Kidney (Chinese medicine) 1130485 222423779 2008-06-29T07:39:20Z Koavf 205121 moved [[Kidney (Zang)]] to [[Kidney (Chinese medicine)]]: better dab As distinct from the Western medical concept of [[Kidneys]], this concept from [[Traditional Chinese Medicine]] is more a way of describing a set of interrelated parts than an anatomical organ. (See [[Zang Fu theory]]) To differentiate between western or eastern concepts of organs the first letter is capitalized (Liver, instead of liver, Spleen instead of spleen). Because [[Traditional Chinese Medicine]] (TCM) is holistic, each organ cannot be explained fully unless the TCM relationship/homeostasis with the other organs is understood. TCM also looks at the functions of the organs rather than fixed areas and, therefore, describes different organs that are not actually physical, like the Triple Burner ([[San Jiao]]). This also leads to controversy about the validity of TCM, which comes a lot from the difficulty of translating and lack knowledge about TCM concepts and Chinese culture. So, to avoid conflict and to keep an open mind, please realize that these notions evolved in a different culture and are a different way of viewing the [[human body]]. The Kidneys (Shen) is a Zang organ meaning it is a Yin organ. The other Yin, or Zang, Organs are the Lungs (Fei), Liver (Gan), Spleen (Pi), and Heart (Xin). Sometimes the Pericardium (Xin Bao) is included. Yin organs store, secrete, make, and transform Essence, Blood, Spirit, Qi, and Fluids. These nourish the body. The Kidneys store the Essence (Jing) and are considered the root of everything. The Kidneys govern water [[metabolism]], [[reproduction]], secretions and some brain functions. The Kidneys are responsible for growth and development. The Kidneys produce Marrow, dominate Bones, and manufacture Blood. The Kidneys open into the ears. They receive [[Qi]] from the air (Kong Qi). Open at the two yins, (anus and genitals). Health of the Kidneys is reflected in head hair. Houses the Zhi (or will). Fluid secretions are urine, semen, and vaginal fluids. The peak time for the Kidneys is from 5-7pm. In [[Traditional Chinese medicine]] there is only one Kidney which includes both left and right [[kidneys]] and the space between them know in TCM as the [[San Jiao]] or triple warmer or triple burner. ==Kidney's Main Function== The main function of the Kidney is to govern the growth and development of the body, via its vital roles in storing [[jing (TCM)|jing]] (essence) and dominating reproduction and development. The Kidney is considered to be the congenital foundation of the body and its functions and, therefore, the Kidney dominates growth and development (Cheng, et al. 1987, p. 32-33 & Dong, 2006, p. 34). The primary function of the Kidney is to store and control ‘essence’, or [[jing (TCM)|jing]]. [[jing (TCM)|jing]] is the essence of [[qi]] and the basis for all body matter, such as the bones, the blood, etc., and much of the body’s operations. According to Chinese medical theory there are two types of [[jing (TCM)|jing]] that are required for the support and development of life; these are congenital [[jing (TCM)|jing]] and acquired [[jing (TCM)|jing]], which are both stored in the Kidney, and which together in the greater whole are known as Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]]. Unlike [[qi]], [[jing (TCM)|jing]] circulates in very long cycles (seven years for females and eight years for males) that govern the different stages of human development. The function of [[jing (TCM)|jing]] is to promote growth, development and reproduction, to provide the basis for Kidney [[qi]], to produce [[marrow (TCM)|marrow]], and to provide the basis for all of the body’s [[jing (TCM)|jing]], [[qi]] and shen (mind). (Cheng, et al. 1987, p.32; Maciocia, 2005, p. 46 & Yin, & Shuai, 1992, p. 34). Congenital [[jing (TCM)|jing]] comes from the parents and determines one’s basic constitution; it cannot be altered, although it can be