Learning about the Large Intestine through the Chinese medicine organ clock, Part I
This post is part of a series of articles discussing the symbolism of the organ systems of Chinese Medicine. To help dig into the rich symbolism of the way that Chinese medicine describes the body, I am using the Chinese organ clock. As always, this information comes from my distillation of what my teachers have graciously offered to me liberally mixed with my own understanding and experience. I hope it will be of use to students and practitioners as well as being of interest to savvy members of the general public. To make the series easier to digest, I’ve decided to break each organ system post into pieces. This is post 1 of 2 about the Large Intestine.
I have already written about the Lung organ system - check it out if you’re interested.
Large Intestine : The Rising Sun
The Large Intestine organ system sits at the time of 5-7am on the Chinese organ clock. This is the time of the sunrise, at least most of the time. :) This energy is very much part of the power of the Large Intestine - imagine the brilliance and activation that comes with those first rays of the sun. A great tool for understanding the Large Intestine, then, is easily available to almost anyone. Wake early, say around 4:30am. Head to a nearby area that gets a fair amount of traffic, preferably a downtown area. Sit somewhere in the open from about 5 to about 7am and just observe. This is the essence of Large Intestine. It also works, particularly in the summer, in a very wild natural area where you’re likely to see the natural habits of animals and plants… but I’ve found the urban environment to be quite a good teacher.
It is the bursting forth of activity, of the physicality of living systems, that is so resonant with the energy of the Large Intestine. I think that the Fu organs are often unfairly overlooked - thought to be merely accessories to the Zang. While some texts may suggest that this is the case, I feel it is worth your time to consider the role of the Fu organs in physiology. The Large Intestine, especially, holds many powerful secrets.
What’s in a name?
Large Intestine in Chinese is called 大腸 Da Chang, the Great/Big Intestine. Certainly this name seems to be relatively straight forward. One note, however, is that the second character - Chang - contains the phoenetic element Yang 昜 . Yang relates to the activity of the sun - so this is a kind of organ/flesh (meaning of the other radical in Chang -月 Rou) that has the power of the sun. Large Intestine shares this character and thus this meaning with Small Intestine, Xiao Chang. So the pair together have some power of the sun, the Yang force that sustains all life on Earth.
What does the Neijing say?
One really starts to think highly of the Large Intestine when the Neijing gets involved. :) In Chapter 8, where each organ system is described, we can read:
大 腸 者 ， 傳 道 之 官 ， 變 化 出 焉
Dà cháng zhě ， chuán dǎo zhī guān ， biàn huà chū yān
One translation: Large Intestine is the official of the transmission of the Way, change and transformation emerge from it.
Of course there are many possible translations - from the basest translation informed by the known physiological function of the Large Intestine to the most esoteric! But it is remarkable that the Neijing chose to use such a deeply philosophical term - Dao (Tao) the Way - in the line for an organ that so many of us think of as vile and not worthy of notice. At my school, the latter part of that sentence is debated - it seems - every single class. Bian Hua is a term used in many places in the Classical texts and each professor has their own assessment of its meaning and importance. That alone should give us pause. In the second part of this article, this paradoxically veneration of Large Intestine will be discussed again.
Element (Wu Xing) + Conformation (Liu Qi)
The Large Intestine is Yang Ming Metal - which reveals yet another side of this intriguing organ. Yang Ming is, symbolically and otherwise, the stage of an illness when great fevers can mount. Yangming disease includes obstruction of the bowel. In all cases, Yangming diseases involve heat, often dryness, and the pathologies associated with Yangming can be dangerous - indeed. The Stomach, another important Fu organ, is also designated Yangming. Together, LI and ST take in the materials from the Earth that keep us alive (food and drink) and reject the parts that no longer serve us. Without Yangming, nothing gets in and nothing comes out. This kind of control of the Yangming can also be manifested more subtly. One of the archetypes we have been taught to associate with Large Intestine in particular is that of the Dictator - clearly a more negative aspect of the organ system.
The metal aspect of Large Intestine is most purely expressed in its physiological descending effect. The Large Intestine is the great descender - as a cup of coffee will quickly remind you. Lung is also metal and frequently afflicted with diseases (cough, hiccough) that result from failure to descend. But most people will tell you that they find the undescending diseases of Large Intestine much more bothersome. Slight constipation is merely an irritation, but when you don’t have a bowel movement for 6-7 days, you will do almost anything to rectify the situation.
Earthly branch and Chinese zodiac animal
The Earthly branch associated with LI’s place on the Chinese organ clock is Mao - 卯. One definition of Mao is to flourish or explode - which again hearkens back to the physiological function of Large Intestine and the association with the early morning. This time of year is best characterized by the quickly growing buds on trees - they seem to grow daily! Mao is a Yin Wood branch, which associates it again with that Spring energy since Wood and Spring are closely affiliated.
The zodiac animal associated with this earthly branch is the Rabbit or Hare. This symbol really ties together a lot of what I’ve been discussing so far. What do rabbits do? They reproduce, to be sure. They also produce a whole lot of tiny hard pellet-like bowel movements! Both of these functions are deeply ingrained in Large Intestine. We easily associate the latter, but what of the power of reproduction?
