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
