Nutrition has played an important role in China’s traditional medical system for many centuries and continues to do so. Chinese physicians have always regarded food as medicine. Eating a balanced diet was how the body was kept in harmony. Changing weather conditions throughout the year were taken into account by adjusting the diet accordingly and choosing the appropriate ingredients. Today, nutrition is still firmly rooted in public awareness in China and is regarded as an essential element in achieving a long and fulfilled life. The Chinese diet is a preventive diet. External climate factors determine daily food choices. In times of extreme cold, dishes using acrid spices provide increased nourishment for the body. In winter, the emphasis is on warming and hot dishes, while in times of extreme external heat, the body is calmed with cooling dishes. Such a preventive diet can be practiced in other parts of the world and can be followed by most people. It requires no special expertise other than a general understanding of Chinese nutritional principles. Healing diets that address imbalance, however, require a clear diagnosis and development of a therapy strategy by a professional TCM practitioner.

Daily general regeneration and balancing of qi, blood (xue), body fluids (jin ye), and spirit (shen).

Specific supplementation of qi, yang, yin, and especially blood (xue) and body fluids (jin ye).

Stabilizing, invigorating, or calming the spirit (shen).

Preserving essence (jing) with high-quality foods and regular eating habits.

Supplementing and balancing the organ networks and the bowels and viscera (zang fu organs).

Supplementing, regenerating, and moving defense qi (wei qi).

Supplementing and balancing the spleen/pancreas and stomach organ networks.

Balancing disturbing effects brought on by weather or other external factors.

Harmonizing the body with the seasons.

In essence, diet influences all functions and processes in the body.

A few other proven indications for Chinese nutrition should also be mentioned here:

Supplementing the center burner in children.

Treating patterns of disharmony in children.

Prevention during pregnancy by strengthening qi, particularly blood (xue) and body fluids (jin ye).

General regeneration after childbirth, especially in cases of exhaustion.

Specific treatment of constitutional disorders.

Treating disorders caused by dampness and phlegm.

Chinese nutrition has nothing to do with rigid diets or instructions that have to be followed dogmatically. On the contrary, enjoyment involving all the senses is a vital part of any diet. Nor does it mean that from now on all one’s meals have to be eaten with chopsticks, or that the fridge has to be stocked with bamboo sprouts, Chinese (napa) cabbage, and tofu. The principles of Chinese nutrition can be applied to any cuisine or cooking style. The only knowledge that is required is an understanding of the thermal and energetic principles of foods, spices, and cooking methods, and an awareness of the adjustments to be made for seasons, climate effects, physical constitution, and individual sensitivities.

Please take the following to heart:

Use high-quality, clean, and unprocessed foods, organically grown whenever possible.

Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in which you can enjoy your meals.

Eat with pleasure.

Eat regularly, between three to five times a day.

Do not rush your meals and chew each bite well (between 10 and 15 times)!

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like an emperor, and dinner like a beggar.

Stop eating when it tastes best!

Drink only small amounts of liquids during meals; too much liquid with meals, or right before and right after a meal can weaken your digestive fire.

When putting together a meal, take into account your individual constitution.

Choose foods that are appropriate for the season (choosing locally grown foods that are in season is often a good way).

When following a vegetarian diet, ensure your diet contains enough energetically warming foods; increase the use of acrid spices in cold weather.

Please avoid the following:

Too much raw or cold food and tropical fruits: These are energetically too cool, reduce the energy of the center burner, and if consumed, regularly, can cool the kidney organ network.

Ice-cold beverages: They block stomach and spleen/pancreas qi flow and weaken spleen qi and spleen yang.

Too much dairy: Dairy products are energetically too cool. They weaken the spleen/pancreas network and cause dampness and phlegm.

Exhausting discussions or other distractions during a meal (TV, radio, reading): They can block the flow of qi in the center burner and cause food stagnation.

Too much oily, fatty food: Blocks the flow of qi and causes heat, dampness, and phlegm.

Too much sugar, sweet flavors: Causes heat, dampness and phlegm.

