Library

In cases of exhaustion and deficiency, each of the Five Zang organs has its specific dominance, yet the Heart is most frequently involved. The Heart is the Sovereign Official (Zhu Jun), the root of vital Qi for the entire body, and is most susceptible to injury; however, people often overlook this ignorance. Why is this? The spiritual activities of all five Zang organs are derived from the Heart. Thus, sorrow originates in the Heart, and the Lung necessarily responds. If sorrow persists, leading to melancholy and gloom, Yang Qi will gradually diminish, and Ying (Nutritive) and Wei (Defensive) Qi will deplete. Exhaustion then affects the Lung, persisting until death. As stated in the classics: "One who was once noble but became humble, though not struck by external pathogens, develops disease from within, named Tuoying (Depletion of Ying Qi)." "One who was once wealthy but became poor, is named Shijing (Loss of Jing Essence)." When the Five Qi linger without resolving, diseases merge. Sudden joy or sudden suffering, starting with happiness and ending in sorrow, all damage Jing Qi. When Jing Qi is exhausted, the physical form decays. Therefore, nobles losing power, though not affected by external pathogens, suffer internal spiritual injury, leading to physical decline. This is essentially due to worrying about the future and regretting the past, injuring both Yang channels (Large Intestine and Stomach). However, this consumption occurs silently and invisibly, unnoticed by people. They do not realize that among injuries to the Five Zang organs, the Heart is the root. For those experiencing this, one should promptly relax the mind, accept destiny, and strive to preserve congenital essence. One must understand that in life, enjoying a day yields benefits for that day, while worrying a day results in loss for that day. If the luminous spirit remains awake, what worldly illusions would dare to invade? Once illness has set in, using herbs like Ginseng, [Atractylodes], Angelica Sinensis, Atractylodes Macrocephala, and Yiqi Tang are merely inferior measures to support acquired essence. Wise individuals know to prioritize treating the root.

1. Joy arises from the fulfillment of desires and seems harmless, yet the classics state: "Joy injures the Heart." Also: "Sudden joy injures Yang." Also: "Excessive joy causes the Spirit (Shen) to scatter and fail to consolidate." Also: "If the Lung experiences boundless joy, it injures the Po (Corporeal Soul); if the Po is injured, madness ensues. The mad person disregards others, skin becomes dry, hair deteriorates, complexion fades, and death occurs in summer." This is because the Heart stores Shen, and the Lung stores Qi; both are Yang organs. Thus, excessive sudden joy damages Yang, causing Shen and Qi to dissipate. Unrestrained laughter leads to licentiousness and wandering, resulting in spiritual exhaustion beyond remedy. Occasional success may lead to arrogance and self-destruction, often without understanding why. Thus, although joy is often overlooked, it has aspects that cannot be ignored.

2. Thought (Si) originates in the Heart. The classics state: "Frightened and thoughtful states injure Shen; when Shen is injured, fear and loss of control arise, muscles waste away, hair deteriorates, complexion fades, and death occurs in winter." This is the result of injuring the Heart. Since thought originates in the Heart, the Spleen necessarily responds. Persistent thought injures the Spleen. The classics state: "Thought injures the Spleen." Also: "Thought causes the mind to focus and Shen to reside, causing Zheng Qi to stagnate and not move, leading to Qi knotting." Diseases arising from this involve Spleen Qi stagnation, resulting in dysphagia (Yege), vomiting, and inability to digest food. Poor digestion leads to daily depletion of Blood and Qi, wasting of muscles, reduction of spirit, paralysis of limbs, and symptoms like distension and diarrhea. This injures the Yang of the Heart and Spleen. Everyone thinks, but苦思 (bitter/persistent thinking) causes such severe injury, which health preservers must beware of. Although thought primarily injures the Spleen, worry also injures the Spleen. The classics state: "If the Spleen is troubled by worry and unresolved, Yi (Intellect) is injured; if Yi is injured, thoughts become chaotic, limbs cannot move, hair deteriorates, complexion fades, and death occurs in spring." Human worry and thought often occur together, injuring Heart, Spleen, and Lung, thereby damaging Upper Jiao Yang Qi. Diseases of the two Yang channels originating from Heart and Spleen, gradually forming consumptive disorders, definitely stem from this.

