APPLICATIONS OF THE YIN AND YANG THEORY

While we’ve been talking about the theoretical aspect of the topic, we need to delve into
applying the concept to what really is important to us here, talking about health and healing, the
following are crucial applications of the concept and attributes of yin and Yang.

● The structure of human body: talking about the anatomical classification of the human
body, we have organs that are at the upper and lower parts, like the upper and lower
limbs: the upper being yang and lower being yin in nature. Also, some are external while
others internal, comparing the skin with the internal organs or tissues like bones or the
likes will tell us that the skin is more yang in nature while the hidden organs are yin.
Then, we have lateral versus medial and so on.

● Relationship between internal organs. Another great application is in how internal

organs can be further classified into yin and Yang. We understand that the internal
organs are yin in nature when compared with the externals, yet, according to the infinite
divisibility attribute of yin and Yang, we can still find yin and Yang inside the internal yin
organs and that is where we have the concept of the Zang Fu organs. Basically, there
are six yin and six yang organs from the visceral organs.
The six yin organs are the lungs, heart, pericardium, Spleen, kidney and liver. While the six
yang organs are the large intestine, small intestine, sanjiao (triple burner), stomach, urinary
bladder and gall bladder. The primary reason why the internal yin organs are classified as such
is for their solid nature and storage functions, while the yang organs are hollow in nature and
also transporting and transforming in functions. These organs are further classified as Zhang Fu
organs where we have 5 Zhang organs and six fu organs. The Zhang organs are the yin organs
as mentioned above, except that the pericardium is not regarded as a distinct organ, it’s
regarded as part of the heart. While the fu organs are exactly the six yang organs mentioned. In
essence, there are 11 Zhang Fu organs: 5 Zhang organs and 6 fu organs. This shall be treated
in details subsequently as a whole topic.

● Physiological functions of the body: this is another great application of yin and Yang.
For normal physiological state of the body, there must be a harmonious relationship
between yin and Yang of the body, especially the Zhangfu organs. Here, yin means
substance while Yang means function. What this means is that the body needs nutrients
to support the physiological activities and that is the substantial aspects known as yin. At
the same time, functional activities (Yang) are required to promote metabolism of the
substances. In this, we can as well see the relationship of interdependence, and mutual
consumption between yin and Yang. And when there is no longer interdependence
between yin and Yang in the human body, life reaches an end.

● Pathological changes of the human body.

In TCM, it is believed that diseases result from an imbalance between yin and Yang. That is,
when the controlling, consumption and supporting interrelationships of yin and Yang are not
balanced, it means one will be deficient and the other in excess. It is this deficiency and excess
that leads to diseases in human body. For example, each of the Zang Fu organs have yin and
Yang aspects which are maintained at certain range. When the range is not balanced, there will
be deficiencies of one and excess of the other which will lead to impaired physiological functions
and then diseases and even impairment of other organs and systems as well.
In essence, the basic pathogenic changes of diseases are conditions of excess or deficiency of
yin and Yang.

> An excess of yang leads to heat conditions which will overcome the yin, causing yin diseases.
> An excess of yin leads to cold which injure yang, causing yang diseases.
> Deficiency of yang leads to cold that injures yang Qi which becomes unable to restrain yin,
leading to cold syndrome.
> Deficiency of yin leads to heat syndrome from excessive yang
> Injured yang will affect yin through failure to generate yin fluid.
> Injured yin affecting Yang through failure to promote yang Qi.
> Both yin and Yang will also be affected.
> Transformation of yin and Yang into opposites in extreme cases.

● Diagnosis of diseases: One the most unique aspect of TCM is the principle of
diagnosis. There are eight principles for disease differentiation in TCM which are: yin
and Yang, exterior and interior, heat and cold, deficiency and excess. However, among
these eight, yin and Yang are the main and most fundamental. This is because the
remaining six can even be grouped under yin and Yang. As exterior, heat and excess
can be grouped as Yang while interior, cold and deficiency can be termed as yin.

● Treatment of diseases:
Since diseases are caused by imbalance of yin and Yang. The treatment of course should be
based on restoring balance between the two. This can be done by regulating and adjusting both
by reducing excess and tonifying as well as supporting deficiency. Examples of ways to achieve
these include:
>Treatment of cold syndrome caused by excess yin with heat mechanisms or heat temperament
herbs and diets.
> Treatment of heat syndrome caused by excess Yang using cold mechanisms or cold
temperament herbs and diets.
> Tonifying yin for yang disease caused by yin deficiency
> Strengthening yang for yin disease caused by yang deficiency.

● Remedies classifications
In TCM, remedies are classified based on nature (temperament), odour, taste and action. Hot
and warm temperament remedies are yang in nature and suitable for cold syndrome diseases
while cold and cool temperaments are yin and suitable for hot syndrome diseases.
Remedies that are sweet, acrid and bland in taste are yang while those that are sour, salty and
of bitter tastes are yin.
Remedies with lifting and floating actions are yang while those that have lowering and sinking
actions are yin. These are important in selection of suitable types of remedies for the target
treatments.

