An Introduction to the Organs & Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Posted by Josh Gape onTCM (in a nutshell)
The Organs According To TCM
Liver & Gallbladder
This pair of organs is connected to the Spring season – nature’s ‘new year’, when the world returns to life after the darkness of Winter. Physically, these organs are all about supporting detoxification and digestion, as well as the metabolism of hormones. If they’re functioning poorly, we may experience issues such as digestive disturbances, estrogen dominance, blood sugar imbalance, nausea, malabsorption of nutrients, metabolic issues, lack of energy and even skin issues. Emotionally, the liver and gallbladder relate to anger. It is said that if we haven’t properly processed anger, we hold it in the liver, which can cause mood swings, aggravation and irritability, but also menstrual problems, over-production of acid from the gallbladder leading to acid reflux symptoms, and headaches. For women, many PMS symptoms such as irritability, cramping and bloating can be traced to liver congestion. We’ll cover how to care for these organs in later articles, but for now, processing anger and consuming liver, leafy greens and bitter foods can all help.
Heart & Small Intestine
This pair of organs is connected to Summer, the most ‘yang’ season of the year. They’re physically connected to vitality and an abundance of energy, since the heart pumps blood and oxygen around the body, and the small intestine absorbs vital nutrients. Signs of imbalances in the heart and small intestine can include low energy, malabsorption of nutrients, digestive issues, as well as feeling cold often. Emotionally, the heart is said to hold our ‘shen’ or ‘spirit’, and is also thought of as the place we hold our highest potential. It also connects to the emotion of joy. The small intestine governs our ability to separate the necessary from the unnecessary in life, and to have clarity in our decisions. If we’ve been denying ourselves joy in life, this can show up with deficient heart energy, and as the heart pumps blood throughout the entire body, this has a knock-on effect on all other organs, especially those that rely on abundant blood flow. If the small intestine isn’t nourished enough, this can make us feel cloudy and unsure of ourselves. We’ll dive further into this organ pairing in a later article, but for now, experiencing and expressing joy, taking time to focus on what your priorities are in life, and consuming heart, red foods such as gogi berries, meat and radish can all contribute to caring for these organs.
Spleen & Stomach
The Spleen and Stomach come into focus in Autumn, when focusing on digestive health just before Winter is key. The stomach and spleen link to the emotion of worry – ever felt your stomach ‘tied in a knot’ when you’ve been worrying about something? Or the anxious ‘butterflies in the stomach’ feeling? You may have also felt how your digestion or elimination is impacted when you’re worried, or how your appetite may change when you’re worrying. Physically, worry can put us into ‘fight or flight’ mode, when digestion is suppressed and cortisol is raised, but it can also cause us to perhaps reach for comfort foods, which often aren’t the best choices for keeping the stomach and spleen healthy. Bloating, constipation or loose stools, poor appetite and low energy are all signs of deficient stomach and spleen energy, whilst constantly worrying may be a sign of ‘stuck’ emotions in these organs. Journaling, talking worries through with someone you trust, consuming digestive herbs and organs and eating yellow foods are all ways to care for the stomach and spleen until we explore them further in another article.
Lungs & Large Intestine
The lungs and large intestine are connected to Autumn, as well as the emotion of grief, which is said to be stored in the lungs. Physically and emotionally, poor lung and large intestine function can result in low energy, frequent coughs and colds, asthma, as well as a timid voice or even loss of voice. Storing grief in the lungs can also contribute to these physical issues, as well as often feeling sad, and holding on to past memories. Whilst the lungs connect to grief, the large intestine is all about ‘letting go’ physically and emotionally, so we may find that when we release old emotions, physical symptoms that have been aggravating us for a while can often disappear too. Processing grief, de-cluttering, consuming naturally white foods such as onions and garlic, as well as using herbs such as thyme, ginger and eucalyptus can all support lung health, especially in Autumn. We’ll look into these further in a later article.
The organ pairing comes into focus in Winter, the most ‘yin’ season of the year with dark, cold days and long nights. Physically, the kidneys and bladder manage our fluid and electrolyte balance, but they also connect to our ‘vital essence’ or ‘Jing’. When a person’s Jing is abundant, we feel strong, vibrant, with strong immunity, good fertility, an ability to manage stress, and with sound sleep. If our Jing is depleted through stress, illness, over-working, or pushing ourselves too hard in general, we may start to notice symptoms of imbalance, such as fatigue, poor sleep, increased susceptibility to illness, as well as hormonal imbalances. From the perspective of TCM, the kidneys also connect to the adrenals, so deficient kidney energy can also show up as depleted adrenals or even adrenal fatigue. The bladder relates to fear, so addressing our fears is a powerful way to nourish this organ and keep ourselves balanced. Slowing down in Winter, consuming warm foods, keeping the body warm (especially the feet and lower back), and eating kidney itself are all helpful ways to look after these organs until we delve deeper into them in a later article.