While we don’t normally think of the bowel as being associated with birth, we can look to many of the other symbols of Large Intestine for help understanding this. Great descending force is important for a successful birth - represented by the symbol of metal. Some people who have given birth can tell you that their “pushing” really became effective when they started to think about the way they push to have a bowel movement! Also, consider the springtime and early morning energy. How like a rapidly growing infant! We can consider the fact that the acupuncture point Large Intestine 4 (He Gu) is contraindicated in pregnancy, as well.
In the second section of this article (published soon) we will look at some slightly more esoteric aspects of Large Intestine and then round out the discussion by looking more closely at how this theoretical information bears out in practice.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
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Tags: activity, large intestine, organ system, Organ systems, pregnancy, springRelated posts
Learning how to keep life in balance
It’s time for my March Year of Sagely Living update! I believe that my efforts were successful, overall. My true goal this month was two-fold. First, I wanted to pay close attention to the two hour time periods associated with each organ system on the Chinese medicine organ clock. Second, I wanted to create and maintain space for my family and myself amid the festering chaos of medical school.
Attempting to pay attention to the times associated with the organ clock was more difficult than it may sound. I found that I looked at the clock and really paid attention at the same times each day. This was usually around mealtimes, when I had a natural break in my work cycle. Regardless, it was valuable to take a few minutes to really absorb the energy of those times. Interestingly, I noticed that my ability to clearly take in the energy of the “day time” organ systems became stronger as the sun became stronger. I also found that my ability to access the energy of each organ system was easier during the period associated with that organ system. I tested this by doing meditations on organ systems during other than their associated times.
I noticed how attempting to align my daily activities with the various organ system times yielded some appreciable benefit. For instance, eating breakfast closer to “Stomach time” (7-9am) definitely yielded less indigestion given the same meal than eating breakfast closer to “Heart time” (11am - 1pm) or even earlier during “Lung time” (3-5am). I also noticed that the general cycle of the 12 organ systems and their associated time made a lot of sense and following this flow more often than not created a harmonious feeling within me. By the end of March (aside from some rocky times during Finals week) I had settled into the following pattern (taken and edited from my journal notes):
- Waking up and doing breathing exercises doing Lung time (3-5 am) considerably easier than any other time, yields greater benefit in energy through the day. I always found that taking a nice walk, alone and in a natural area, yielded a lot of intuitive insight and positive emotional breakthroughs.
- Going to the bathroom between 5 and 7am (Large Intestine time) seems easier, more complete and now that I do this I find that I have far fewer digestive problems overall - all things being equal. Maybe a funny thing to point out, but important from a medical standpoint.
- Eating as close as possible to 8 am (in the 7-9am period, Stomach time) seems to yield relatively few digestive problems through the day. You can see above for more explanation.
- Avoiding too much exercise during the 9-11am time frame (Spleen time) seems to enhance my digestion. I like to spend this time doing more “passive” work like reading, easy writing projects and hanging out in the back yard. When I have to go to a difficult class during this time, I invariably have indigestion.
- Heart time (11am-1pm) is especially well used doing work that connects firmly to my purpose. I find that if I do creative writing projects, formulas study and conscious business development during this time I get really good work done. Much harder to do anything else like eating, doing menial work, heavy physical activity, etc…
- 1-3pm is a great time for more menial or “have to” projects. I connected this with the Small Intestine’s function as the fu organ of the Heart - it transmits the vision and purpose of the Heart which is best expressed through SACRIFICE. Perhaps most interestingly, I found this to be the best time for lunch. When I eat closer to noon, it tends to upset my digestion.
- 3-5pm was a little difficult to nail down. In my journal I have listed the following observations: good time for spiritual activity like prayer and devotional reading, best time for just sitting with family, excellent period for a daily review. In the end, I think that Bladder time is best for more “visioning” activities, taking a larger view of my life and embracing that aspect of daily living.
- Kidney time 5-7pm seems best suited for evening walks and deep relaxation. For instance, Qigong during Kidney time seems to be particularly fruitful - which is a surprise. I’ve always done my Qigong in the morning.
- 7-9pm, Pericardium time, is absolutely beautiful for sharing a meal with my family and really nourishing my connection with them. This was the best family time and I experienced no trouble with digestion as long as I ate by 9pm. After 9pm, I just wasn’t hungry.
- Triple burner time, from 9-11pm, is when I must go to bed. If I stay up much into Gallbladder time, I’m in trouble - when it gets to be about midnight, I’m usually up until 3 or so. I just can’t settle down. I think this makes a lot of sense given the mysterious Triple Burner network, the organ system of dreams, of in-betweens and of delving deeply into the Yin.
