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"By observing myself, I learn about others, and their diseases become apparent to me. By observing the external, I gather knowledge about the internal. One should watch for things out of the ordinary. One should observe minute and trifling things and treat them as if they were big and important. When they are treated the danger they pose will be dissipated." - Huang Di Nei Jing

Zang-Fu Organs

Of the many principles of traditional Asian medical theory, a few fundamental ones will be discussed. These are: Yin and Yang Theory Five Elements Theory Vital Substances Theory Zang-Fu Organ Theory External Causes of Disease Internal Causes of Disease

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The theory of the Internal Organs is considered to be the core of traditional Asian medical theory. As such, it is the most important basis for clinical practice. One of the reasons for its importance is that, of all the other theories applicable to the medicine, Internal Organs theory is the most comprehensive and multifaceted. It is comprehensive in its application of the Mind-Body-Spirit aspects. It is multifaceted in its interrelationships between the organs, Yin and Yang, the Vital Substances, Five Elements, physiology and pathology.

'Zang' means Yin. 'Fu' means Yang. Together, the words Zang-Fu describe the theory of Yin and Yang Internal Organs system.

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Yin-Yang Organ Pairs

In traditional Asian medicine there are six Yin organs paired with their related six Yang organs. They are:

Yin Organs		Yang Organs
Liver	paired with	Gall Bladder
Heart	paired with	Small Intestines
Pericardium	paired with	San Jiao
Spleen	paired with	Stomach
Lungs	paired with	Large Intestines
Kidneys	paired with	Bladder

The relationship between a Yin organ and its paired Yang organ is mostly based on function and energetics. For example, the Liver produces bile and is in charge of the free flow of Qi. Its paired organ, the Gall Bladder, stores and excretes the bile and also helps the Liver's function of facilitating Qi flow. If the Liver is in disharmony, the Gall Bladder is often also affected - either in its organ function, channel function or in some area of shared responsibility such as the tissues, sense organs, emotions, Vital Substances, etc.


Yin Organs
Yin organs are defined by structure and storage of pure, refined substances. They store the Vital Substances (Qi, Blood, Essence and Body Fluids) received from the Yang organs. Yin organs do not have a direct opening to the exterior of the body. Due to the lack of direct access to the exterior of the body, the Yin organs are considered the 'Interior' organ in their pair-up with their respective Yang Organ counterpart.


Yang Organs
Yang organs are defined by function and excretion of waste products. They are hollow organs and do not store but are constantly filled and emptied. They transform food and drink in order to extract pure essences which are passed on to the Yin organs for storage. Yang organs have a direct opening to the exterior of the body. Due to this direct access to the exterior of the body, the Yang organs are considered the 'Exterior' organ in their pair-up with their respective Yin Organ counterpart.


Six Extraordinary Yang Organs
There are six other 'organs' in traditional Asian medicine categorized under a special section called the Six Extraordinary Yang Organs. They are extraordinary because, they function like Yin organs by storing some refined essence such as Blood, Bile, or Marrow. But they are shaped like the hollow Yang organs. Together, they complete and integrate the topography and physiology of the Internal Organs.

• Uterus
• Brain
• Marrow
• Bones
• Blood Vessels
• Gall Bladder

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Organ Correspondences

The Internal Organs are functionally related to various aspects of the body in the following ways:

• Spirit: Each Organ is said to house a spirit aspect of the Mind-Body-Spirit complex. For example, the Liver houses the Ethereal Soul (Hun) which is the metaphysical aspect of the spirit that survives and leaves the body upon death. The Ethereal Soul is anchored by the Liver-Blood. In Liver disharmonies, the Ethereal Soul may float at night rather than being anchored by the Liver-Blood, thus leading to insomnia and/or excessive dreaming. 

• Emotions: Each Organ is associated with a particular emotion or category of emotions. This relationship is mutual so that a disharmony in an Organ can affect the emotion to which it is related, and an emotional disturbance can affect the Organ function. For example, the Liver is associated with Anger. A Liver disharmony can manifest through the various traits of Anger including irritability, frustration, moodiness, depression, etc. In the reverse, acute or prolonged state of Anger can disturb the Liver function of Qi flow to produce physical symptoms.  
• It should be noted that although each Organ is associated with a particular group of emotions, all disharmonies resulting from Mental-Emotional stress have an effect on the Heart.  
• While a particular emotion may find expression within the sphere of influence and through the traits dominated by its associated organ, it is the Heart that feels it and enables the expression of it.  

