Day 41: The Body Fluids and the Fundamental Substances.

Earlier, I talked about Qi and the different kinds that there are. According to Chinese belief, Qi is a fundamental substance constituting the whole universe, and everything is produced by the changes and movement of it. There is no one word that can actually describe Qi, so sometimes it is explained as energy, yet it is much more than that, as it is matter, also.

Chinese belief doesn’t distinguish between the two. If you can consider that thoughts are things, and what is a thought? A thought is energy and a thought produces images, and those images can become things if we create something material from them. You know what a table looks like so it is not hard to imagine a table when you have a thought about it. But, if you were creating something that you haven’t a name for because it is a new idea (and you can name it later) you are forming the idea in your thoughts what it would look like, and its purpose. When you see something material already made, you form a thought about it. So, Qi is like energy at a point of materializing, or matter on the edge of becoming energy. Therefore, Qi is described as what it functionally does because it cannot be seen, yet we know it’s there. Essence is transformed into Qi (Qihua).

Different teachings may consider four, or five types of Qi, but in either case it is differentiated in the body according to its source, function, and distribution. In terms of source, it can be further divided into Congenital or Acquired Qi. The Chinese recognize that Qi may have many variants, aspects and functions. This is going to be a little bit like which came first, the chicken or the egg.

Congenital and Acquired Qi are dependent on each other for production and nourishment. Congenital is derived from Essence and inherited from the parents and this is called Yuan Qi/Prenatal Qi/Original Qi/Primary Qi. Yuan Qi stimulates and promotes the functional activities of the organs and tissues. These in turn produce the Acquired Qi. Yuan Qi is stored in the Kidneys and is spread to the body via the San Jiao/Triple Burner/Triple Warmer. When Yuan Qi is abundant, so is the health of the Zang-Fu organs (Yin and Yang organs), and the tissues. If you have a good constitution you will rarely get sick, but the opposite is true if you don’t have enough — pathological changes and prolonged illnesses can happen.

Acquired Qi is derived from digested food essence called Grain Qi/Gu Qi. It creates Zong Qi/Pectoral Qi, Ying Qi/Nutritional Qi, and Wei Qi/Protective Qi.

Zong Qi is formed from Qing Qi/Clean Qi/Natural Air Qi which is inhaled and extracted from the Lungs. It is stored in the chest and its main functions are to control respirations, and give strength to the voice, and to promote the Heart’s control of the Blood and Blood Vessels to circulate Qi and Blood. All of these Qis are collectively called Normal Qi, or just Qi. When we say Qi of the body, we mean Normal Qi unless we are talking about a specific function of a certain aspect of Qi.

Ying Qi comes from the food essence and it produces blood and circulates with it to provide nourishment to the blood. Sometimes this Qi is referred to as Ying Blood because they run hand in hand. When you eat, the Stomach is said to ‘rot and ripen’ the food.

Wei Qi circulates outside of the vessels and it protects the muscular surface of the body against EPIs (External/Evil Pathogenic Influences). It controls the opening and closing of the pores, moistens skin and hair, adjusts the body temperature and keeps the organs warm. When the pores are tighter, Wind cannot enter, but if the pores are open, Wind can enter and create further disturbances in the body. When you are feeling weakened, protect yourself from the Wind, especially your head, neck, ears and mouth. The head and neck area is the first entryway for disease (Tai Yang stage), which we will talk about in another writing when I explain the Six Divisions of Disease.

The Zang-Fu organs possess their own Qi, derived from all the above and it circulates throughout the Meridians. It is referred to as Zheng or Zeng Qi/Vital Qi. Think of Qi as electricity and even though electricity doesn’t have different names, per se, it can do many different things. There is Direct Current and Indirect Current, and these two types of electricity are used to perform different things.

The functions of Qi are Promoting, Warming, Defending, Checking, and Nourishing. It is the source of all movement but is not the cause of movement, as the two are inseparable from movement. As growth happens, Qi grows with it (think of when you were born, you came with skin and as you grew, so did your skin…and other things that you are made of).

