The spleen in Chinese medicine is not the spleen in Western anatomy, but summarizes the comprehensive functions of the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and other organs (the rest of the heart, liver, lung, and kidney) are not what Western medicine anatomy says. The heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys refer to the heart-fire system, liver-wood system, lung-gold system, and kidney water system in Chinese medicine.
The spleen belongs to the spleen-soil system in the five elements. It is the “production factory” of human qi and blood. Its physiological function is “main transportation and transformation”, which is to digest food into nutrients (that is, qi and blood) and transport them to all parts of the body. .
Physicians of the past dynasties have attached great importance to the health preservation of the spleen and stomach. “The Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic” pointed out: “The spleen is the foundation of acquired nature, which governs the movement and transformation of blood and anger.” This means that the spleen and stomach are the “acquired foundation” of human health and the source of the vitality and blood biochemistry of the five internal organs. The function of the spleen and stomach is also closely related to a person’s emotions, and overthinking can damage the spleen. For example, the reason why Zhuge Liang died at only 54 in the Three Kingdoms period was because he was overworked and overthinking, which caused him not to think about eating and drinking, and weakened his spleen and stomach, which eventually led to insufficient qi and blood production and passed away.
Chinese medicine has a trick to understand the rise and fall of the body’s qi and blood, which is to observe the color of the lips. Because the spleen opens to the mouth, the color of the lips represents the ups and downs of qi and blood. If the mouth and lips are pale or dull and colorless, it means that the temperament is insufficient and the qi and blood produced are not enough. Most of the person has a deficiency of qi and blood.
Abnormalities of the spleen and stomach system, often manifested as indigestion, loss of appetite, abdominal distension after eating, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, gastritis, gastrointestinal ulcers and other symptoms. We can judge whether the spleen and stomach function is good by the presence or absence of these symptoms. If these symptoms appear, there is a problem with the spleen and stomach system, so what should we do?
According to the five-element health culture of harmony between man and nature, Chinese medicine believes that the yellow color, sweet taste, and the pronunciation of hu (hu) are related to the spleen and stomach and belong to the spleen soil system, which can nourish and nourish the qi of the spleen and stomach. Therefore, people with poor spleen and stomach should wear yellow clothes. The color of the room can be yellow. You should eat more yellow and sweet foods in your diet, such as millet, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkin, soybeans, etc., which are good products for nourishing the spleen and stomach. Frequent “hu” sound in daily life is also helpful for spleen and stomach functions. Sound can heal illness, isn’t it too mysterious? In fact, it is not mysterious at all. The phonological health preservation of Chinese medicine is similar to the music therapy of Western medicine. “Historical Records * Music Book” says: “Musicians, turbulent blood, circulating spirit.” It can be seen that sound can indeed reflect a person’s physical condition and can also promote disease recovery.
There is also the power to nourish the spleen and stomach in our body. For example, there is a saying among the folks that “massing Zusanli every day is equivalent to eating an old hen”, which means that regular patting Zusanli can enhance the function of spleen and stomach transportation and transformation. In addition, you can also do abdominal breathing, rub your abdomen, or squat to strengthen the spleen and stomach.
Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, natto, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Fulingcang Bao are all good medicines for replenishing qi and invigorating the spleen.