Qi (Zong Qi), True Qi (Zhen Qi), Nutritive Qi (Ying Qi), and Defensive Qi (Wei Qi).
Original Qi (Yuan Qi): Original Qi is the first transformation of essence into qi. How this takes place exactly is a bit mysterious, but it does seem to be a natural progression from Yin to Yang. As a time-line the development of Original Qi looks something like this:
Pre-Heaven essence - Kidney Essence - Original Qi - Kidney Yin and Yang - Kidney Qi.
Here we must remember that Chinese philosophy is more true to reality than western logic in that things do not follow a linear progression, but tend to evolve on many levels simultaneously.
The specific functions of Original Qi are:
- Provides the motive force that underlies the functional activity of each of the organs.
- Provides the basis for Kidney Qi. As discussed earlier, Original Qi is the foundation of
Kidney Yin and Yang and Kidney Qi is derived from Kidney Yin under the catalytic
power of Kidney Yang.
- Powers the transformation of Gathering Qi into True Qi and also transforms Food Qi
into Blood in the Heart. We’ll discuss these functions more in a minute.
- Original Qi spreads through the Triple Burner (San Jiao) into the internal organs
and meridians and emerges at the “Source Points”.
Food Qi (Gu Qi): Gu Qi literally means “Qi of grains” and refers to the first transformation of energy derived from food by the Stomach and Spleen. From the Stomach and Spleen, also known as the Middle Burner, Gu Qi is sent to the chest by the raising power of Spleen Qi. Gu Qi is combined with air taken in from the Lungs and transformed into Gathering Qi (Zong Qi).
Some of the Food Qi is also sent first to the Lung and then Heart, where it is said to be transformed into Blood. This transformation of Food Qi into Blood is assisted by the Kidney Qi and Original Qi (Yuan Qi).
Gathering Qi (Zong Qi): *(I’m following Macioca’s translation as Gathering Qi). Gathering Qi is a further refinement of the Gu Qi. As we said earlier, the Gu Qi is sent to the chest via the Spleen Qi and combined with air from the Lungs to form Zong Qi. The Zong Qi functions to:
- Nourish the Lungs and Heart.
- Assist the Lung functions of controlling Qi and respiration and the Heart function of
governing Blood and Vessels.
- Controls the strength of the voice. Weakness of voice indicates weakness of Zong Qi.
- Assists in the circulation of Blood to the Extremities. Cold hands may indicate
weakness of Zong Qi.
- Flows downward to strengthen Kidney Qi, while Original Qi rises to assist
respiration.
- The chest area where the Zong Qi gathers is called the “Sea of Qi” and is controlled
by Ren-17.
Like the Lungs, Gathering Qi can be adversely affected by excess grief and sadness which disperse the Qi.
True Qi (Zhen Qi): The next and last stage of transformation is from Gathering Qi into True Qi. In the Lungs, Gathering Qi is transformed into True Qi by the power of the Yuan Qi. *(Someone wearing a shirt that says “Yuan Qi” and a magicians hat, points a wand and changes a person wearing a shirt that says “Gathering” into a different person wearing a shirt that says “True”)
True Qi is further differentiated into Nutritive Qi (Ying Qi) and Defensive Qi (Wei Qi).
Nutritive Qi (Ying Qi): Just like the name says, Nutritive Qi flows through the channels to nourish the body and internal organs. In addition to the acupuncture channels, Nuritive Qi also flows with the Blood through the blood vessels. The Nutritive Qi and Blood are considered to be so closely related, that the term “Ying Blood” is commonly used to refer to their combined functions.
Defensive Qi (Wei Qi): Again, like the name says, Defensive Qi is in charge of protecting the body from invasion of outside pathogens. Defensive Qi flows on the outer layers of the body, while the Nutritive Qi flows through the inner layers. Defensive Qi mixes with body fluids dispersed from the Lungs and together they nourish, warm, and moisten skin and muscles. The Lungs and Defensive Qi also regulate the opening and closing of the skin’s pores. As you probably guessed, this regulates sweating and body temperature too. If there is a deficiency of Lung Qi or of Defensive Qi, a person can develop spontaneous sweating. If the Defensive Qi is impaired, a person may also feel easily cold.
The Lungs are in charge of circulating Defensive Qi, and the strength of the Defensive Qi depends on the strength of the Lung Qi. Of course we must remember that both Defensive Qi and Nutritive Qi are derived from the True Qi, which comes from the Gathering Qi, which is a combination of air and Food Qi, which is distilled by the Spleen Qi, which is powered by the Kidney Yang, which is derived from the Original Qi, which is the first differentiation of Qi from essence. Got it?
