For an overview of how internal organs are thought of in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I highly recommend my first post in this series “The Internal Organs in Chinese Medicine.”
In TCM, the Stomach organ is perhaps the most similar to the Western understanding of the Stomach organ. In both systems of medicine, the Stomach is in charge of receiving the food that we eat as it travels down the first part of the digestive tract, starting the digestive process of breaking down food and extracting usable nutrients and then sending the chyme to the intestines.
Additional functions of the Chinese Medicine Stomach organ are to work with the Spleen to send Qi from the food out to the rest of the body, and to be the origin of bodily fluids.
This is the first Yang Organ we are going over in our series (every organ to this point has been a Yin organ), which is important to note because Yang organs do not store substances (e.g. Qi) like their Yin counterparts. Yang organs are constantly being filled and emptied, and possibly because of this difference in general function, Yang organs are not as functionally important as the Yin organs. For the most part, Yang organs play a supportive role to their Yin counterparts, which you will see as a theme going forward.
The Stomach’s main supporting role is in relation to the Spleen organ. If you recall, the Spleen is responsible for extracting Qi from food and sending it to the rest of the body. The Stomach supports this function mainly by acting as a counterbalance to the Spleen. While Spleen Qi flows upward, Stomach Qi flows downward; while the Spleen “likes dryness”, the Stomach “likes wetness”; while the Spleen is prone to damage from cold foods, the Stomach is prone to damage from hot foods. And on and on…
This balance is crucial to proper digestion of food, and the extraction of nutrients and resources (Qi). Clinically, where there are digestive challenges, we look at the Spleen and Stomach first and can typically identify which organ system is out of balance based on their balanced relationship. If there are signs of heat in the digestion (e.g. foul smells, constipation), Qi is moving upward (e.g. acid reflux, vomiting), or dryness (e.g. dry, hard stools, red, cracked lips), we know that the Stomach is more to blame because it is more prone to damage from heat and dryness and it’s Qi should be moving downward, not upward.
The next post will cover “The Functions of the Small Intestine in Chinese Medicine”
To start this series from the beginning, go to “The Internal Organs in Chinese Medicine”
Like what you’re reading and want to learn more about how these concepts may be useful in your health care? If you are in the Austin area, contact me for a free consultation here.
