Written By Jun Heo(許浚, 1539~1615), Translated by Namil Kim, Wung Seok Cha et al., Published by Ministry of Health & Welfare (Korea)
11 Five Viscera Affected by Pathogens 五臟中邪 오장이 사기에 맞은 것
Huangdi asked, “What happens if the five viscera are affected by pathogens?” Qibo answered “Anxiety or fear can damage the heart. Drinking a cold beverage when the body is cold can damage the lungs. This is the case where the Cold Damages both inside and outside. Therefore, qi counterflows upward. When a person tumbles down and accumulates bad blood in the body or gets angry to let qi flow upward and stay in the ribcage, the liver will get damaged. If the person falls down after bumping, has intercourse in a drunken state, or exposes him or herself to wind right after sweating, it can damage the spleen. If the person lifts a heavy object with effort, has excessive intercourse or takes a shower right after sweating, it can cause damage to the kidneys.”
12 Diseases Originated from the Five Visceral Meridians 五臟正經自病 오장의 정경에서 생기는 병
The Classic of Difficult Issues (難經) says, “Diseases originating spontaneously from one’s own meridians are due to the following reasons. Anxiety, concern, and too many thoughts may damage the heart. Drinking cold beverages while the body is cold can damage the lungs. If the upflow of qi due to anger does not come back down, it can damage the liver. Damage from food or exhaustion can cause spleen damage. Sitting in a damp place for a long time or having exhaustive intercourse can damage the kidneys. These are the cases where diseases from one’s own meridians spontaneously occur.”
13 Identifying Diseases of the Viscera and Bowels Through the Pulse 脈辨臟腑 맥으로 장부의 병을 분별한다
The Classic of Difficult Issues (難經) says, ” How do we know the diseases of the viscera and bowels? If the pulse is rapid, then the disease is located in the bowels. If the pulse is slow, then the disease is located in the viscera. A rapid pulse is heat and a slow pulse is cold. All that is yang is heat and all that is yin is cold. Therefore, we can identify the diseases of the viscera and bowels.”
14 Different Symptoms of Diseases of the Viscera and Bowels 臟腑異證 장부병의 증상의 차이
① The Classic of Difficult Issues (難經) says, “Some patients search for cold things while others search for warm things. Also, some patients want to meet people while others do not. Considering these differences, how do we know where the diseases are located among the viscera and bowels? When a patient searches for cold things and wants to meet other people, then the disease is located in the bowels. On the other hand, when a patient searches for warm things and does not want to meet people, then the disease is located in the viscera. How do we know this? The bowels are yang so a patient with a yang syndrome searches for cold things and wants to see people. The five viscera are yin so a patient with a yin disease searches for warm things and wants to stay alone with the door closed and disconnected from others’ voices. These are the ways to identify where the diseases are among the bowels or viscera.”
② Visceral diseases stay in one place without movement. Bowel diseases do not stay in one place but rather move up and
down with growling sounds in the stomach.
15 Difficulty and Ease in Treating Diseases of the Viscera and Bowels 臟腑病治有難易 장부병 치료의 쉬움과 어려움
① The Classic of Difficult Issues (難經) says, “How is it that diseases of the viscera are difficult to treat and diseases of the bowels are easy? Diseases of the viscera are difficult to treat because the diseases are transferred to the restraining organs. Diseases of the bowels are easy to treat because the diseases are transferred to the engendering organs. In restraining the transfer, the heart disease is transferred to the lungs, lung disease to the liver, the liver disease to the spleen, and the spleen disease to the kidneys. When a kidney disease is transferred to the heart, the patient will die because the disease cannot be transferred twice to the same organ. In engendering the transfer, the heart disease is transferred to the spleen, spleen disease to the lungs, lung disease to the kidneys, kidney disease to the liver, and the liver disease to the
heart. This is the transfer of disease between mother and child. When disease is transferred for one cycle and starts again, the patient can survive.
② The Inner Classic (內經) says, “When the wind pathogen invades into the body, it invades quickly like a rain storm. Therefore, the best doctor starts treatment when the disease is in the skin, the second doctor treats when the disease is in the encrusted skin, the third doctor treats when the disease is in the sinew, the fourth doctor treat when the disease is in the six bowels, and the worst doctor treats when the disease is in the five viscera. When the disease invades the five viscera, half of the patients will die even if treated.”
16 Relationship of the Viscera and Bowels 臟腑相關 장부의 상관관계
① The Inner Classic (內經) says, “Disharmony of the five viscera is because of obstructions of the six bowels.
② ｢In-depth research about the five viscera in the Inner Classic (五藏穿鑿論)｣says, “The heart and gallbladder are related to
each other. Therefore, when a patient feels fearful throbbing due to the heart disease, the treatment should be focused on warming the gallbladder. When a patient shivers with cold and has mania-withdrawal syndrome due to a gallbladder disease, the treatment should be focused on tonifying the heart. The liver and large intestine are related to each other. Therefore, when a patient has a liver disease, the treatment should be focused on freeing the large intestine.
For a large intestine disease, the treatment should be focused on easing the liver meridian. The spleen and small intestine are related to each other. Therefore, for a spleen disease, the treatment should be focused on purging Fire. For a small intestine disease, the treatment should be focused on tonifying spleen Earth. The lungs and bladder are related to each other. Therefore, for a lung disease, treatment should be focused on excreting bladder water, and for a bladder disease, the treatment should be focused on clearing lung qi. The kidneys and triple energizer are related to each other. For a kidney disease, harmonize the triple energizer, and for the triple energizer disease, tonify the kidneys.” This is very logical and corresponds to the principles precisely.
