THE FIVE ELEMENTS
The theory of the five elements holds that wood, fire, earth, metal and
water are the basic materials that make up the physical world. It is the
application of the interaction of the five elements that traditional
Chinese medicine interprets. It places tissue, emotions and organs of
the body in categories and positions them in relation to nature's
environment. The study of each interacting with each other is the theory
of the five elements. This theory is used as a guide in medical
practice.
People live in nature. Therefore, a person's dependence on the
environment and the ability to adapt to the environment is important to
that person's health. Traditional Chinese medicine connects the physical
and pathological aspects of the human body with many important natural
environmental factors. These factors are classified into five categories
on the basis of the five elements.
The following table shows the five elements and its corresponding
relationship with the human body and our environment.
|
Five |
Yin
Organs |
Yang
Bowels |
Senses
|
Tissues
|
Emotions
|
Seasons
|
Nature |
Colors
|
Tastes
|
Directions
|
| Wood | Liver | Gall Bladder |
Eyes | Tendons | Anger | Spring | Wind | Green | Sour | East |
| Fire | Heart | Small Intestine |
Tongue | Vessels | Joy | Summer | Heat | Red | Bitter | South |
| Earth | Spleen | Stomach | Mouth | Muscles | Worry | Last Month of Each Season |
Damp | Yellow | Sweet | Middle |
| Metal | Lung | Large Intestine |
Nose | Skin/ Hair |
Grief | Autumn | Dry | White | Spicy | West |
| Water | Kidney | Bladder | Ear | Bone | Fear | Winter | Cold | Black | Salty | North |
If you would like to schedule an event in your area or setup a personal healing session contact Teacher David Knoll.
