What Is Acupuncture? (9)

How acupuncture/TCM view the organs

Just like modern medicine, acupuncture/TCM also has its own understanding of the organs with a different point of view. In acupuncture/TCM, organs are categorized into 3 groups, Zang-organs, Fu-organs and extraordinary organs.

1.Zang-organs(脏)
Zang-organs are solid and are Yin organs. Their functions are regeneration and storage of essence(blood, fat, etc.). There are 5 of them:

  • Heart
  • Liver
  • Spleen(pancreas)
  • Lungs
  • Kidneys

2.Fu-organs(腑)
Fu-organs are hollow and are Yang organs. Their functions are transportation and initiation of transformation of substances(food and bodily wastes). There 6 of them:

  • Stomach
  • Large intestines
  • Small intestines
  • Gallbladder
  • Urinary bladder
  • Tripple burner(this is a imaginary organ, the bodily cavity of the truck-thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity and the abdominopelvic cavity).

3.Extraordinary organs(奇恒之腑)

They are called extraordinary organs because they are hollow, like the Fu-organs but they also store essence like they Zang-organs. There are 6 of them:

  • Brain
  • Bones
  • Uterus
  • Marrow
  • Vessels
  • Gallbladder(yes, the gallbladder is both a Fu-organ and a extraordinary organ, because bile if thought to be a type of bodily essence)

Each organ has its own functions, and the Zang-organs are pairs with the Fu-organs: Heart-Small intestines, Lungs-Large intestines, Liver-Gallbladder, Spleen(pancreas)-Stomach, Kidneys-Urinary bladder.

I will explain the functions in upcoming blogs, stay toned.

 

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