Too much alcohol: Causes damp heat, promotes formation of phlegm and hurts jing, along with a number of other unpleasant effects.

Too much meat: Causes dampness and phlegm.

Late evening meals: Block the flow of qi, cause food obstruction, weaken the spleen/pancreas network, and lead to weight gain.

Overly opulent meals: Block flow of qi, cause food stagnation, burden the spleen/pancreas network, cause dampness and phlegm and lead to weight gain.

Excessive and prolonged fasting: Weakens the center burner, as well as yin, blood (xue), and jing.

Application Goal: Prevention

The main application for Chinese nutrition is prevention and general healthy living. Mild states of disharmony that are common in everyday life, for example those caused by bioclimatic factors such as cold or heat, or brought on by times of stress, can be balanced with appropriate preparation and choice of foods. Choosing foods in accordance and harmony with the seasons protects the body against disorders and helps it to live in tune with natural rhythms.

Example

During the cold seasons (fall and winter in the Northern hemisphere), one should increase the intake of warm or hot foods with pronounced yang character. Fruits and salads—foods that are mostly yin—are not recommended during the colder months, because they cool down the energetics of the body even further, instead of warming it and protecting it from external cold.

Application Goal: Therapy

Example

The treatment of insomnia, which aims to drain yang, will not prove successful through acupuncture alone if patients continue to stimulate their yang by consuming warm or hot foods. Examples are coffee, hot spices, garlic, onions, and lamb. By ignoring dietary recommendations, the patient essentially works against the acupuncture treatment rather than with it. Abstaining from foods containing yang and giving preference to yin foods, on the other hand, supports the acupuncture treatment and promotes success.

Qi vacuity can appear in any of the networks. The most common causes for general qi vacuity are vacuity of spleen qi, kidney qi, and lung qi.

Symptoms

Fatigue, exhaustion, lack of appetite, lack of concentration, abdominal bloating; soft, sloppy stool; tendency to diarrhea, tendency to feel cold and to shiver, aversion to cold, lowered resistance, frequent backaches in the lumbar vertebral column, frequent urination with clear urine, large amounts of urine, nocturia (excessive night time urination), dyspnea (shortness of breath), premature ejaculation, reduced sexual desire, impotence.

Causes

Prevention

Nutritional Therapy

Yang vacuity can present similar symptoms as qi vacuity, because yang vacuity is always preceded by protracted qi vacuity and the transition between the two is not clearly delineated.

Symptoms

Primarily cold symptoms, such as cold, pale extremities, general weakness, severe mental and physical exhaustion, lack of drive, general loss of strength, as well as water retention in form of edemas. Women can encounter menstrual disorders, missed periods, and diarrhea.

Prevention

Basically the same as for qi vacuity. However, more foods with strong yang character can be used.

Yin vacuity is a deeper disorder of the body and can affect each of the organ networks. Syndromes seen frequently in practice are yin vacuity of the liver, heart, lung, and kidney networks. Yin vacuity can damage the substance of the organ network involved.

Symptoms

Thirst, dry mouth, hot soles of the feet, especially at night, possibly hot hands, burning sensation behind the chest bone, night sweat, possibly weight loss. Symptoms that occur due to pseudo-yang as a result of yin vacuity: Restlessness, agitation, nervousness, sleep disorders, dizziness, internal heat sensation; dry, hard stool; easily startled, emotional instability, susceptibility to stress, lack of resiliency.

Causes

General causes: Long chronic illnesses, depletion of body fluids, for example due to extreme fever; protracted blood loss; excessive sexual activity; excessive drug use or medication abuse; extreme emotional strain such as worry, grief, fear; overexertion and overwork; sleep deprivation due to nighttime work; hectic and stressful lifestyle that creates internal heat and exhausts body fluids.

Dietary causes: Excessive intake of extremely warming foods, especially acrid spices that dry out the body fluids and hurt the yin. Additional factors are excessive intake of coffee, high-proof alcoholic beverages, poor and irregular diet.

