THE ORGAN MERIDIANS

Table of Contents - Organ Meridians

Liver		Lung
Gallbladder		Large Intestine
Heart		Kidney
Small Intestine		Bladder
Spleen		Pericardium
Stomach		Triple Burner

Thousands of years ago, Chinese yogic masters observed that while they were meditating, they experienced feelings of energy flowing through definite pathways. Eventually, this energy became known as Qi (pronounced Chi) and the pathways became known as meridians or channels. Early yogis found that they could achieve radiant health and spiritual enlightenment by meditating and visualizing the unobstructed flow of "Qi" through these channels. The study of these channels and how to regulate the flow of Qi became the basis for Chinese meditational disciplines such as Nei Gung, the martial arts Tai Qi Chuan and Kung Fu as well as the healing touches of acupressure and acupuncture.

These original eight channels and four subsequently discovered pathways evolved into what is now known as the Chinese Meridian System. Each of the 12 Meridians is named after one of the major organ systems. To understand Chinese organ systems, one must not limit oneself to thinking of a specific organ in a specific anatomic allocation but think of a broad range of generally related physiological and psychological activities.

The Twelve Organ Meridians are categorized into six pairs, each pair containing a Yin organ system and a Yang organ system. Below is a brief description of the Twelve Organ Meridians and their functions.

LIVER

- The Liver is the Yin partner of the Liver/Gallbladder pair. In Western physiology the liver detoxifies the blood, it stores glycogen (sugar) which can be pumped into the blood stream whenever the body's work load needs an increase in energy. The liver processes most hormones and all proteins which are then either stored in the liver or eliminated. The Liver System is more complex. It governs the tendons, ligaments, small muscles and nerves - thus all body movement. An individual with a well-functioning Liver System will be calm and move easily with fluid movements, showing no muscle tension, the tendons are supple and the nails appear pink and moist. When the Liver System is not functioning properly, blood can become stagnant and menstruation can become painful, migraines may occur plus other health problems may appear such as blurry vision or dry eyes, indigestion, constipation, outbursts of temper or difficulty relaxing, brittle nails and faulty sugar metabolism.

GALLBLADDER

- Gallbladder is the Yang partner of the Liver. Physiologically, the gallbladder controls the flow of the bile which is responsible for the digestion of fatty and oily foods. The Gallbladder System is said to provide muscular strength, especially in the legs. It also removes the toxins which create muscular fatigue. The Gallbladder System controls the areas where its meridian flows - thus it controls the shoulders near the nape of the neck, the back of the neck, the eyes, the forehead and the top of the head. A well-functioning Gallbladder System provides visual clarity thereby allowing the individual to "see" circumstances clearly, to be able to think clearly and to have proper judgement. People with blockages of the Gallbladder might have cataracts, glaucoma, muscular aches (especially in the neck and shoulders), tension headaches or have a tendency to become angry easily and make rash decisions or, obversely, to have trouble making any decisions.

HEART

- Heart is the Yin partner of Small Intestine. The heart propels blood through the body. The blood nurtures the body and serves as a vehicle of communication as it continuously travels through the vessels. The tongue allows us to communicate. Therefore, in Chinese logic, the Heart System governs the tongue. Stuttering and other speech defects are said to be caused by an imbalance of the Heart. The Heart also governs the thyroid and thymus glands. It also houses the Spirit. Spirit controls the mind and the emotions, it also governs morality and compassion. A person with a well-functioning Heart System will be articulate, calm, loving, with a healthy radiant complexion. He or she will have a good memory, clear senses and will sleep peacefully.

The Heart can be disturbed by strong emotions such as a sudden shock, great sorrow or even too much joy. Someone experiencing the stress of overwhelming emotions might suffer a heart attack or stroke. If the blood is insufficient, the Spirit will have no house in which to dwell and the Spirit will "wander." This would make the person seem "spacy," forgetful and restless. This individual would suffer from insomnia. Other symptoms would be poor circulation which could in turn lead to problems with blood pressure, shortness of breath, cold or blue fingers or lips.