17 Times When the Viscera and Bowel Diseases Intensify or Are Relieved 五臟病間甚 오장병이 낫거나 심해지는 때
① The Inner Classic (內經) says, “When pathogens invade the body, the disease will be relieved or get worse according to engendering or restraining cycles. The disease is relieved when it reaches the time when it engenders. The disease gets worse when it reaches the time when it is prevailing. The disease is maintained when it reaches the time when it is engendered. The disease rises when it reaches its time. The doctor should first of all know the pulses of the five viscera to diagnose whether the disease is either relieved or aggravated and whether the patient will die or survive.”
② The time of the five viscera is standard for predicting the intensity of the disease. Qian Zhongyang (錢仲陽) studied this principle deeply; so doctors should study this principle deeply.
③ he Interpretation says, “liver disease recovers in summer, intensifies in fall, stays the same in winter, and is engendered in spring. Others follow this principle.”
18 Time of Death Due to the Five Visceral Diseases 五藏死期 오장병으로 죽는 때
The Inner Classic (內經) says, “The five viscera receive the pathogen from the organ it engenders and passes the pathogen to the organ it prevails. The pathogen stays in the organ from which it is engendered, and dies in the organ in which it cannot prevail. When the person is diseased, the pathogen first transmutates and reaches the organ in which it cannot prevail to die. This is because the pathogen counterflows. The liver receives the pathogen from the heart (which the liver engenders), passes the pathogen to the spleen (which the liver prevails), keeps it in the kidneys (which engenders the liver), and the pathogen dies when it reaches the lungs (which prevails over the pathogen).
The heart receives the pathogen from the spleen, passes it to the lungs, keeps it in the liver, and the pathogen dies when it reaches the kidneys. The spleen receives the pathogen from the lungs, passes it to the kidneys, and keeps it in the heart, and the pathogen dies when it reaches the liver. The lungs receive the pathogen from the kidneys, pass it to the liver, keep it in the spleen, and the pathogen dies when it is in the heart. The kidneys receive the pathogen from the liver, pass it to the heart, and keep it in the lungs, and the pathogen dies when the pathogen reaches the spleen. The person dies due to the counterflow of the pathogen. When the person will die can be predicted by dividing the day into five.
19 Signs of Exhaustion of Qi of Viscera and Bowels 臟腑氣絶候 장부의 기가 끊어지려는 징후
These are described elaborately in the chapter Qi.
20 Simple Prescriptions 單方 단방
There are 23 kinds in total.
- Oryzae Semen 粳米: It harmonizes the five viscera. Make rice gruel and take at daybreak. This will disperse stomach qi and produce fluid and humor.
- Tritici Pulvis 小麥麪: It harmonizes the five viscera. It is beneficial to take it all the time.
- Hordei Vulgaris Fructus 大麥: It strengthens the five viscera. Boiled, grinded, and grueled forms are all beneficial.
- Fagopyri Semen 蕎麥: It removes the wastes of the five viscera. Use in grinded or grueled form.
- Glycine Semen Nigra 黑豆: ① It disperses accumulation in the five viscera. ② Ones soaked in water and then germinated are called Glycine Semen Germinatum. It is commonly used for qi accumulation in the five viscera or stomach. It can also be used in boiled form.
- Sesami Semen 胡麻: It moistens the five viscera. Boiled or grinded ones are used. It is best to take them all the time. It refers to Sesami Semen (黑荏子)
- Hominis Lac 人乳: It tonifies the five viscera. It is beneficial to take it all the time.
- Bovis Calculus 牛肚: It tonifies the five viscera. Mix with vinegar and boil for a long time before taking it.
- Bovis Calculus 牛髓: It eases the five viscera. Take it with alcohol.
- Cervi Caro 鹿肉: It strengthens the five viscera. Boil for a long time before taking it. Deer meat also tonifies the five viscera. It is good to take it all the time.
- Canitis Caro 狗肉: It eases the five viscera. Season it with spices and boil for a long time before taking. It is best to take on an empty stomach. Canitis Caro of a yellow dog is the best.
- Galli Femininus Caro 黃雌雞: It tonifies the five viscera. Boil it for a long time and season with spices before taking.
- Passeris Caro 雀肉: It connects deficient qi of the five viscera. It is best to fry lightly in oil before taking.
- Honey 蜜: It eases the five viscera and tonifies deficient qi. Adding this to gruel or the prescription and taking for a long time is beneficial.
- Bovis Lac / Milk 牛乳: It refers to Yurak (milk gathered from milk cattle). It tonifies the five viscera. Make this into a gruel and take all the time.
- Carassius auratus 鯽魚: It tonifies the five viscera. Boil, stir-fry, or steam before taking. Take this all the time.
- Nelumbinis Semen 蓮子: It tonifies a qi deficiency of the five viscera. Grind this and make into a gruel and take all the time. The root of it is called Nelumbinis Rhizoma (藕). The steamed form of which tonifies the five viscera well.
- Pinii Koraiensis Semen 海松子: It enriches the five viscera. Taking it frequently in gruel form is very good.
- Zizyphi Fructus 大棗: It tonifies the five viscera. Decoct and drink the decoction.
- Mallow 葵菜: It frees blocked qi of the five viscera. Taking it once every month will promote circulation of the five viscera. It is the best of vegetables.
- Zingiberis Rhizoma Crudus 生薑: It opens the viscera and bowels. It is recommended to take everyday.
- Allii Fistulosi Bulbus 葱白: It harmonizes the viscera and bowels. It is best taken in boiled form.
- Brassicae Junceae Semen 芥子: It frees the five viscera. Stir-fry for a short time and grind into a sauce form. Boil young stems and season into salads.