Defensive Qi is said to circulate throughout the body 50 times in a 24 hour period, 25 times during the day and 25 times at night. During the day it circulates more superficially, first through the Yang channels and then through the Yin channels. At night, Defensive Qi flows into the Zang organs; Kidney, Heart, Lung, Liver, and Spleen.
Upright Qi (Zheng Qi): Upright Qi basically refers to the sum total of the body’s resistance to pathogens. It is the culmination of the body’s immunity to disease, and the measurement of a person’s level of physical health.
5 BASIC FUNCTIONS OF QI
The 5 basic functions of Qi are Transforming, Transporting, Holding, Raising, Protecting, and Warming.
b) Transforming: For example, the transformation of food into Food Qi by the Spleen.
*(Person with a wand transforming some food into a liquid form)
c) Transporting: The Spleen Qi transports the Food Qi up to the chest, Lung Qi transports Qi down, Kidney Qi transports Qi up, Liver Qi transports Qi in all directions. *(Person wearing a shirt that says Qi is picked up and carried away)
d) Holding: The Spleen Qi has the function of holding blood in the vessels, Urine and Semen are held in place by Kidney Qi, Lung Qi and Wei Qi hold the pores closed.
*(Person is holding another person tightly: or a person stuffing a large cork into
large container)
e) Raising: Spleen Qi raises up the internal organs *(Person wearing a shirt that says Spleen Qi is holding up some type of internal organ, whether fake or real)
f) Protecting: Wei Qi protects the body from exterior pathogens. *( Person wearing a cape and tights is standing in front of another person. The “Wei Qi” has his arms crossed and is looking fiercely at a pathogen who is trying to get past him to the other person).
g) Warming: Yang Qi warms the body. *( A person wearing a shirt that says Yang Qi is pointing their hands at another person, digital effects of some kind of red lights coming from the hands and warming the other person).
- relationships

3) Shen
Shen is the most refined and subtle of the Three Treasures.

Blood and Body Fluids
A) Blood
- introduction and definitions
According to TCM theory, Blood is a denser form of Qi. It is said that “Blood is the mother of Qi” and “Qi is the Commander of Blood.” The first saying refers to the inseparability of Blood and Qi. The second saying refers to the Qi function of propelling blood throughout the body. In this instance, Blood is yin and Qi is yang. Blood is the substance, and Qi is the function.
Blood is formed primarily from Food Qi. The idea is generally that Food Qi is sent by the Spleen first to the Lung, and then to the Heart, where it is converted into Blood via the Yuan Qi. (Whether there is any real physiological basis for this I’m not sure). Another idea, from the “Discussion on Blood” (Tong Zong Hai, 1884) (Mac 48), states that the reason Food Qi is transformed into blood by the heart is because the Heart pertains to Fire which is Yang and red in color. The Yang gives rise to Blood which is Yin and red in color.
Another factor in the formation of Blood, is that the Kidneys store the Essence which produces Marrow. Marrow produces the Bone Marrow that aids in the formation of Blood. In this regard, it can be seen that Blood formation depends on both the Pre and Post Heaven; the Kidney and the Spleen.
It is also important to note that Essence and Blood are very closely related. Essence can be transformed into Blood, and at the same time, Blood functions to replenish the Essence. Thus it is said in TCM theory that Liver and Kidney have the same origin.
- functions
The Blood flows with the Nutritive Qi throughout the body and functions to nourish and moisten the body. The Liver Blood, for instance, is said to nourish the tendons and sinews, eyes, hair, and skin, while Heart Blood is said to moisten the tongue. The Blood also has the very important function of housing the mind or “Shen”. An insufficiency of Blood leads to instability of the mind, and this in turn can lead to restlessness and insomnia.
The close relationship between Blood and Qi can also be noted in the fact that after a significant loss of Blood, one will show signs of Qi deficiency. Conversely, Qi deficiency can lead to spontaneous sweating, which in turn will deplete the Blood.