Prevention

Nutritional Therapy

Avoid:

Heat; foods with yang characteristics; the flavors hot–bitter, warm–bitter, hot–acrid, warm– acrid; hot and warm foods or beverages, especially coffee, black tea, red wine; garlic, ginger, acrid spices; high-proof alcohol.

Yin foods with neutral–sweet and refreshing– sweet flavor.

Yin repletion is often caused by a poor, insufficient diet. Consuming too many yin products cools the body, harms spleen qi, and causes dampness. This syndrome can worsen due to a weak spleen and can, over time, lead to phlegm disorders. Yin repletion reduces the body’s yang energy.

Symptoms

Lack of drive; fatigue; slowed movements and language; cold hands; feeling of heaviness inside the body, as well as in the arms and legs; dull headache which the patient often describes as a “feeling like I am wearing a helmet”; tendency to diarrhea, bloating, water retention in arms, legs, and face; a melancholic disposition, sometimes depression; obesity.

Causes

General causes: General factors that can cause spleen qi vacuity and general yang vacuity, such as overexertion, lack of sleep.

Dietary causes: Irregular intake of food; rushed meals eaten under stress; main meal in the late evening; too much raw food, salads and dairy products that produce too much dampness and phlegm.

Prevention

Successfully dealing with the stresses and challenges of everyday life while staying healthy requires a healthy and supportive diet. Healthy eating habits should be developed to sustain the energy necessary for facing the demands of daily life and establishing a balanced state of health.

Avoid:

Yin foods; damp foods, especially dairy products; raw fruit and vegetables; excess sweet flavors; hasty, irregular meals; main meal in the late evening; inadequate breakfast; too much fat and oil.

Recommended:

Moderately warming foods and cooking methods. For dampness and phlegm, especially bitter–warm flavors, but also sweet– warm, warm–salty, warm–refreshing, as well as all neutral flavors. Moderate intake of hot foods.

Yang repletion displays different levels of intensity and is a commonly found pattern of disharmony in medical practice. It is important to differentiate real yang repletion from “pseudo-yang” repletion or “empty heat.” Real yang repletion is a short-term surplus of yang. “Pseudo-yang” repletion is the appearance of yang repletion symptoms caused by the absence of yin, which can lead to an increased appearance of yang character.

Symptoms

Red complexion, hyperactivity, restlessness, anxiety, loud voice, boisterous laugh, dominating personality, irritability, and tendency to outbursts of anger. Body feels hot, thirst, tendency to get headaches, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), headache in the temporal region (shao yang headache due to upbearing liver yang), bitter taste in mouth (liver fire), excessive perspiration, high blood pressure, episodes of voracious appetite with a tendency to weight gain (stomach heat).

Causes

General causes: The majority of yang symptoms are caused by a relative yang surplus and result from a yin vacuity of the affected bowel (zang organ). Emotional strains such as stress, a hectic lifestyle, and suppressed emotions such as rage, anger, and frustration harm the organ network of heart and liver. The longer an emotional imbalance persists, the more the organs are impaired. The liver phase is especially sensitive and can suffer deep-seated damage from protracted stagnation of liver qi when qi flow is blocked due to suppressed emotions. This creates a precarious balance that can easily be upset by even minor yang effects such as stress or the wrong diet (high-proof alcohol, acrid spices), invoking symptoms of ascendant liver yang (gan yang shang kang) and liver fire (gan huo shang yan)

Dietary causes: Green tea, mineral water, wheat beer, tofu, mung beans, dandelion, Belgian endive hearts, peppermint tea, cow’s milk, yogurt, cheese, farmer’s cheese, cottage cheese, buttermilk. Patients often prefer acrid flavors to relax the body and loosen any existing emotional blockages, or excessively sweet flavors to counteract frustrations and grief. Acrid–warm flavors and acrid–hot flavors, like all thermally hot foods, can cause heat-related symptoms. Bitter–hot, as well as all other hot flavors can dry out body fluids and deplete the body’s yin. These heat symptoms often appear in combination with hot, viscous phlegm and frequently result from excessive consumption of very oily or fatty foods. The liver organ network is especially sensitive to heat and fatty, oily foods (junk food).

