The five elements refer to wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The five elements theory resulted from the observations and studies of the natural world by the ancient Chinese people in the course of their lives and productive labor. Since ancient time, wood, fire, earth, metal and water have been considered as basic substances to constitute the universe and they are also indispensable for life. It came to recognize that everything in nature might be respectively attributed to one of the five elements. In TCM, the five elements theory as a theoretical tool, is used to explain different kinds of medical problems by analogizing and deducing their properties and interrelations. It also used to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment. Nature of Five Elements Wood has the nature of growing freely and unfolding. Anything that grows and flourishes freely has the character of wood. Fire has the nature of flaming upwards. Fire symbolizes anything that is hot and has such an upward flaring pattern. Earth has the nature of giving birth to all things. Then it represents the promotion of growth and the nourishing process, the earth is the mother of all things. Metal has the nature of purifying and descending. Anything that purify and descend corresponds to mental. Water has the nature of moistening and flowing downwards. Anything that moistens, cools and flows downward corresponds to water. Application of five elements Doctor classified all things into five elements according to their nature, function and form. In TCM, five Zang organs are classified into five elements according to their nature. Liver-wood Heart-fire Spleen-earth Lung-mental Kidney-water Five Elements Classification WOOD FIRE EARTH METAL WATER Season Spring Summer Late Summer Autumn Winter Climatic Qi Wind Heat Damp Dryness Cold Colour Green Red Yellow White Black Taste Sour Bitter Sweet Spicy Salty Orientation East South Center West North Development Germination Growth Transformation Reaping Storing Zang Organ Liver Heart Spleen Lung Kidney Fu Organ Gallbladder Sm. Intestine Stomach Lg. Intestine Bladder Sense Organ Eyes Tongue Mouth Nose Ears Body Tissue Sinews Blood Vessel Muscles Skin Bone Emotion Anger Joy/Shock Worry Sadness Fear Sound Shout Laugh Sing Cry Moan
Example A 32 year old man had a fight with his wife during breakfast. 1. He became very angry and forgot about finishing his meal. 2. He presented at the clinic with strong cramping pain around the lower right front ribs, 3. greenish facial complexion, 4. and a frontal headache which seemed to affect his eyes. Analysis 1. Anger is the emotion of Wood 2. Pain around the lower right front ribs - Possible gallbladder pain-Wood 3. Green is the color of wood 4. Eyes are the sense organs of Wood Diagnosis: The gentlemans Wood element is out of balance. Normal relationship and disruption Among the five elements, there exist The normal relationships of generation and restriction The disruption of over-restriction (overmaster) and counter-restriction(rebel) Generation relationships among five elements In ancient time 1. people made fire by drilling wood, so wood produce fire 2. people burn some substance such as tree to ashes for fertilizing the soil, hence fire produce earth 3. people obtained metal from rock and earth (ore), thus earth produce metal 4. Water come from ore (mineral water), hence metal produce water 5. Without water, plants could not grow, so water produce wood Generation Generation implies that one kind of thing can promote, aid or bring forth another wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, Water generates wood. The Mutually Generation Cycle The clockwise sequence on the circle represents the Generation cycle. Each element is mother to the next element. water wood fire earth metal "mother-child" relationship Each of the five elements contains the dual nature -"being generated" and "generating". This relationship of the five elements is called the "mother-child" relationship. The element that generates is called the "mother", while the element that is generated is called the "child". Take wood for example because wood generates fire, it is the mother of fire; but wood is generated by water, so it is child of water. Restriction Restriction means bringing under control or restraint. The order of restriction goes as follows: 1. wood restricts earth, 2. earth restricts water, 3. water restricts fire, 4. fire restricts metal, 5. Metal restricts wood. How restriction happen Plants grow and absorb fertilizer from the earth, so wood subdues earth Earth blocks water, so earth subdues water Water puts out fire, so water subdues fire Fire can melt metal, so fire subdues metal Tools made of metal are used for cutting down trees, so metal subdues wood The Mutually Restriction Cycle Wood
Water Fire
Metal Earth
The sequence on the circle represents the Restriction cycle. Water can extinguish Fire, Fire can melt Metal, Metal can cut Wood, Wood can contain Earth and Earth can absorb Water. For example Any one of the five elements has two aspects, being restricted and restricting. the water restrict fire, and the water is restricted by earth. restrict is restricted Generation and restriction have the correlations inseparable in the five elements. They oppose each other and yet also complement each other. Without generation, there would be no growth and development of things; Without restriction, there would be no balance and coordination during development and change, thus resulting in excessive growth would bring about harm. For example wood generates fire, fire restricts metal; metal restricts wood.
Precisely because generation resides in restriction and restriction resides in generation, the relative balance maintained between generation and restriction ensures normal growth and development of things. Over-restriction and counter-restriction However, once any one of the five elements becomes excessive or insufficient, there would appear abnormal relationship among five elements: over-restriction and counter- restriction Over-restriction Over-restriction is meant that one of the five elements overacts upon another one when the latter is weak. Therefore, it is also called "double restriction". The Over-restriction Cycle
Wood
Water Fire
Metal Earth
The sequence on the circle represents the Over-restriction cycle. The sequence is same to restriction cycle; But it is too over Because of the restricting element is too strong or the restricted element is too weak For instance Normally, wood restricts earth, While excessive wood may over-restrict earth, and resulting in insufficiency of earth, so called wood over-restrict earth. Counter-restriction Counter-restriction means that the strong bully the weak. It is also a morbid condition in which one element fails to restrict the other in the regular order, but in reverse order. It is clear that the order of counter- restriction is just the opposite to that of restriction. The Counter-restriction Cycle Wood
Water Fire
Metal Earth
The sequence on the circle represents the Counter-restriction cycle. The sequence is just opposite to restriction cycle; Because of being restricted element is too powerful. For example under normal conditions, metal should restrict wood, but in case of wood-Qi excess, or metal-Qi deficiency, wood will counter-restrict metal instead of being restricted by metal, which is known as "wood counter-restrict metal." Essential Question states "When Qi of a certain element is sufficient, it will Over-restrict the restricted element and counter-restrict the restricting element. When Qi of a certain element is insufficient, it will be Over-restricted by the restricting element and counter-restricted by the restricted element," Application: 1.Normalgeneration and restriction Wood(liver)
Water Fire (kidney) (heart)
Metal Earth (lung) (spleen) Each of the internal organs pertains to the five elements Application: 2. Abnormalover-restriction Wood(liver)
Water Fire (kidney) (heart)
Metal Earth (lung) (spleen) Application: 3. Abnormalcounter-restriction Wood(liver)
Water Fire (kidney) (heart)
Metal Earth (lung) (spleen) Example wood excess kidney (water)
heart (fire) purging the son organ supporting the weak Example wood deficiency kidney (water)
(The disorder of son involves mother) over-restrict counter-restrict Lung liver spleen (metal) (wood) (earth)
heart (fire) reinforcing the mother organ Inhibiting the excess Treatment principle According to the theory, Treating the excess syndrome of mother organ by purging the son organ The excess of liver fire can be reduced by purging heart fire Treating the deficiency syndrome of son organ by reinforcing the mother organ Building up kidney essence to generate liver Qi Inhibiting the excess, supporting the weak Purging heart fire, nourishing kidney Yin Review Five elements Nature of Five Elements Normal relationship and disruption Application
Shi Quan Da Bu Tang - 十全大補湯 - All-Inclusive Great Tonifying Decoction - Ginseng and Dang Gui Ten Combination - Chinese Herbs - American Dragon - Dr Joel Penner OMD, LAc