• Vital Substances: The Organs ensure the production, maintenance, storage, replenishment, transformation and transportation of the Vital Substances. Each Vital Substance is primarily governed by a particular organ, secondarily controlled by another organ, and widely supported by the other organs. For example, Blood is Governed by the Heart as it is the Heart which infuses life (Qi) into the Blood to make it move within the blood vessels. However, Blood is Controlled by the Spleen which has a part in making Blood out of Food-Qi, and in holding the Blood in the blood vessels. The other organs supporting the creation, maintenance and function of it are the Lungs which provide the Qi to make Blood, the Liver which stores Blood, and the Kidneys which help make Blood by providing Kidney Essence.

• Tissues: There is a functional relationship between the Internal Organs and the tissues of the body. This relationship can be diagnostically useful so that the state of the Organ can be deduced by the state of the tissue to which it is related. For example, the Liver controls the Sinews. In Liver disharmonies, there can be symptoms related to the sinews and tendons such as spasms and contractions or weakness.

• Sense Organs: The health and vitality of a particular sense organ relies on the nourishment by a particular Internal Organ. For example, the Liver controls Eyes and sight. If Liver is deficient in Blood or Yin, the eyes may experience pathologies such as dryness and poor vision. Alternatively, if the Liver is suffering from an Excess pathogen such as Heat, the eyes may be red, swollen and painful.

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Organ Interrelationships

No organ is an isolated entity but exists and functions within an integrated system. The understanding of how one organ interrelates with another is one of the most important aspects of traditional Asian medicine. The idea of balance and harmony particularly applies to the proper functioning of each Internal Organ within the team-work setting of the body's physiology. Any over-function or under-function of an Organ can disrupt the balance of power and skew the energetic harmony. Such a disruption will produce a cascading effect throughout the entire body-system.

The various interrelationships between the organs are much too complex to be adequately explained in summary. For example, it is not difficult to explain that the Heart and Kidneys have a relationship by virtue of Fire (Heart) and Water (Kidneys). Heart Fire must descend to warm Kidney Water. Kidney Water must ascend to nourish and cool Heart Fire. They must be in balance as Fire and Water represent the two fundamental poles of Yin and Yang. In an imbalance scenario, Fire may either be excessive and dry up the Water, or Fire may be deficient and become doused by Water.

What is difficult to enumerate, outside of the many volumes of Asian medical literature dedicated to this topic, are the numerous cascading effects on all their related tissues, sense organs, Vital Substances and other Internal Organs. For example, if Heart Fire is excessive, it may dry up the Kidney Water, create Heat in the Blood which it governs, cause Blood to 'move recklessly' out of the Blood Vessels which it controls, dry up the Body Fluids which depend on the Blood and Kidney Water, disturb the Mind and sleep which are rooted in Blood, affect the Spleen and Liver through their relationships with Blood, and cause further cascading down the Kidney, Spleen and Liver areas of pathology. The possibilities are limitless.

It is the comprehensiveness of the Interrelationships that endows the Medicine with the holism to heal the Mind, Body and Spirit. It is this far-reaching philosophy of the art and science of healing that presents the practitioner with no uncertain challenges. Such is the dilemma of the Healer. Such is the power of the Medicine.

For lack of a better way to present a few rudimentary concepts and Organ correspondences, presented here is a table listing those few.