- I didn’t have much experience of either Gall Bladder or Liver time, although I did have a stretch of insomnia that would have me waking smack dab in the middle of the two (always right around 1:30am) needing desperately to go for a walk or eat something terribly bad for me. :)
All of this being said, I’m not entirely sure how I feel these two hour periods should be viewed and used. I can’t say that the experience was so profound that I would want to live my life aligning my activities closely with them. It’s also quite difficult for me to do as little work as the organ system cycle seems to demand. But it did remind me that I need to make sure to take time for myself and for my family. It also made me much more intense about continuing to wake up around 5am to do walking and breathing. SUCH a benefit - I can recommend it to absolutely everyone. But there was, for me, clear benefit in the exercise. Overall, I think a few basic lessons were learned by engaging in this habit during the month of March:
- The general progression is valuable to experience.
- Great alterations away from the basic progression usually yields feelings of dis-ease.
- For the purpose of understanding organ systems, spending time observing nature or human society during key periods is very instructive.
- I think that further research could be helpful, especially in terms of learning more about chrono-acupuncture.
- It may be that like everything, there are acceptable individual variations from the norm that are still supportive of health. However, straying far from the basics is probably never healthy.
The other major goal, making sure to leave weekends open for my family and myself, was the most wonderful part of March’s Year of Sagely Living activity. I was very good at keeping this time open, even when I had a lot of very pressing work to do. I would frequently do work on Saturday mornings, but often it was in tandem with my partner. I can’t tell you what this did for my psyche. Even though my finals week was extremely difficult, I was able to weather it and did wonderfully well on my tests. I felt that I integrated a lot more of what I was learning and feel more open to the lessons of next term even though we only get a week off. I am going to continue this habit because it was so powerful.
I think that this is one of the most potent lessons we can teach our future (and current) patients - our culture asks us to be “on” ALL the time. We are told that if we aren’t willing to “go hard” we should “go home.” I do believe in the immense power of hard work and I believe that many people are working far below their capacity. However, it is an absolute MUST to leave time to reconnect with the source of your personal power. This means your friends and family, visioning your personal and professional life and simply having time to relax in your garden or go for leisurely walks. While these activities don’t pay much per hour and they can often be VERY hard to justify in a maelstrom of work commitments, they are what ultimately pays the greatest dividends.
Coming next, my commitment for the month of April. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
Eric
Tags: activity, Acupuncture, balance, chinese-organ-clock, Organ systems, organ-clock, rest, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
On being blown away by one’s medicine
I just did a small treatment for my partner. Now, I’ve been in clinic in observation and generally being around patients for a couple years. Further, during needling class we have been needling partners as well as ourselves. But sometimes - like tonight - I find myself just thinking, “Wow. This is REAL.”
I know it sounds silly, but there’s something just so… profound about it. About being there with someone, interacting with them on this very intimate, very deep level.
It’s all too easy to see it as an intellectual activity, as something to be studied, something to be analyzed. It’s easy to keep it in your head. Until those moments. It’s then I really UNDERSTAND why I’m in school to do this. Everything makes sense.
Eric
Tags: activity, clinicRelated posts
Should Chinese medicine be modernized?
You probably already know my answer to this question. Reading through my Chinese Medicine news feed, I came across this article - China to further modernize Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here’s their description of what modernizing means for the medicine.
“In modernizing TCM, efforts will be made to improve standards, study new applications and standardize planting, production and processing of medicinal herbs, according to the report of the center, which is under the Ministry of Science and Technology.”
This doesn’t sound too bad, actually. I can understand the wisdom in standardizing planting, production and processing of herbs. Unfortunately, standardization too often means bringing everything down to the standard of the least excellent instead of bringing everything up to the standard of the most excellent! If they are going to standardize the herb industry they need to take care to:
- Make sure the integrity of biological systems is maintained, or where already damaged, improved. The energetic quality of the herb is certainly impacted by its environment. In ancient times, these herbs grew wild - in harmony with their surroundings. The best quality of many herbs is still found in their wild counterparts! In standardized cultivation, one should do the best they can to replicate that environment - even if it harms yields.
- Follow traditional guidelines in harvest and processing of herbs. If in the Materia Medica an herbs is meant to be mix-fried until yellow, don’t char it. If it is meant to be processed in salt water, process it in salt water. Perhaps contemporary research methods don’t pick up the difference between one processing method and another - but don’t kid yourself into thinking that the sages that developed this medicine were stupid. Their guidelines were precise and developed over centuries of testing. Respect that.
- Use the implementation of standards to ensure the elimination of heavy metals, pesticides and non-edible products from the herbs.
Unfortunately, this isn’t all “modernization” has in store for Chinese medicine in China. If prior activity is any measure, it will almost certainly entail the purging of important information from the official canon and redoubled efforts to justify Chinese medicine from a Western scientific standpoint. Further, practitioners with diverse (yet vital and functional) theoretical standpoints, diagnostic methods and treatment principles may be forced to embrace the standard despite the fact that it is not clinically more effective. This, so the line goes, is the only way that Chinese medicine will be accepted into the mainstream.
If that’s what it takes to be accepted into the mainstream - I’ll take the tributaries.
Eric
Tags: activity, china, clinic, Cultivation, environment, herbs, news, Science, standardization, study, tea, Technology, traditional-chinese-medicineRelated posts
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