Qi protects you (Wei)and depending on the strength of Wei Qi depends on how well you are protected. Either you can ward off EPIs, or you can get sick.

It is the source of harmonious transformation in the body and when food is ingested and digested it creates Blood, more Qi, tears, sweat, urine, and seminal emission. It warms the body, and it keeps “everything in”, meaning organs in place (not prolapsing), blood in the vessels (bruising is blood leaving the vessels), etc.

Remember I spoke in an earlier writing of disharmonies of Qi, of which there are two major, and they can create subcategories. They are either Yin or Yang conditions. Deficient Qi affects the whole body, but it can apply to the various types, as well. When things are not kept in place, that is called Collapsed Qi. When Qi is impaired, this is called Stagnant Qi. When Qi is going in the wrong direction, this is called Rebellious/Reverse Qi. When trauma happens and you feel disoriented that is referred to as Scattered Qi. These names just tell you what is happening with the Qi.

Blood is a fluid of the body that is not just the red stuff that flows through your veins. It is also a vital nutrient. It is formed through the transformation of food. It is formed by the Essence of the purified form of the digested food. Essence and Blood can transform into each other. If you refer to the writings of Yin and Yang, you will remember that this is a function of Yin and Yang. Blood is considered a Yin aspect, but here it is considered the Yang aspect because Essence is the Yin aspect. Blood is the mother of Qi, and Qi is the Commander of Blood. They cannot be separated.

The Chinese are not necessarily concerned with the ‘science’ of how things happen but more of their functional nature. Blood doesn’t just circulate in the vessels but in the Meridians, as well. But, the Meridians have been referred to as Vessels, as there are no distinguishable pathways. The Chinese did not cut open the body to see how things worked, they were more focused on the energy of things. Blood could be considered as Lymph, too. Blood is acted upon by three organs; Heart, Liver, and Spleen. Briefly, Heart circulates the Blood, Spleen controls or governs the Blood and keeps it in the vessels, and Liver stores Blood (at night) and regulates its volume, and it promotes the free flow of Qi.

The functions of Blood are that Blood nourishes and moistens, the eyes can move, the feet can walk and all parts of you can function as they are meant to do. It is the foundation for mental activities. When your Blood is strong, you have clear thinking and ensures a ‘vigorous spirit’.

Jing is considered an Essence; therefore, Yin. Prenatal Jing/Congenital fuses with the parental Jing and conception occurs. After birth, Postnatal Jing is derived from the essence of digested foods. Together this is all referred to as Jing, and it is basically the constitution of your body. What you are born with is what you get, you can either abuse it with a hard and stressful life; therefore, using it up and die, or you can nourish it along the way with smart choices and preserve it. But, you can not make more of it once you are here. What you come with is what you get. Since you cannot control the Prenatal part of Jing, if you are considering having a baby, you can control the part you add. Your baby will be much healthier if you are healthy when conceiving. Too much sexual activity in men depletes their Jing. Too many babies, or having them too close together, depletes the Jing in women.

Body fluids are all the other liquids in your body, tears, sweat, etc. Three organs control the distributions and excretions; Spleen transports, Lungs disperse and descend and regulate the water passages, and Kidney separates the clear from the turbid and urine is the turbid it expels. The clear goes to moistening the body, making Blood volume, and travels to the organs. In Western medicine your skin is an organ, the only one that needs nourishment from inside and outside. Jin refers to the lighter and clearer fluids, and Ye refers to the thicker and heavier fluids. Disharmonies of fluids create dryness, and/or accumulation, as with edema.

Shen is a vital essence and best described as Spirit. “If Jing is the source of life, and Qi the ability to activate and move, the Shen is the vitality behind Jing and Qi….” Shen is your personality, your thinking, discrimination. Its origins are like Jing, and each parent contributes to it. Shen does have a material aspect because thoughts are things. It has the capacity to allow your mind to form ideas into matter.. Disharmonies in Shen may show as dull eyes, forgetfulness, insomnia, or unreasonable reactions to the environment. Extreme disturbances to Shen can lead to madness or violent behaviors because it has the power to activate.