Zang-Fu Organ Correspondences

	Zang (Yin) Organ	Fu (Yang) Organ
Organ Pairs	Liver	Gall Bladder
Element	Wood
Season	Spring
Climate	Wind
Functions	-Stores Blood -Ensures smooth flow of Qi -Controls Sinews -Controls Basal and Reflex Tears	-Stores and excretes Bile -Controls Decisiveness -Controls Sinews
Spirit housed	-Ethereal Soul (Hun: metaphysical soul which survives the body at death and ascends to the heavens) -Long-term planning	-Courage to make decisions -Decisiveness
Emotions	Related to Anger
Vital Substances	Liver stores Blood
Tissues	Sinews and Tendons
Sense Organs	Opens to the Eyes
Body Fluids	Tears
Manifestation	Manifests in the Nails
Tastes	Sour
Odors	Rancid
Sounds	Shouting
Color	Green
Circadian Time	1am-3am	11pm-1am
Organ Pairs	Heart / Pericardium	Small Intestines / San Jiao
Element	Fire
Season	Summer
Climate	Heat
Functions	-Governs Blood -Houses the Mind (Shen) -Controls Sweat	Small Intestines: -Controls receiving & transforming foods and fluids -Separates fluids San Jiao: -Influences Yuan Qi -Controls transportation of Qi -Controls water passages & excretion of fluids
Spirit housed	-Mind (Shen: the complex of mental-emotional-spiritual aspects) -Long term memory	Mental Clarity
Emotions	Related to Joy
Vital Substances	Heart governs Blood
Tissues	Controls Blood Vessels
Sense Organs	Opens to the Tongue
Body Fluids	Sweat
Manifestation	Manifests on Facial Complexion
Tastes	Bitter
Odors	Scorched, Burnt
Sounds	Laughing
Color	Red
Time	Heart: 11am-1pm / PC: 7pm-9pm	S I: 1pm-3pm / San Jiao: 9pm-11pm
Organ Pairs	Spleen (and Pancreas)	Stomach
Element	Earth
Season	Late Summer
Climate	Dampness
Functions	-Governs transformation and transportation -Controls ascending of Qi -Controls making & holding of Blood -Controls Muscles and Four Limbs	-Controls receiving food & drinks -Controls rotting and ripening of food -Controls transportation of food Essence -Controls descending of Qi Is the origin of fluids
Spirit housed	-Intellect (Yi) -Thinking, concentrating, short-term memory	Manic behavior, hyperactivity
Emotions	Related to Pensiveness (Overthinking)
Vital Substances	Spleen governs Food-Qi; holds Blood
Tissues	Muscles
Sense Organs	Opens to the Mouth
Body Fluids	Saliva
Manifestation	Manifests on Lips
Tastes	Sweet
Odors	Fragrant, Sweetish
Sounds	Singing
Color	Yellow
Time	9am-11am	7am-9am
Organ Pairs	Lungs	Large Intestines
Element	Metal
Season	Autumn
Climate	Dryness
Functions	-Governs Qi and respiration -Control Channels & Blood Vessels -Regulate water passages -Control Skin and spaces between Skin and Muscles	-Controls passage and conduction -Transforms stools and reabsorbs fluids
Spirit housed	Corporeal Soul (Po: the somatic expression of the mind-spirit complex giving the capacity of sensation, feeling, hearing and sight.)	"Letting go" of the past
Emotions	Related to Worry
Vital Substances	Lungs govern Qi and influence Body Fluids
Tissues	Skin
Sense Organs	Opens to the Nose
Body Fluids	Nasal Mucus
Manifestation	Manifests in Body Hair
Tastes	Pungent
Odors	Rotten, Rank
Sounds	Crying
Color	White
Time	3am-5am	5am-7am
Organ Pairs	Kidneys	Bladder
Element	Water
Season	Winter
Climate	Cold
Functions	-Stores Essence -Governs Birth, Growth, Reproduction & -Development -Produces Marrow, fills Brain & controls Bones -Governs Water -Controls receiving of Qi -Controls Gate of Life (Ming Men)	Excretion of Water
Spirit housed	Will-power (Zhi)	Jealousy, suspicion, grudges
Emotions	Related to Fear
Vital Substances	Kidneys store Essence and influence Body Fluids
Tissues	Bones
Sense Organs	Opens to the Ears
Body Fluids	Spittle
Manifestation	Manifests in Head Hair
Tastes	Salty
Odors	Putrid
Sounds	Groaning
Color	Black, Dark
Time	5pm-7pm	3pm-5pm

Origins and Approach   |   Yin and Yang   |   Five Elements  |   Vital Substances   |   Zang-Fu Organs