For further readings on yin and Yang:

Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine by Xu, Xiancia.

Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine by Giovanni Maciocai.

Chinese Nutrition Therapy by Jeorg Kastner…

THEORY OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS

Through their objective observations and critical thinking, the Chinese people came up with five
basic natural substances we can’t do without. These substances are used in explaining the
properties of the organs, their mutual relationships, pathological changes as well as relationship
of the complete being with the nature. These substances are known as the five elements (Wu
Xing). They are: Wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

Basic qualities or characteristics of the five elements

Wood: the wood grows straight, it is flourishing and can bend, harmonious, grows freely (
hastes restrictions).
Fire: flares upward, warm and hot in nature.
Earth: permits growth, give birth to all things, has receiving and nurturing features.
Metal: can be moulded and hardens (transformational changes), has astringent effect.
Water: moisten and travel downward, cold and cool in nature.

Relationships among the five elements.

As these elements exist, they relate with one another according to the qualities possessed by
each. These relationships are important due to certain effects they on individual health and
wellness as well as the overall outcome of the applications.
Basically, four major effects occur as the elements relate among one another which are:

● Inter promoting: Mother and child relationship.

● Interacting or controlling relationship.
● Overacting.
 ● Counteracting.

>Inter promoting relationship of the five elements involves the generating relationship and it
refers to mutual production and generating among the elements, Whereby each element gives
birth to others which include the following:

Wood promotes fire. A good analogy is thinking about using wood to make the fire.

Fire promotes Earth: thinking about ashes from burning turning into soil particles.

Metal promotes water: thinking about metallic ions present in

Water or metallic tastes of some types of water.

Water promotes Wood: that is, we wet plants (wood) for adequate growth.

>The controlling relationship involves the ability of an element to put another under control that
is controlling will be acting while the one controlled will be acted upon. The order of interaction
is:
Wood controls Earth: Think about planting cover crops or plants generally, to control soil
erosion
Earth controls water: think about building drainages using Earth materials to control water
flooding.
Water controls fire: of course, water is used for extinguishing fire.
Fire controls metal: Thinking about remoulding metals into different forms by subjection to
heat.
Metal controls wood: instruments made of metals used for cutting trees or carrying out
planting activities can be used as an analogy for this.

>Overaction (over control) relationship: This occurs either when the controlling element is too
powerful or the controlled is too weak, Which can result in abnormality.
The sequence is exactly like that of the controlling or interacting relationship.

>countercontrolling relationship: this usually occurs when the controlling element is super weak
or the controlled element is super strong. For instance, instead of water to control fire, when the
fire is fully blown or very strong, water will fail to control fire and fire will control water
instead.Therefore, the counter controlling relationship will be the reverse of controlling
relationship as follows:

Wood counter controls metal.

Earth counter control wood.
Water counter control Earth.
Fire counter control water.
Metal counter control fire.
Application of the five elements in Chinese medicine.

One of the most important applications of the five elements that I find very interesting is in
determining individual constitutions.
Knowing the constitution of your patients will decode many information about them, such as:
Knowing the likely root causes of the diseases,
Knowing the most likely affected internal organs, determining the prognosis, the affected
emotions as well as knowing the appropriate lifestyle recommendations suitable for each
patient. Other applications include:
explaining the zang fu organs, their physiological functions as well as their
interrelationships: Each of the five zang organs and their fu coupled organs have a pertaining
element and as well exhibit the properties of the element.
The Iiver is pertaining to wood (permit free flowing of Qi).
The heart is pertaining to fire.
The spleen is pertaining to earth.
The lungs are pertaining to metal.
The kidneys are pertaining to water.

>To explain the mutual influences on the disorder of the five Zang organs, Known as
transmission: An example is sickness of the mother organ transferring to the child organ. As
we have in liver fire affecting the heart, since wood (liver) is the mother of fire (heart). Also,
overcontrol and counter action relationships.

>To guide diagnosis of diseases: the presented complaints together with observation,
inspections, olfaction, inquiry, palpating etc. will be compared to the five organs, five colours,
tones and flavours which were all classified from five elements.
>To guide on treatment: After knowing which of the organs are having issues, the next is to
determine the proper treatment for the particular condition in terms of the law of relationship
between the organs. Examples include:
>Tonifying mother for child deficiency and reducing child for mother excess. As we have in
nourishing water (kidneys) for wood (liver) deficiency, wood (liver) for fire (heart )deficiency, fire
(heart ) for Earth (spleen) deficiency, Earth (spleen ) for metal (lungs) deficiency.

>To determine suppression or enhancement in terms of laws of over control examples suppress
wood (liver) and support Earth (spleen ) in over controlling relationship, assist metal (lungs) and
suppress wood (liver) in counter control relationship, cultivate Earth (spleen) and administer
water in over control relationship.

For further readings on The Five Elements Theory:

Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine, edited by Zhu Bing and Wang Hongcai.

The Foundation of Chinese Medicine by Giovanni Maciocai.