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, spring

July 30, 2008 · Filed Under Organ systems, Theory

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Pregnancy in Chinese medical texts

I’m away at a Qigong retreat this weekend (we take one a term in the Classical Chinese Medicine program at NCNM), but didn’t want to leave you folks without content. :) Two fellow bloggers were kind enough to offer posts - one from G. Michael Reynolds over at the Life Giving Sword and the other from Yael Ernst at Chinese Medicine Notes. I hope you will enjoy them both.

First up, Yael with her post about Pregnancy in Chinese medical texts. I don’t talk much about women’s health here, but not because I have no interest in it. I think this will provide a good introduction for folks who are wondering what Chinese medicine has to say about the process of pregnancy and its effects on the female body.

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In the post The Foundation of Pregnancy we looked at the physical aspect of pregnancy in women. In this post I would like to present what Sun Si Miao (http://www.taijichinesemedicine.com/sunsimiao.htm) wrote regarding the pregnancy itself. But, before I talk about Sun Si Miao, I would like to present Ye Heng Yin, and his description of conception. Ye Heng Yin was a gynecology expert from the Qing dynasty. He wrote the Nu Ke Zhi Nan (A Guide to Gynecology).

In this guide, Yin says that the Tian Gui is the contribution of the father and the mother, the form of heaven and true Qi that are formed in the body. The essence and blood that changed form, from fluids and grains, are the root of the creation of post-heaven. In males- Tian Gui arises at 8X2 (16), since men are Yang and belong to the sun. That is why their daily essence becomes more and more vital. In females - Tian Gui arises at 7X2 (14), since women are Yin and belong to the moon. That is why their blood flows out of the body once a month. At the time when man and woman unite, the original Qi of pre-heaven, the essence of post heaven, the blood, the Yin and the Yang all gather together. This allows for the arrival of children.

One must not treat or touch the meridian during it’s month of effect on the pregnancy

Moving now to Sun Si Miao… He explains that in each month, the fetus is nourished by a different channel and each has it’s own different effect and impact on pregnancy. The pulse of the organ system involved will be weak, as its Qi nourishes the fetus. If during treatment we need to address the channel during its month of effect, we can do so. We simply have to use indirect methods. We can access the organ system through the Back-shu points or by treating a paired organ (using five element or six conformation pairing, or some other).

Now for some specifics regarding the individual months of pregnancy…

1^st month

Gestation of Raw Material. The fetus is like a dew drop!

The meridian of this month: Liver. The liver has a role in everything that has to do with the period and during pregnancy. This reminds us of the power of spring.

2^nd month

The fetus is at the level of CV3. The fetus is referred to as Gao - fertility dough.

The meridian of the month: Gall Bladder. The GB is in charge of the essences. We still have the energetic influence of spring, the breakthrough of life. Since this month is very important for the fetus to be rooted in the uterus, it is a resting time for the mother.

3^rd month

The beginning of the embryo. The fetus is like a silkworm’s pupa.

The meridian of the month: Pericardium. You can read more about Pericardium through a Classical Chinese Medicine perspective at Deepest Health.

4^th month

The fetus connects with the Dantian. The body and form are becoming much more solidified.

The meridian of the month: San Jiao/Triple Burner

The element of the month: Water. The Zhi of the mother goes to the fetus. The first 3 months are very basic and there’s no certainty. As of the 4^th month there’s a good chance for the fetus to survive the pregnancy and the elements come into the picture as do heavenly energies. When matter has the vital potential for life the rest of the elements come in.

5^th month

The Uterus is being held firm in its place. One can feel the fetus moving in the Uterus.

The meridian of the month: Spleen. It is recommended to the mother to do things in their right timing and in a balanced way. The balance and stability of Earth needs to be invoked.

The element of the month: Fire. The Shen of the mother goes to the fetus.

6^th month

The fetus is like a fish in its mother Uterus. It has real stability and form.

The meridian of the month: Stomach. The eyes and mouth are developing and the 5 tastes are in the fetus’ mouth. Salivary glands also develop in this month. It is recommended for the mother to eat delicate and sweet food.

The element of the month: Metal. The Po of the mother goes to the fetus.

7^th month

The fetus grows big. The hair, the bones and ligaments are formed and all the sense organs are developing.

The meridian of the month: Lung. It is said that the mother should avoid cold, yelling and crying.

The month of the month: Wood. The Hun of the mother goes to the fetus.

8^th month

Zang Fu completed.

The meridian of the month: Large Intestine. The 9 orifices are completed at this point.

The element of the month: Earth. The Yi of the mother goes to the fetus.

It is said that the mother’s spirit should be calm so not to create shocks in the Qi flow. One can feel the reactions of the fetus according the mother’s moods.

9^th month

The fetus receives the Jade essence, which is the seal of approval that everything is ready.

The meridian of the month: Kidneys. It is recommended to the mother to avoid tight clothes and to eat sweet food.

10^th month

Fetus is ready to come out.

The meridian of the month: Bladder. It is possible to treat this meridian if there’s a need to start labor or if you want to turn the fetus from a breech position. All the Yin organs are completed, the Yang organs are clear from stagnations, the heaven and earth were absorbed, the spirit of the man (fetus) is complete and all that is left is to be born. The mother should concentrate on the Dantian.

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Bibliography:

Extraordinary Fu- Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee and Claude Larre

Chinese Gynecology studies with Yael Saslove- 2006- Israel

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From the Editor (Eric): With all of this in mind, how can we extend our understanding of pregnancy from a Chinese medicine perspective? How can we best advise our patients during their pregnancy? It seems that most Western people in contemporary times want to live their normal lifestyle during and directly after pregnancy, not taking the time necessary to fully nourish themselves and their fetus. What are the consequences of this? We would all love to hear your ideas and experiences in the comments.

Tags: Classical Texts (general), guest-post, pregnancy, sun si miao, women's health