3. Lustful and evil thoughts differ from worry and thought, causing damage primarily to the Kidney. When the Heart indulges in desire, the Kidney responds. When Ministerial Fire (Xiang Huo) moves upward, it resonates downward. Ministerial Fire is fire within water; when calm and stationary, it is Yang Qi; when blazing and uncontrolled, it resembles dragon-thunder fire, drying swamps and burning plains everywhere. In the Kidney, it causes seminal emission, stranguria, leukorrhea, and gradual drying of fluids. Rising into the Liver, it forces blood to move recklessly, causing hematemesis, epistaxis, or deficient Ying Qi with bone and tendon pain. Ascending to the Spleen, it injures Spleen Yin, causing fever and transforming diet into phlegm-saliva. Reaching the Lung, it fails to secure skin and hair, causing Yang collapse with wheezing and cough, even aphonia. These are all rootless deficient fire, with Yang failing to reside, flames reaching heaven, moving upward from Kidney to Lung, draining the source, resulting in upper excess and lower deficiency, a sign of extreme peeling (B Gua). Nuns, virgins, and widows, though not engaging in sexual intercourse, may have lingering private attachments and endless thoughts. If separated by distance or unfulfilled desires, desire-fire shakes the Heart, daily depleting True Yin, leading to incurable deficiency. Among the Five Exhausters, none is more severe. Those valuing life must avoid this.

4. Among the Seven Emotions, Fear (Kong) frequently injures the Kidney. Fear resides in the Heart, and the Kidney receives it. The classics state: "Fear injures the Kidney." Also: "Fear causes Jing Essence to retreat." Also: "Unresolved fear injures Jing; injured Jing causes bone soreness, flaccidity, coldness of extremities, and spontaneous leakage of essence." I once treated a young official whose illness stemmed from fear; after slight recovery, he suffered impotence, and upon relapse, it was incurable. I have also seen those suddenly frightened experience penile retraction or enuresis, signs of Kidney injury. However, anger also injures the Kidney. The classics state: "Unrestrained excessive anger injures Zhi (Will); injured Zhi causes forgetfulness, inability to bend/extend back/waist, hair deterioration, fading complexion, and death in late summer." Thus, excessive anger harms not only the Liver but also the Kidney.

5. Anger originates in the Heart, and the Liver responds. Unrestrained anger injures the Liver. The classics state: "Anger injures the Liver." Also: "Anger causes Qi to reverse; severely, it causes hematemesis and undigested stool diarrhea, so Qi ascends." The Liver is a Yang organ within Yin. Liver diseases can affect Yin or Yang. If fire moves due to anger, forcing blood recklessly and causing Qi reversal with distension, pain, and wheezing, this injures Yin. If Qi is injured by anger, Wood stagnation fails to extend, invading Spleen Qi and causing sinking, leading to vomiting, distension, diarrhea, pain, and food stagnation, this injures Yang. Mild anger that subsides quickly may not cause disease, nor will robust constitution easily fall ill. Only those with weak congenital endowment and vulnerable Three Yin channels, lacking restraint, will see Liver (East) excess leading to Lung (West) failure. Although anger primarily injures the Liver, grief/sorrow also easily injures the Liver. The classics state: "Liver grief moving internally injures Hun (Ethereal Soul); injured Hun causes madness and lack of clarity, leading to improper behavior, penile retraction, tendon contraction, inability to lift costal bones, hair deterioration, fading complexion, and death in autumn." Excessive anger injures Liver with excess Qi; grief injures Liver with deficient Qi. Excess does not remain excess forever, but deficiency remains deficient. Neglecting deficiency leads to consumptive damage. Treatment must distinguish pathogenic factors from healthy Qi.

6. Fright (Jing) enters the Heart but connects to Liver and Gallbladder. The classics state: "Fright causes the Heart to have no foundation, Shen no refuge, and thoughts no certainty, leading to Qi chaos." Also: "The East corresponds to Green color, connecting to the Liver; its disease manifests as fright and horror." Thus, fright agitates the Heart and especially injures Liver and Gallbladder. The Heart, as Sovereign, must not be injured. The Gallbladder, as the Official of Justice, houses Shaoyang Sheng Qi. The Yang-Qiang Qi of all eleven organs depends on the Gallbladder. Injury here causes immediate decline of vitality in all organs. Mild fright causing illness requires nourishing Heart and calming Shen; once Shen recovers, the disease retreats. Accumulated fear or sudden severe fright damaging the Gallbladder may cause bile leakage and jaundice, or silence, which are incurable. (Gallbladder Jaundice is discussed in the Jaundice chapter.)

