The Interplay of Wuxing and Wuzang: Understanding Yuanqi and Traditional Herbal Medicine

01 Relationship Between Wuzang and Yuanqi

What is the relationship between the five internal organs and yuanqi? In traditional herbal medicine, the five internal organs form a comprehensive system that encompasses a wide range of body functions. This system includes not only visible organs but also invisible and intangible elements such as meridians and yuanqi.

For instance, the liver is responsible for the release of yuanqi. Thus, the liver is included in this system, but it also encompasses the subtle functions of cleansing blood waste, which can only be understood through the wuxing classification in traditional herbal medicine.

02 Wuzang Five Internal Organs

The five internal organs in traditional herbal medicine are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. These organs represent different states or positions of yuanqi’s operation. Here is a diagram to illustrate their relationship:

• Bi (Spleen): Located at the center of the circle, responsible for generating yuanqi.
• Liver: Positioned on the left, responsible for the rising process of yuanqi.
• Heart: At the top, where yuanqi rises and stops.
• Lung: On the right, responsible for the falling process of yuanqi.
• Kidney: At the bottom, where the falling of yuanqi stops.

It’s important to note that these designations are simplified and include more than just the anatomical organs. Therefore, the functions of the five internal organs (wuzang) in traditional herbal medicine are essentially the functions of yuanqi in different parts of the body.

These functions can be observed in natural phenomena, such as water circulation. The wuxing notations of jin, mu, shui, huo, and tu, and the wuzang notations of xin, gan, bi, fei, and shen, indicate the operation of specific parts of the yuanqi cycle rather than pointing to specific substances.

03 The Correction of the Wuxing Diagram by Huang Yuanyu

The most popular illustration of wuxing (five elements) marks the order of mutual generation and mutual restraint between the five elements:

01 Mutual Generation:

• Gan-mu (liver-wood) generates xin-huo (heart-fire)
• Xin-huo (heart-fire) generates bi-tu (spleen-earth)
• Bi-tu (spleen-earth) generates fei-jin (lung-gold)
• Fei-jin (lung-gold) generates shen-shui (kidney-water)
• Shen-shui (kidney-water) generates gan-mu (liver-wood)

02 Mutual Restraint:

• Gan-mu (liver-wood) restrains bi-tu (spleen-earth)
• Bi-tu (spleen-earth) restrains shen-shui (kidney-water)
• Shen-shui (kidney-water) restrains xin-huo (heart-fire)
• Xin-huo (heart-fire) restrains fei-jin (lung-gold)
• Fei-jin (lung-gold) restrains gan-mu (liver-wood)

After the Ming Dynasty, this diagram was widely accepted until Huang Yuanyu in the Qing Dynasty re-evaluated the yin-yang and wuxing relationships in his medical work. He argued that the traditional diagram was incorrect.

04 Central proposition of Huang Yuanyu

According to Huang Yuanyu, the wuxing diagram should be revised as follows:

• The spleen and stomach, representing earth, should be at the center.
• The circulation of human yuanqi centers on the spleen and stomach (earth). The spleen is responsible for ascending, driving yuanqi upward, thus yang deficiency diseases are related to the spleen. The stomach is responsible for descending, driving yuanqi downward, thus yin deficiency diseases are related to the stomach.

Huang Yuanyu’s adjustment to the wuxing diagram significantly impacted the history of traditional herbal medicine. He proposed a core principle: cultivating the central-earth, supporting yang, and suppressing yin.

Looking ahead

For more herbal medical theories of Huang Yuanyu and his contributions to traditional herbal medicine, and how it helps in rejuvenating our health, stay tuned for the next episode.

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