Prevention

Nutritional Therapy

Avoid:

All energetically hot foods and beverages, especially acrid spices such as curry, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Onions, high-proof alcohol, warming cooking methods like frying, grilling. Decrease consumption of thermally warm foods and meat (abstain from meat for four to six weeks, especially lamb, beef, poultry, pork). Decrease intake of coffee, red wine, and salt.

Recommended:

Yin foods with neutral–sweet, cool–sweet, cold– sweet, neutral–sour, cool–sour, cold–sour flavor. Vegetables: Tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, celery Grains: Wheat, barley Fruit: Apples, pears, citrus fruit, raspberries, gooseberries

Blood vacuity is an important syndrome in Chinese pathophysiology and is very commonly found in practice. Blood vacuity is often at the root of many gynecological disorders. Men have more qi in their blood and thus tend to suffer more from qi problems.

Chronic blood vacuity symptoms are general dryness: Dry skin, dry hair, possibly hair loss, and brittle nails. Blood vacuity can create favorable conditions for liver wind, causing dry skin conditions accompanied by severe itching and blisters on alternating parts of the body.

Pathogenesis

TCM believes that blood is primarily formed in the spleen. Blood vacuity can therefore be caused by spleen vacuity. Blood formed in the spleen with help from the lungs becomes “spirited” with qi and jing from the kidneys as it circulates. Not until then does blood from the spleen have the necessary energy. Good blood formation also requires balanced lung and kidney energy. The liver plays an important role as a storage organ for blood. This means that any blood vacuity eventually leads to liver disharmony with liver blood vacuity (gan xue xu). Particularly damaging to the blood is liver heat, which sets blood into restless motion. Protracted heat can dry out and damage blood (xue).

Therapy

Nutritional Therapy

Avoid:

Warming cooking methods and thermally hot foods. All bitter foods, especially the flavors bitter–hot and bitter–warm. Acrid–hot and acrid– warm flavors, since these dry out blood. Black tea, hot chocolate, acrid spices such as garlic, ginger, pepper, curry, cinnamon, etc. Energetically hot drinks such as coffee, high-proof alcohol, yogi tea (chai).

Recommended:

Defense qi protects the body against disease. It circulates outside the body channels, mainly on the body’s surface. Defense qi ’s most important function is to provide protection against external pathogenic factors such as wind, cold, heat, and dampness. At the same time, it warms and moistens skin and muscles. Since it circulates below the skin’s surface, defense qi is primarily governed by the lungs. Defense qi prevents pathogens from entering the body by regulating the opening and closing of the skin’s pores. If lung energy is too weak, pores do not close in time, allowing pathogens to penetrate and cause disorders. Lung qi vacuity can result in lowered resistance, which in turn can lead to increased susceptibility to colds. While the lungs are responsible for the control and distribution of defense qi, the center burner also contributes to the production of defense qi, along with the stomach and spleen. If those two organs are in a state of vacuity, qi supply of the whole body is lowered, which then affects quantity and quality of defense qi. Original essence (prenatal) qi from the kidneys also plays a minor role in the production of defense qi.

In summary, there are three energy systems responsible for good defense:

First and foremost, lung qi for governing and distributing defense qi, stomach and spleen qi,aswell as for reproduction, quantity, and quality of defense qi. Secondly, original qi from the essence of liver yang. Thirdly, defense qi is a fleeting and active yang energy. With its role in the opening and closing of pores, it is closely associated with the secretion of body fluids (sweat). During the day, it circulates mostly in the surface yang channels of greater yang (tai yang) lesser yang (shao yang), and yang ming. At nighttime, it flows back into the bowels (zang organs) kidney, heart, lung, liver, and spleen.

Symptoms

General symptoms of qi or yang vacuity include: pale complexion; feeling cold, shivering and aversion to cold; cool and cold extremities; easily physically and emotionally fatigued; general listlessness; spontaneous perspiration (lung qi vacuity). During the acute phase of a cold: chills, a feeling of coldness along one’s back along the greater yang (tai yang) channel, joint pain; runny nose with liquid, clear secretion; sneezing, sensitive to cold, exhaustion (symptoms of a wind–cold attack on the body).

