vital substances Flashcards
what are the 5 vital substances
qi
blood
body fluids
essence
shen
which vital substances and yin and yang
yin: blood, body fluids, essence
yang: qi, shen
simple definitions:
qi
blood
body fluids
essence
shen
qi- energy, life force
blood-form of qi; nutrients,
body fluids- sweat, saliva, mucus
essence- “jing”- genetic material, constitution , resources you are born with
shen: the mind (spirit, personality, cognition, wisdom)
qi
source of life
-promoting: growth and development
-warming: warmth is maintained by readjusting qi
-defence: wei qi protects the body from exterior attacks
-checking: maintains homeostasis
-nourishing: ying qi and nutritive qi
-qi hua: function of the organs i.e. lung qi= lung function
7 types of qi
-yuan qi- original qi
-food qi- gu qi
-zong qi- gathering qi
-ying qi- nutritive qi
-wei qi- defensive qi
-zang-fu (organ) qi
-zhen qi- true qi
yuan qi/ original qi
-rooted in the kidneys and transported through the body by the san jiao
-the greater the yuan qi, the greater the zang-fu activity and vice versa
-part of us that is inherited; derived from pre-heaven essence
-needs to be supplemented and nourished by food essence
-can be depleted by:
-excess activity/ lack of rest long term
-prolonged illness which requires more qi
-increased ejaculations for males
-increased pregnancies for females
food qi/ gu qi
-grains of qi
-first stage in the transformation of food into qi
-food enters the stomach and first ‘rotted and ripened’ and then transformed into food qi by the spleen. this food qi is not yet in a form usable by the body
-food qi rises to the chest (lungs) and combines with air to form zong qi (gathering qi)
-food qi also goes to the heart, where it is transformed to blood
zong qi/ gathering qi
-formed from the interaction between food qi and air
-closely related to the function of the heart and lungs
-assists the heart and lungs to push qi and blood to the limbs
-also gathers in the throat and assists in speech
zhen qi/ true qi
-last stage of transformation of qi
-its the vital qi, the righteous qi
-zong (gathering) qi is transformed into true qi catalyzed by original qi
-assumes 2 forms: ying qi and wei qi
-ying qi- nutritive qi
-interior
-from food extracted by spleen and stomach
-a refined qi made from food, air and yuan qi
-not food qi which is unrefined
-nutritive: nourishes the internal organs; closely linked to blood that flows in the channels and blood vessels
wei qi- defensive qi
-defends against external pathogens such as wind, heat, cold and dampness
-protects muscular sufraces
-moistens the skin and hair
-makes adjustments of the body temperature
-warms up the zang-fu organs
zang-fu (organ) qi
function of the organs;
zang organs- yin organs- solid organs
fu organs-yang organs- hallow organs
locations/ organs
-yuan qi- original qi
-food qi- gu qi
-zong qi- gathering qi
-ying qi- nutritive qi
-wei qi- defensive qi
-zang-fu (organ) qi
-zhen qi- true qi
-yuan qi- original qi: kidneys and transported via san jiao
-food qi- gu qi: stomach and spleen
-zong qi- gathering qi: heart and lungs
-ying qi- nutritive qi: blood that flows in the channels and blood vessels
-wei qi- defensive qi; skin, hair, pores (btwn skin and muscles)
-zang-fu (organ) qi - all yin and yang organs
-zhen qi- true qi
what qi is blood mainly formed from?