positively influenced by acquired [[jing (TCM)|jing]]. Acquired [[jing (TCM)|jing]] is produced from food by the [[Spleen (Zang)|Spleen]] and [[Stomach (Fu)|Stomach]] and is then stored in the Kidney and circulated throughout the body. Congenital and acquired [[jing (TCM)|jing]] have a promoting/ controlling relationship with each other and their interaction produces Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]]; all three play a part in determining growth and development, sexual maturation and reproduction, and the aging process (Cheng, et al. 1987, p. 32 & Maciocia, 2005, p. 46). Every new cycle of [[jing (TCM)|jing]] prompts a new cycle of human development. For example, congenital [[jing (TCM)|jing]] exists from conception, carrying on from the [[jing (TCM)|jing]]s of the parents. Once the child is born, acquired [[jing (TCM)|jing]] is responsible for replenishing the congenital [[jing (TCM)|jing]] and starting the first independent [[jing (TCM)|jing]] cycle which, for the next seven years in girls and eight years in boys, will control the growth and development of the child. Then, when the child looses its baby teeth, its body begins a new cycle, that of pre-adolescence. The next [[jing (TCM)|jing]] cycle is then adolescence, when Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]] matures and causes the ren meridian to open and flow. At this time, part of the Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]] transforms into tian gui, which develops and maintains reproductive function; hence the Kidney is considered to dominate reproduction. In the next stage the body finishes its physical growth, and eventually the decline of [[jing (TCM)|jing]] leads to the exhaustion of tian gui, thus extinguishing reproductive ability. Inevitably, the further decline of [[jing (TCM)|jing]] eventually leads to death. (Cheng, et al. 1987, p.32; Maciocia, 2005, p. 45-46 and Zhiya, Yanchi, Ruifu & Dong, 1995, p. 193-194). All four of the Kidney energy aspects are essential in the growth and development of the human body. The four aspects are Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]] (essence), Kidney [[Yin and yang|yin]] (water), Kidney [[Yin and yang|yang]] (fire) and Kidney [[qi]]. The ‘essence’ is cooked in the ‘water’ using the ‘fire’ to produce life-promoting ‘[[qi]]’. All of the body’s functions rely on the heat provided by Kidney [[qi]] and the gate of life (the space between the left and right Kidneys) (Maciocia, (2005), p. 49). Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]] is the foundation of the [[Yin and yang|yin]] and [[Yin and yang|yang]] of all the body’s organs. Kidney [[Yin and yang|yin]] and [[Yin and yang|yang]] are the primordial [[Yin and yang|yin]] and [[Yin and yang|yang]], and the root of [[Yin and yang|yin]] and [[Yin and yang|yang]] to all the zang organs. Kidney [[Yin and yang|yin]] moistens and nourishes the whole body, while Kidney [[Yin and yang|yang]] provides warmth and promotes all of the body’s organs and tissue (Yin, & Shuai, 1992, p. 34-35). Kidney [[Yin and yang|yang]] is the dynamic force necessary to start the body’s system of balancing water metabolism, which also employs the [[Spleen (Zang)|Spleen]], [[Lung (Zang)|Lung]], [[Liver (Zang)|Liver]] and [[San Jiao]] (Zhiya, et al.,, 1995, p. 194). Of the five zang organs, the Kidney is considered to be the water element. As it is the body’s water gate, it regulates the body’s water metabolism and the reception of [[qi]]. The foundation of [[Yin and yang|yin]] fluid that nourishes and moistens the whole body is Kidney [[Yin and yang|yin]]. When the Kidney receives fluid the [[qi]] of Kidney [[Yin and yang|yang]] divides it into to two types, clear and turbid. The clear fluid is sent upward through [[San Jiao]] to moisten the [[Lung (Zang)|Lung]] and for the [[Lung (Zang)|Lung]] to distribute to the rest of the body, while the turbid fluid is sent downward for expulsion by the [[Urinary Bladder (Fu)|bladder]]. The