Causes

Factors that weaken lung qi, for example constitutional weakness, extended periods of sitting in a slumped position (inhibits breathing and thus leads to lung qi vacuity). Smoking, damage to lung qi by external pathogenic factors such as wind–cold or wind–heat, overwork, prolonged grief.

Factors that weaken spleen and stomach.

Factors that weaken kidney yang and essence.

Nutritional Therapy

Avoid:

All foods that can weaken the yang of the body, for example foods with cool or cold thermal nature such as raw foods, salads, cold types of fruit, dairy products, cold beverages.

During the acute phase of a common cold, avoid all foods that increase the formation of mucus to protect the weakened lung qi from possible phlegm disorders and to avoid straining the spleen (bananas, dairy products, raw foods, and very oily and fatty foods).

Recommended:

Acrid–warm and acrid–hot flavors that strengthen the metal phase to supplement and support defense qi.

During the acute beginning of a cold, avoid the sour flavor. In Chinese medicine, all citrus fruits are contraindicated for the duration of a cold. The reason is the direction of movement of the sour flavor. It moves inward and thus prevents the already weakened defense qi from coming to the surface and averting the penetrating pathogenic factors. This results in the pores of the skin being insufficiently closed, creating a relatively unobstructed path for entry of pathogenic factors through the skin. The sour flavor makes it possible for pathogenic factors located on the body surface to move into deeper layers. Thus, TCM believes hot lemon juice and large servings of citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons should not be consumed for the duration of a cold.

In Chinese herbal therapy, huang qi (astragalus) is an important remedy for supplementing defense qi.

In the early stage of a cold, it is especially productive to treat the symptoms (cold and chills) with the strong yang energy of acrid–warm and acrid–hot flavors. This moves defense qi, opens the pores for a short time to allow the expulsion of pathogenic factors such as cold, dispels external pathogenic cold and wind, clears the body surface, and strengthens yang and defense qi in the body.

Recommended:

All foods with yang potential are recommended for strengthening defense qi. Sweet–warm or sweet– hot flavors are especially suitable for supplementing the center burner. Salty–hot and salty–warm flavors can strengthen the kidneys. The body is especially susceptible to pathogenic energy at night, since defense qi circulates deeper in the body during that time, leaving the surface unprotected. Too little sleep and too much nightly activity increase susceptibility to externally caused disorders.

Nutritional therapy can individually strengthen specific organs with certain foods. Aside from generally supplementing yang in the body via the three networks kidney, spleen/stomach, and lung, supplementing lung qi is especially advisable for strengthening the body’s defenses.

Nutritional Therapy

Wind–cold disorder, which attacks the lung when there is insufficient defense qi to protect it, can develop into wind–heat, which is characterized by fever; thirst, a preference for cold beverages, headaches, sparse, dark urine, and physical exhaustion. These signs of a wind–heat attack with predominant heat symptoms require immediate adjustment of nutritional therapy. During this phase, acrid–hot and acrid–warm flavors, as well as foods with a hot thermal nature are contra-indicated; cooling foods are recommended. Sour flavors should be avoided to prevent the disorders from moving into deeper layers of the body.

TCM views dampness and phlegm as important and common pathological factors in the treatment of many disorders.

The Western observer associates phlegm disorders mainly with a stuffed up nose and sinuses, sinusitis frontalis, sinusitis maxillaris, and bronchial congestion. In TCM, these are only partial aspects, as the Chinese idea of phlegm disorders incorporates a lot more than just material phlegm: Phlegm can occur in all parts of the body. It slows down the flow of qi and congests the channels, inducing symptoms such as numbness, dull, “foggy” headache, sluggishness, and lack of concentration. A well-known and typical symptom of dampness in the head is the so-called hangover headache caused by too much alcohol resulting in the creation of phlegm.