food qi
blood
-formed from mainly food qi
-food qi from the spleen and stomach rises to the chest where it is acted upon by yuan qi
-at this point it is known as blood
-but blood is not complete (blood) until it is sent to the heart where heart turns blood red
-“heart governs blood”
blood functions
-nourishment and moisture; movement of the eyes and 4 limbs
-nourished hair, sinews, bones, bowels
-foundation of mental activities; houses the mind
-circulates with ying qi
-determines menstrauation
what qi does blood ciruclate with
ying qi/ nutritive qi
qi and blood; which is yin and which is yang
-blood is yin, qi is yang
-qi is the commander of blood and blood is the mother of qi
-qi is yang and it moves blood
-blood is yin and it gives the body nutritional substance to carry
blood and relation to organs; where is is created, supported by, and stored
-the heart is where blood is created from food qi “the heart governs blood”
-the spleen supports keeping blood in its place “the spleen makes blood”
-the liver stored blood
body fluids
-all the fluids within the body
-sweat, saliva, urine, tears, digestive juices
-functions to moisten skin, muscles, organs, mucous membranes and orifices
-classified as either jin (thin) or ye (thick)
thin fluids (jin) vs thick fluids (ye); what organ are the controlled by and what qi do they circulate with
thin fluids (jin)
-circulate with defensive qi
-controlled by the lung
thick fluids (ye)
-circulate with nutritive qi
-controlled by the spleen and kidney
thin fluids (jin)
-circulate with defensive qi
-controlled by the lung
-warm and nourish muscles and moisten skin
-clear and watery in nature
-found on mucous membranes and the skin
-becomes the fluid portion of blood
thick fluids (ye)
-circulate with nutritive qi
-controlled by the spleen and kidney
-lubricates joint cavities, bone marrow and cervical spinal fluid
-turbid and viscous in nature
-found in the bowels, brain, bones and viscera
food metabolism
-begins in the stomach where fluids are churned and separated
-spleen further separates the fluid and ascends the pure to the lung and descends the impure to the small intestine
-the small intestine also functions to separate pure from impure and sends the impure to the large intestine or urinary bladder
-the lungs send the more refined portion to the skin, and the less refined portion to the kidneys
-the kidneys send a steam up to the lungs to keep them moist
essence/ jing
primary substance for growth and development
essence types
prenatal and postnatal
prenatal essence
-from parents
-nourishes developing embryo
-creates individuality
postnatal essence
-from food and fluids eat daily
-easiest to change/ improve
essence: 8 year cycle for men
-8 years: essence is full, hair is grown, teeth change
-16 years: essence is abundant: the water of heaven (essence) arrives, the jing qi is able to flow, the yin and yang are in harmony
24 years: the essence plateaus, the tendons and bone are strong, the wisdom teeth come in, and growth is at its peak
32 years: the tendons and bones are at their strongest and the flesh is full and strong
40 years: essence is weakened, hair falls out, teeth are loose
48 years: yang qi is exhausted, the face darkens, the hair whitens
56 years: liver (essence) is weak, tendons cant move, dew of heaven is used up, there is little semen, the kidney is weak, and the appearance and body are at their end
64 years: hair and teeth are gone
when is a male fertile and the water of heaven (essence arrives)? sperm
age 16
when does a man peak and essence plateaus
age 24
when does dew of heaven arrive , merdians start flowing in women? what also happens at this time?
age 14, first menses
when does essence plateau in women?
age 21
what is the order that you draw the circle (start from top and go right) for all the cycles?
fire
earth
metal
water
wood
FEMWaWo
when is yang qi exhausted in men?
48 years
when is dew of heaven used up in men?
56 years
when is conception meridian deficient, penetrating extra meridian exhausted and water of heaven dried up in women?
age 49
7 year cycle for women
7 years: essence is ascendant, the teeth changes and hair grows
14 years: dew of heaven arrives. the conception meridian flows (REN), the penetrating extra meridian is full, the menses come regularly, and the woman can conceive
21 years: essence plateaus, wisdom teeth come in and growth is at its peak
28 years: tendons and bones are strong, hair is at its growing peak, body is strong
35 years: yang brightness meridian weakens, face begins to darken, hair falls out
42 years: three and meridians are weak above in the face, the face is dark, and the hair begins to turn white
49: the conception meridian is deficient, the penetrating extra meridian is exhausted, the water of heaven is dried up, the earth road (the menses) is not open, so weakness and infertility set in
shen (mind)
-closely related to the heart; responsible for many different mental activities
functions:
consciousness
thinking
memory
insight
cognition
wisdom
sleep
intelligence
ideas
affections
feelings
senses