SMALL INTESTINE

- Small Intestine is the Yang partner of the Heart /Small Intestine pair. The Small Intestine processes food into "pure" and "impure." The liquid waste is conducted to the kidneys and the solid waste to the large intestine. The "pure" or Essence of food is later assimilated by the spleen where it enters the blood and flows to the liver. The Small Intestine governs the "master gland" or pituitary gland which produces a large portion of the hormones that regulate our metabolism, energy level, sexual functions and emotional responses. The endorphins which raise our threshold for pain are created in the pituitary gland. The Small Intestine is said to govern our basic emotions while the Heart governs the more elevated emotions. Disturbances in the Small Intestine System may produce abdominal pain, intestinal rumblings, constipation or diarrhea.

SPLEEN

- Spleen is the Yin partner of Stomach. Many of the Spleen's functions would be attributed more to the pancreas in Western physiology. The Spleen accepts the Essence of Food and converts it to the Qi and Blood that sustain the body and mind. The Spleen regulates the density of the body's soft tissue by shifting fluid from place to place. A well functioning Spleen metabolizes energy and fluids creating a body that is light and mobile. A Spleen in disharmony could cause excess fluid to accumulate, thickening tissue, weighing down and encumbering the body. When this happens a person will feel tired and lack energy and the mind becomes disoriented. Other signs of excess fluid may manifest as the spongy tissues of edema; running or sticky discharges in nose, throat or sinuses; and the swollen painful joints present in arthritis. If the Spleen is deficient, than the opposite would occur, the skin, flesh and limbs would look wrinkled and emaciated and the individual could suffer from anemia, pale lips and nails, dry eyes and blurred vision

The Spleen maintains the tone and the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels. If the Spleen is not functioning properly, these become fragile and bruising, hemorrhages, varicose veins, hemorrhoids or hemophilia may be present.

STOMACH

- The Stomach is the Yang partner of Spleen. The Stomach moistens and breaks down the food — a process the Chinese call "rotting and ripening." It then sends the "impure" portion of this soup down to the intestines for further processing and the "pure" portion to the Spleen. When the Stomach is in disharmony, the individual may experience belching, vomiting, hiccups, stomachache or inflamed gums.

LUNG

- The Lung is the Yin partner of the Large Intestine. The lungs control breathing. The Lung System controls Qi by combining the Qi that we breathe in and the Qi that the Spleen has refined from the Essence of Food into the Qi of bodily life. The Lung guides this new Qi downward from the head into the chest and abdomen and then outward to the muscles, skin and extremities. The skin is considered as part of the Lung System as the body "breathes" through the pores. Therefore, the Lung governs the skin, regulating perspiration by opening and closing the pores. The skin is considered the body's first line of defense - protecting the individual from cold, heat, wind, dampness, bacterial invasion, etc. When someone gets a cold it is believed that this line of defense has been breached and the Lung System is at fault. Other symptoms of a faulty Lung System would be excessive perspiration, irritations of the skin or wrinkles and loss of body hair.

The Lung opens into the nose, providing easy breathing. The throat is said to be the "door" to the Lung and the vocal cords are their "home." The voice is also governed by the Lung. A clear, low voice is a sign of a healthy Lung System. Most common disorders of the nose and throat, upper respiratory infections, coughing, asthma and shortness of breath are attributed to problems of the Lung.

LARGE INTESTINE

- Large Intestine is the Yang partner of the Lung. While the Lung System expels the stale air from the lungs, the Large Intestine System discharges the dregs left of the digestion process. The Large Intestine decides what is "useful" and what is "useless." Following that reasoning, it also governs the discrimination process. The Large Intestine System enables us to differentiate from right and wrong, good and bad. When the Large Intestine is in disharmony, our cognitive capabilities suffer, we can no longer make decisions properly. The Large Intestine is responsible for elimination i.e. for "letting go." When we hold on to negative thoughts or emotions, we become rigid and inflexible -- muscles become rigid and tense or we may suffer from a spastic colon or irritable bowel syndrome.

The Large Intestine Meridian controls those areas that it passes over which include the throat, face and head. You may have heard of stimulating the acupressure point located in the web between your thumb and forefinger known as LI4 (Large Intestine 4), for treating headaches or toothaches.

KIDNEY

- Kidney is the Yin partner of Bladder. In Western medicine, the kidneys filter our blood, removing waste matter and excess water. In TCM the Kidney System is considered possibly the most important of the organ systems. It is also called the "Root of Life" since it houses the ancestral Qi or "Jing." Jing is the Qi that we are born with, the only Qi that cannot be manufactured from the air we breathe or the food that we eat. Jing is said to be involved in our entire life cycle from birth to maturity, development to degeneration, and finally, to death. Because Jing cannot be replenished, it is the gradual weakening of Jing that signals our loss of vitality and decline into old age.