Pathogenesis

Phlegm is created mainly by a disorder of the spleen/pancreas network. If the spleen is too weak, qi flow slows and transformation and transport of fluids becomes congested. As a result, dampness accumulates. With chronic spleen qi or yang vacuity, dampness collects over a longer period and creates concentrated accumulations of liquid. These eventually thicken into phlegm, especially if subjected to the effects of heat. Since spleen vacuity is always the primary cause of phlegm, therapy needs to focus on strengthening this particular bowel (zang organ)!

Also contributing to the formation of phlegm are the lungs and kidneys. The primary responsibility of the lungs is to distribute and reduce fluids produced by the spleen. If weakened, the lungs are unable to perform this task, resulting in the formation of dampness (swelling and edemas) and phlegm in the nasal and sinus cavities (maxillary sinus and frontal sinus). In the worst case, the lungs themselves become obstructed (bronchitis, pneumonia).

The kidneys, on the other hand, are responsible for the intake and discharge of liquids. If this function is impaired, liquids gather primarily in the lower burner and can lead to formation of edemas. As a rule, good kidney energy (kidney yang) is important for warming and supporting the spleen. Other causes for the formation of phlegm, especially heat phlegm (viscous, yellow phlegm) are external wind–heat disorders that damage the lung, for example acute bronchitis, sinusitis, and hay fever. Heat phlegm can also arise with liver qi stagnation, since heat is formed when the flow of qi is slowed and congested, and heat thickens fluids.

Phlegm Differentiation

Substantial phlegm: Appears in the form of sputum with disorders of the respiratory system, for example rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia.

Symptoms

General phlegm disorders

Protracted illnesses that do not improve despite intensive treatment.

Painless lumps beneath the skin that are neither hot nor red and are freely movable (lipoma).

A general feeling of heaviness and numbness, sluggishness, chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, especially dull headache and recurrent dizziness (Ménière disease).

Frequent infections in children, with stuffy nose, muciferous and purulent bronchitis, and purulent maxillary sinus and frontal sinus infections.

Obesity.

Differentiation of phlegm disorders by location of phlegm collection and symptoms

Upper burner: Fatigue, lack of concentration, dull pressure in head, dizziness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), sinusitis frontalis and sinusitis maxillaris, stuffy nose.

Center burner: Bronchitis, pneumonia, bronciectasis (inflammation of the lungs), cough with copious white or yellow secretion, nausea.

Lower burner: Fluid deposits in the form of leg or ankle edemas.

Differentiation by type of phlegm condition and symptoms

Wind and phlegm: Feeling of dizziness, sensation of numbness in the extremities, aphasia (communication disorder), wind stroke.

Heat phlegm: Yellow, viscous sputum, dry mouth and lips, bronchitis, pneumonia, apathy, nebulous, confused mind, types of schizophrenia, hallucinations, manic depression.

Cold phlegm: White, viscous sputum; lack of appetite, feeling of oppression in chest and epigastrium (abdominal wall above umbilicus [belly button]), infection of lungs.

Immaterial phlegm: Congestion of the channels, for example wind colic (apoplexy) and sensation of numbness, mostly in elderly people.

Therapy

Nutritional Therapy

Avoid:

Foods that produce copious phlegm, especially dairy products, bananas, very oily and fatty foods, junk foods, too much of the sweet flavors, sugary beverages. An excess of yin foods (take into account season and climate!): raw foods, salads, and cool/cold types of fruit, citrus fruits, and juices. Frozen foods and cooking or heating meals in the microwave should also be avoided.

Caution: Meat and alcohol produce phlegm if consumed excessively. This applies especially to pork and wheat beer.

Character

“In charge of economy and nutrition”

The spleen is the material foundation of the body and root of acquired qi. It is responsible for absorption, distribution, transformation, and creation of energy from food.

Role in TCM:

Governs transformation, transport, and processing of food and energy.

Retains the blood in the blood vessels.

Governs muscles and extremities.

Opens at mouth and lips.

Governs upbearing qi, keeps the organs in place.

Houses the mind (zhi).