- relationships
a) Heart: Governs the Blood and vessels and propels the Blood throughout the body via the Heart Qi. The Heart is also where the Blood is said to be manufactured from Food Qi, transformed by Original Qi and Heart Yang. Blood in turn, keeps the Heart Yang in balance and prevents overheating. The Heart, along with the Liver, and Spleen, are said to be the three organs most intimately connected with the Blood.
b) Spleen: As we have mentioned previously, Spleen sends the Food Qi up to the Lungs, then Heart where it is transformed into Blood. The Spleen is also said to keep the Blood in the vessels via the Holding function.
c) Liver: Liver is said to store the blood, and Liver Blood is said to directly control the moistening of the eyes, tendons, hair, and skin. In addition, Liver Blood supplies the uterus with Blood.
d) Lungs: The Lungs as we have seen, assist the Spleen in sending Food Qi to the Heart where it is converted into Blood. The Lungs are also said to control the Blood Vessels by assisting the Heart Qi in propelling Blood throughout the body.
e) Kidneys: As we have seen, the Original Qi, which is closely associated with the Kidneys, is crucial to the transformation of Food Qi into Blood. Also, we have seen that Kidney Essence can be converted into Blood and that Essence gives rise to Marrow which helps to produce Blood.
f) Generally their are four primary components to Qi/Blood relationship.
g) Qi generates the Blood: Food Qi is sent up to the Lung, and Heart, and converted into Blood via the Original Qi. Thus, when Qi is deficient, Blood will also become deficient.
h) Qi moves Blood: Lung Qi along with Heart Qi (?) is said to propel the Blood through the vessels.
i) Qi holds the Blood: Spleen Qi holds the Blood in the vessels.
j) Blood nourishes Qi: Blood serves to anchor the Qi and helps prevent Qi from rising upward. Blood also provides nutrition and sustains the Qi, thus it is said “Blood is the Mother of Qi”. Again, it is worth mentioning that Qi can transform into Blood and Blood can transform into Qi. Blood can also transform into essence and Essence can transform into Blood.
B) Body Fluids:
Introductions and Definitions:
The body fluids are another component of the vital substances. Sweat, tears, mucus, saliva, synovial fluid, and (lymph?), all fit into the category of body fluids.
The Body Fluids like the Blood, have their humble beginnings in the food and drink that we take in. The food and drink are transformed and transported by the Spleen. The pure fluids are sent to the Lung, where they are “misted” over the skin, and part of them are sent down to the Kidneys. The turbid fluids are sent by the Spleen to the Small Intestine. The Small Intestine further extracts pure fluids from the turbid and sends them to the Bladder. The Small Intestine sends the remainder of the turbid fluids to the Large Intestine where some of them are reabsorbed and some are excreted in the stool. The Bladder meanwhile, further separates the fluids it received into a pure part, which is sent to the exterior of the body to form sweat, and a turbid part, which is excreted as urine. The transforming power of the Bladder Qi is said to be provided by Kidney Yang. For this reason, the Kidneys are termed “The Lower Source of Water.”
Functions:
Again, the pure fluids are generally transported upward, while the turbid are transported downward. The pure fluids are sent to the Lung which is called the “Upper Source of Water”. From the Lung, some of the fluids are spread over the skin, while some of the fluids are sent down to the Kidney to help nourish Yin. The turbid fluids are sent to the Small Intestine, then from the Small Intestine to the Bladder and Large Intestine.
The body fluids are generally divided into the categories of Jin and Ye. The Jin fluids are the clear, light fluids that circulate with the Defensive Qi on the exterior of the body. They lubricate the skin and muscles and help to prevent exterior pathogens from entering the body. The Lungs are in charge of “misting” the Jin fluids over the skin. The Jin fluids are exuded as sweat (along with the pure from the Bladder?), tears, saliva, and mucus. The Jin fluids also serve to keep the Blood from becoming too thick. They constitute some of the watery portion of the blood.
The Ye fluids are thicker fluids that constitute synovial fluid and other thick fluids of the body. They serve to moisten the spine, joints, brain, and bone marrow. They also, along with the Ye fluids, help nourish the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Relationships:
The body fluids are intimately related to Qi in that, Qi transforms and transports body fluids. The Qi prevents stasis and accumulation of fluids in the body and also serves to keep the body fluids inside the body, via the holding function.
A deficiency of Qi, especially of the Spleen, Lung, or Kidney will have a detrimental effect on the production and dissemination of body fluids, not to mention the ability to hold fluids inside the body. Conversely, excessive loss of fluids, through sweat for instance, will weaken the Qi; specifically, the Lung and Wei Qi.
Body Fluids and Blood also have a reciprocal relationship in that, body fluids help to nourish and keep the Blood from coagulating, and Blood provides some of the material basis for Body Fluids. Again, large loss of Blood can lead to a deficiency of Body Fluid and vice-versa. In pathology, Body Fluids can be either deficient, or can accumulate to form edema or phlegm.