Since the Kidney stores the Jing, it becomes the overseer for all processes of the life cycle. The Kidney is responsible for our continuous regeneration on a cellular level. The Kidney is also responsible for procreation, it transmits our physical and cultural data through the Jing that we inherit from our parents and transmit to our children. Problems with the reproductive system — sterility, impotence, infertility, premenopausal symptoms or premature aging — are all attributed to the Kidney System.

The Kidney also produces the energy of the spinal column, continuing up to the brain. Without this energy we would not be able to think clearly, our memory would be weak, we might suffer from lower back pain and fatigue. The Kidney also governs the skeletal system. The Kidney stores the Jing and in TCM, the Jing produces the marrow, which in turn, is responsible for creating the bones. The teeth are considered a by-product of the bones and are, therefore, also governed by the Kidney. Bones that are brittle, pain or inflammation of the joints, and teeth that are soft and break or decay easily are all symptoms of a deficient Kidney.

The Kidney System opens into the ear canal making the Kidney responsible for healthy hearing. The Kidney also controls the vitality and presence or absence of body, facial and head hair.

As a person gets older, he might start losing his hearing, become bald, walk bent over or stiffly and be a candidate for Viagra. These are all signs of a weakening Jing. On the other hand, a person with a full head of hair, sharp memory, brimming with energy, strong bones and a flexible gait is the picture of someone with plentiful Jing.

BLADDER

- The Bladder is the Yang partner of the Kidney. The Bladder's function is to receive and retain the urine processed by the Kidney. Disharmonies of the Bladder might manifest as cystitis, incontinence or difficulty in urinating.

The final pair is harder to explain in the terms of Western physiology as they go not correspond to any particular organ.

PERICARDIUM

- Pericardium is the Yin partner of Triple Burner, it has also been called "Circulation-Sex." The pericardium is the protective sack around the heart. It is the Pericardium's responsibility to "protect" the Heart from the assault of negative emotions or emotions of any kind that are too intense, evenjoy. Earlier on we described the Heart as housing the Spirit. The Chinese feel that the most important emotion of all — the emotion that gives our existence meaning — is universal love, which they define as Spirit.

Another function of the Pericardium is the expression of love through sexuality. The Pericardium is the link between physical love and universal love.

TRIPLE BURNER

- The Triple Burner is the Yang partner of the Pericardium. It is also referred to as the "Triple Warmer" or "Triple Heater." Even Chinese physicians agree that the Triple Burner "has a name, but no shape." The Triple Burner is considered to integrate and harmonize the functions of the other organ systems. It is divided into three sections, Upper, Middle and Lower, which correspond to the chest, abdomen and pelvis.

While herbal tonics for other organ systems, such as the Heart for example, are used to treat the symptoms of whole system, tonics used in treating the Triple Burner may apply to just one section. Tonics that harmonize the Upper Burner would work on the hear and lungs, improving circulation and respiration. Middle Burner tonics would improve digestion and energy metabolism while Lower Burner tonics would facilitate elimination and strengthen reproductive functions.

Traditional Chinese Medicine maybe be difficult for Western minds to grasp. So much of the ancient texts are filled with legends, symbolism and even superstition. But that does not negate the fact that Chinese physicians were successfully treating ailments with herbal medicine years before Western medicine discovered similar cures. For example, the Chinese used iodine to treat enlarged thyroids over 1,000 years ago. They were using soups with narcotic properties over 500 years before Western medicine began using anesthetics. Chinese physicians have been using ephedra to treat asthma for over 1700 years. Western doctors began using ephedra in 1887.

In fact, out of over 700 remedies used by Chinese herbalists over the centuries, more than 100 have already been tested and confirmed to have curative powers.

References:

Reid, Daniel J., Chinese Herbal Medicine (Boston, Massachusetts; Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1993)

Teeguarden, Ron, Chinese Tonic Herbs (Japan Publications, Inc., 1992)

Kaptchuk, Ted, J., The Web Has No Weaver - Understanding Chinese Medicine (Chicago, Illinois; Congdon & Weed, Inc., 1983)

Beinfeld, Harriet and Korngold, Efrem, Between Heaven and Earth, A Guide to Chinese Medicine (New York, New York; Ballantine Books, 1991)

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