7. Excessive sexual desire often leads to consumptive damage. After birth, humans rely on acquired Essence and Qi for survival. Strong Essence leads to strong Shen and longevity; deficient Essence leads to weak Qi and early death. Those with weak congenital endowment who cherish themselves and nurture acquired essence will likely live long. Those with thin endowment indulging in lust further deplete acquired essence will inevitably develop deficiency. Such self-harm invites blame. Youth under twenty, where Kidney Water (Ren Shui) is just generating, need protection of their budding vitality. Ignorant youths squandering female essence are like mayflies dying at dawn; this is tragic. Responsibility lies with the youth and their parents/teachers. Without prior instruction on preserving life, children acting on innocent curiosity cannot understand pros and cons. Late prayers and wailing are useless.

8. Neglecting fatigue often leads to consumptive damage. Labor is unavoidable. Manual laborers working all day rarely get sick; is this not labor? But labor differs. Poor laborers with regulated rest and no concern for status rarely get sick. Harm comes to the idle and fragile who exhaust their mental and physical strength. Labor for fame/profit ignores climate damage to the body; labor for lust ignores daily fatigue; labor for dissipation involves hunger and exertion in gambling/racing; labor from illness involves harm from incompetent doctors; labor from study involves disaster from hard work; labor from bravado leads to tendon rupture and weakness. Ultimately, failing to self-assess and forcing oneself leads to damage through reckless actions. Fatigue primarily injures the Spleen, but various labors injure tendons, bones, Qi, Blood, Essence, Shen, skin, and muscle, affecting all Five Zang organs. Alas! Desires confuse people, causing such harm. The cause is focusing on externals while forgetting the self. Guangchengzi said: "Do not weary your form, do not shake your essence, and you may attain longevity." People ignore these brief words, not realizing the Way of Health Preservation is contained within them. How can they be neglected?

9. Young men indulging in alcohol often develop consumptive damage. Alcohol is a wild drug, severely damaging True Yin. Moderate drinking may have benefits, but excess causes harm. Addicts suffer 80-90% harm. Human constitutions have Yin/Yang, and alcohol has Yin/Yang properties. Brewed wine is hot in nature but cold in substance (water-based). Indulging in wine with Yin deficiency: substance fails to nourish Yin, nature stirs fire, worsening heat, causing hematemesis, epistaxis, hematochezia, hematuria, wheezing, irritability, and madness. This is wine nature injuring Yin. Indulging in wine with Yang deficiency: nature fails to support Yang, substance retains as dampness, worsening cold, causing abdominal distension, diarrhea, abdominal pain, acid regurgitation, anorexia, Yang collapse, and sudden collapse. This is wine substance injuring Yang. Thus, wine injures both Yin and Yang. Wine confuses nature, leading to reckless acts, exhausting Essence and Qi, and failing to withstand disease, often unnoticed Yin damage. At the time of drinking, harm is ignored; only when critically ill is the cause recognized. I clarify this to awaken drinkers. (Discussions on wine appear in Diarrhea and Distension chapters.)

10. Misdiagnosis/mistreatment and neglect of post-illness care often lead to post-illness deficiency. Illnesses have Deficiency/Excess patterns; treatments have Tonifying/Reducing methods. Proper application makes a superior physician. Secular doctors often ignore Divine Principles and fail to distinguish Pathogenic/Healthy Qi and urgency, thus damaging Yuan Qi and destroying vitality. Deaths following medication go unreported. Survivors often suffer residual damage, leading to chronic deficiency unable to recover. Why? Physicians must not act rashly without clear understanding; this is a way of accumulating virtue. Regarding neglect of regulation leading to failure to recover: as the saying goes, "If small leaks are not patched, big holes cry injustice." Suffering is self-inflicted; what is there to complain about?