water gate, as its name implies, is also responsible for regulating the opening and closing of the drainage ducts, namely the [[Urinary Bladder (Fu)|bladder]] and the anus, which rely on the activity of Kidney [[qi]]. Also, while [[Lung (Zang)|Lung]] [[qi]] controls respiration in the body, Kidney [[qi]] coordinates inhalation. (Cheng, et al. 1987, p.32, 34; Dong, 2006, p. 34 & Zhiya, et al., 1995, p. 194) The [[Yin and yang|yang]] (fu) organs transform food into pure, refined, vital substances that the [[Yin and yang|yin]] (Zang) organs then store. Being a zang organ, the Kidney generates and stores [[qi]]. It is also responsible for the lustre of the hair, the production of bones and brain matter, the correct functioning of the ears, and the regulation of the opening and closing of the [[Urinary Bladder (Fu)|bladder]] and the [[anus]]. Mentally, the Kidney is responsible for supporting memory, while emotionally it is linked to determination, or will power (zhi) (Dong, 2006, p. 29-30 & Maciocia, 2005, p. 93). As stated in Giovanni Maciocia’s book, <i>The Foundations Of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text For Acupuncturists And Herbalists</i>, ‘At the basis of all is [[qi]]: all the other vital substances are but manifestations of [[qi]] in varying degrees of materiality, ranging from the completely material, such as Body Fluids, to the totally immaterial, such as the Mind (Shen)’. Congenital [[jing (TCM)|jing]] is the origin of the body’s [[qi]]. [[qi]] is the energy that drives the body; it comes from primordial [[qi]], which comes from Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]]. [[qi]] is replenished by the combined efforts of the stomach, [[Spleen (Zang)|Spleen]], Kidney, and [[Lung (Zang)|Lung]]. This replenishment is achieved through the [[Stomach (Fu)|Stomach’s]] and the [[Spleen (Zang)|Spleen]]’s transformation and transportation of food and water, and also through clear [[qi]] taken into the [[Lung (Zang)|Lung]] from the air; both come together in the Kidney and interact with the Kidney [[jing (TCM)|jing]] to provide [[qi]] for the whole body. Essential [[qi]] is stored in the Kidney and derives from the combination of both congenital and acquired [[jing (TCM)|jing]]. Essential [[qi]], which comes from the parents, provides the body’s basic matter and is the basis for all growth and development of the body. During childhood, essential [[qi]] is in development, as is the child, and henceforth [[qi]] mirrors the development and decline for the entire human life cycle. For all these reasons, Chinese medicine considers the Kidney to be the root of [[qi]]. (Maciocia, 2005, p. 49; Zhiya, et al., 1995, p. 193-194 & Yin, & Shuai, 1992, p. 34-35, 50-51, 53). In Chinese medicine the Kidney is the key to human growth and development because it is the root of all [[qi]] and [[jing (TCM)|jing]], and is, therefore, the impetus for all of the body’s ability to grow and develop. As [[qi]] and [[jing (TCM)|jing]] develop and decline, so does the human body’s development and abilities, for [[qi]] and [[jing (TCM)|jing]] are the essential energies of life. <b>Bibliography</b> Cheng, X.-n., Deng, L., & Cheng, Y. (Eds.). (1987). <i>Chinese Acupuncture And Moxibustion</i>. Bei[[jing (TCM)|jing]]: Foreign Languages Press. Dong, Lin (2006). <i>Lecture Notes For COTH2140 Chinese Medicine Theory 1 History Of Chinese Medicine Component</i>. RMIT University: Bundoora West. Maciocia, G. (2005). <i>The Foundations Of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text For Acupuncturists And Herbalists</i>. Philadelphia, MA: Elseverier Churchill Livingstone. Zhiya, Z., Yanchi, L., Ruifu, Z. & Dong, L. (1995). <i>Advanced Textbook On Traditional Chinese Medicine And Pharmacology (Vol. I) </i>. Beijing: New World Press. Yin, H.-h., & Shuai, H.-c. (1992). <i>Fundamentals Of Traditional Chinese Medicine</i>. Beijing, China: Foreign Languages Press. [[Category:Traditional Chinese medicine]] [[zh:腎 (臟腑)]]