Blake Faulkner 
Glossary of Terms in Oriental Medicine
Blood
Blood is more than just the liquid matrix of biomedicine. It has a close
relationship with qi and provides a foundation for qi to stay within the body. The ancient
statement "blood is the mother of qi" means that blood nourishes qi. Specifically blood
nourishes the body, moistens the tissues, and provides the material foundation for the
spirit or mind to reside. Certain foods can nourish or deplete blood.
Cold
This type of influence causes pain, of a fixed location, quite intense, and its
tell-tale sign is that cold temperature makes it worse while application of heat makes it
better.
Congee
Congee is a grain cooked dilute in much water in order to make a thin warm nutritious cereal. It is one of the healthiest
foods for the "Digestive Fire" of the Spleen and Stomach complex. There is a base recipe for congee to which other foods can be added.
Damp
Like the dampness in nature, dampness in the body is heavy, dull,
lingering. Damp weather makes it worse, dryness improves it. It tends to affect the lower
part of the body because it is sinking in nature but it does cause foggy thinking. Certain foods can help drain dampness.
Essence
Stored in the kidneys and primarily inherited from our parents, Essence provides the
driving force to support and sustain us from birth to death. We have a limited supply, but
we do fortify this to some extent with the food we eat, providing it is food with vitality
and that our bodies are healthy enough to fully transform this food.
Five Elements
Health can be described in terms of the balance of Five Elements, which are:
- Earth
- Wood
- Fire
- Metal
- Water
Heart
The heart not only pumps the blood, but also stores the spirit/shen (specifically the
heart blood). In Chinese medicine, this is largely a function of mind and consciousness,
although intellectual activity is mainly governed by the spleen.
Heat
Red, hot to touch, burning nature characterizes this influence. Application
of heat worsens this kind of pain or symptom while cold improves it.
Kidney
The kidneys are responsible for human reproduction, growth and development,
and maturation. Recall this largely has to do with the essence explained above. The
kidneys keep the bones healthy. It also helps, with the spleen to keep water metabolizing
correctly.
Liver
The liver nourishes the sinews (tendons, ligaments): It sends them an abundant
supply of qi and blood. The liver also stores any surplus of blood, and is also responsible
for "coursing and discharging" of qi and blood in the entire body.
Pain
"Where there is freeflow there is no pain and where there is no freeflow there is pain" (Ancient Chinese adage). The freeflow here pertains to qi, and, as an extension,
also pertains blood. When there is a dull aching distending or vague pain there exists a
stagnation of qi; and when there is a sharp fixed boring type pain there exists stagnation
of blood. Pain that involves simultaneous types of sensations involve both qi and blood stagnation.
Qi
Pronounced "chee", it is best understood as influence. It is qi that is responsible for all
change and movement within the body. This is a holistic definition. Specifically, qi
defends, warms, restrains, transforms, and transports. Certain foods nourish qi in the body.
Spleen
It is the qi or vitality of the spleen that is responsible for the transformation of
food and drink into qi and blood. The spleen also vitalizes the flesh and muscles, and the
four limbs. The spleen does not function well in a damp environment, both internal and
external. Ironically, when not functioning properly "the spleen is the source of all
dampness" (in the body).
Wind
Like nature wind in the body has a moving characteristic. Symptoms that
come and go, travel from joint to joint have a wind type of influence. Wind can combine
with any other pathological influence mentioned above.