Zang Fu Organs Flashcards
What are the Zang organs?
Liver
Heart
Pericardium
Spleen
Lung
Kidney
What are the Fu organs?
Gall bladder
Small intestine
Triple heater
Stomach
Large intestine
Bladder
What are the Extraordinary Fu Organs?
Vessels
Gallbladder
Brain
Marrow
Bones
Uterus
(Hollow organs like regular Fu organs)
What body function does the heart control?
Sweating
What does the heart dominate?
Blood and blood vessels
The Heart’s ability to maintain blood flow depends on what?
Heart Qi
How does the Heart “dominate the blood and vessels”?
The Heart governs the circulations of Blood through the vessels, as well as the health of the vasculature
Where is the heart opening?
Tongue (or gingiva)
Controls color and appearance
What does the heart house?
The mind (Shen)
Mental activity, memory, sleep
Abnormal sweating is a sign of what deficiency?
Heart Yang/Qi deficiency - day time sweating
Heart Yin/Blood deficiency - night time sweating
Describe tongue color and pulse for an animal with vigorous (normal) Heart Qi and ample Blood.
Healthy peachy-pink colored tongue and gingiva
Regular, strong pulse
Describe the Shen of an animal with Heart Blood deficiency.
Restlessness and anxiety
What part of the tongue represents the heart?
The tip
What are the signs of Heart Qi/Blood deficiency?
Pale tongue
Weak, thready pulse
Dry tongue - blood deficiency
Wet tongue - Qi deficiency
Describe the color of the tongue in an animal with Heart excess
Dark red tongue
(heat accumulation)
What is the function of the heart?
Circulation of Qi and blood
What is the function of the pericardium?
Protects the heart
In practice considered the same as the heart and treated the same as the heart
What are the (4) functions of the lung?
Governs Qi for the entire body
Dominates movement of Qi and fluids
Regulates water balance in the body
Controls the skin and hair coat
What is Zong Qi and how is it formed?
Pectoral Qi
Inhale Qing/Cosmic Qi which combines with Gu Qi from the spleen
What clinical signs are typically seen with Lung Qi Stagnation?
Respiratory disorders
Cough and asthma
What are the clinical signs of Lung Qi Deficiency?
Weak respiratory function
Shortness of breath and generalized lethargy
Where does the lung open?
Nose
Lung is a canopy over the other organs and very delicate
Easily affected by pathogens (wind, heat, cold or dryness)
How does the Lung dominate ascending movement of Qi and Body Fluid?
It distributes Wei Qi and Body fluids to warm and nourish the body surface (called skin-hair and Pimao)
It distributes refined fluid from the Spleen to the skin, muscle, and other tissues
What happens when the Lung Qi (Zong Qi) fails to ascend?
STAGNATION!
Coughing and obstructed respiration
How does the Lung dominate descending movement of Qi and Body Fluid?
It distributes the Body Fluid to the Kidney, which vaporizes some of the fluids back up to the lung
Then the Lung and Kidney send the rest of the Body Fluids down to the Bladder to become urine
Sweating, anhidrosis, dry skin, dry coat, or hair loss are clinical signs of what deficiency?
Lung Qi deficiency
How does the Lung control the body surface, skin, and hair?
It controls the open-close mechanism of the sweat pores (Han-kong), which are the gate of Qi
What are the (3) functions of the spleen?
Governs transformation and transportation
Controls the blood
Dominates muscles and limb health
What is the importance of transformation and transportation functions of the spleen?
Metabolizing food and drink to create Food Essence (Gu Qi) and supervising water metabolism
These functions replenish energy int he body and nourish the Zang-fu organs, limbs, muscles, bones, and skin
Describe transformation and transportation of Food Essence.
(controlling digestion, absorption, and nutrient transportation)
After the Spleen uses digestion and absorption to extract Gu Qi from food and drink, the Spleen transports the Food Essence to the Lung and heart. From there, the Food Qi travels via meridians to the entire body to nourish the tissues