Association with the five phases:

Emotions: Brooding, worries, pensiveness

Climate factor: Dampness

Season: Late summer, early fall

Direction: Center

Color: Yellow

Flavor: Sweet

Time of day: 9–11 a.m.

Function

“Cooking vessel” for acquired qi

Most important viscera (Fu organ): Downbears the flow of qi

Gathers food

Separates and extracts food

Downbears

Loves dampness

Time of day: 7–9 a.m.

The stomach and spleen/pancreas are important bowels and viscera (zang fu organs). As the production site of acquired qi, yang, blood (xue), and body fluids (jin ye), they play a key role in TCM therapy. The famous Chinese scholar Li Gao, during the Song dynasty (AD 920–1280), emphasized the importance of the center burner by founding a special school for the “Strengthening of the Center,” which focused primarily on the treatment of the center burner.

The following quote from the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368–1644) also speaks to the significance of the body’s “center”:

Many doctors during that period were of the opinion that no disorder is really curable as long as the network of the center burner is impaired. They perfected strengthening the “inner center” by strengthening the stomach and spleen as a prerequisite for all therapy.

“Zang Fu Governs Transformation and Transport” The bowels and viscera (zang fu organs) spleen/pancreas are largely responsible for transformation and transport of ingested food. Both organs separate food into clear and turbid components. The clear components of food essence are transformed into gu qi (drum qi). Gu qi forms the basis for all acquired qi and for production of blood. According to TCM, most of the qi in our body that can be regenerated is derived from gu qi acquired through stomach and spleen/pancreas. Lack of spleen qi results in energy deficiencies for the entire body.

Therapy

Transformation and distribution of fluids requires sufficient spleen qi. Spleen vacuity obstructs the transport of fluids. This can cause accumulation of dampness or phlegm, which can damage a weakened spleen even further. The spleen loves dryness and shuns dampness. Dampness in the body can be caused by external wetness and dampness (damp apartment, rainy fall days), but also by dampness formed on the inside of the body caused by the wrong foods (too many yin foods). Key factors that can weaken the spleen and cause dampness and later formation of phlegm, are excessive consumption of cold beverages, raw foods, salads, fruit and dairy products. Dampness, phlegm, or edemas in the body always requires treating the spleen as part of the therapy.

Symptoms

Healthy spleen qi produces sufficient blood and enables it to circulate through the body and stay in its vessels. Spleen qi vacuity can cause more frequent bleeding, because the blood can not be retained in its vessels. Gu qi (drum qi) is extracted from food and then transported by the spleen to the heart. Blood is produced in the heart with help from the original qi of the kidneys. This makes the spleen one of the central organs for the formation of qi and blood. Chronic spleen qi vacuity reduces the production of blood and results in liver blood vacuity.

Symptoms

Night blindness; blurry, distorted vision; light-sensitive eyes; numb limbs; insomnia (shen is anchored in the blood), menstrual disorders, frequent bruises (purpura, petechia, hematuria, excessive menstruation).

Governance of Muscles and Limbs

Gu qi extracted by the spleen from food is distributed to all tissues of the body. This nourishes and warms muscles and limbs and supports mobility. Weak, tired, or atrophied muscles indicate spleen qi vacuity.

The spleen holds the organs in place. Taught and elastic connective tissue is a sign of good spleen qi. Loose connective tissue, cellulite, colon/rectal pro-lapse (tuo gang), or uterus prolapse (zi gong xia chui) indicate weak spleen qi.

Home of the Mind/Thought (Si)

Clear thinking and good concentration indicate strong spleen qi. Spleen vacuity can present as mental symptoms such as fuzzy thinking, problems concentrating, and weak memory

This is probably one of the most common syndromes found in clinical practice and leads patients into the doctor’s office with a variety of different symptoms.

Symptoms

Chronic fatigue, general exhaustion, susceptibility to infection, lack of appetite, weakness and frailty of limbs, craving sweets; pale, pallid complexion; soft, sloppy stools; sometimes diarrhea.

Spleen yang vacuity can result from protracted spleen qi vacuity or pronounced weakening of the spleen due to cold foods, irregular meal times, and irregular eating habits.