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Mutual
generation cycle
This
cycle refers to the manner in which the elements create one another.
Wood easily burns and makes a fire. Fire produces ash, creating earth.
The earth contains mineral from which metal is mined and extracted. When
metal is heated and cooled, water droplets will be found over the metal
as a result of condensation. Thus, metal creates water. Water promotes
the growth of trees, which are wood. The cycle is cyclic and
continually gives rise to change and transformation. (See figure 1.)
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Figure
1.
This cycle shows how the five elements produce one another
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Figure
2.
This cycle shows how the five organs promote one another
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Index:  Generates
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The Chinese word
"sheng" for "generate" incorporates several other
meanings such as create, promote, nurture, support and enhance. The
"generation" of the five elements in nature can also be
applied to the body. This relationship is sometimes referred to as a
mother-child relationship because only a mother can give birth to a
baby. For example, fire is the mother of earth since fire creates
earth. Correspondingly in the body, the heart (which has a fire
element) is the mother of the spleen (earth element) because the heart
supports and promotes spleen function. (See Table 1.)
If heart function is deficient, the spleen will be affected. According
to TCM thinking, a heart deficiency cannot sufficiently rule the blood.
Therefore, the spleen cannot perform its normal transformation of qi
and blood
and disharmony results. This disharmony may be mild, but in severe
cases, it can lead to disease.
Mutual restriction cycle
This cycle refers to the manner in which the elements restrict and
control one another. Wood breaks up the soil and depletes the earth's
nutrients, thus controlling earth. Earth contains water in many places,
and as dam prevents flooding, earth controls water. Water extinguishes
fire, and therefore, controls its spread. Fire controls metal by its
ability to melt it. Metal can be made into an axe that cuts wood into
pieces, thus controlling wood. The control repeats in a cyclic fashion
and provides an opposite force to balance the generative power. The
generation and restriction properties of the five elements hold each
other in check, preventing over-functioning. (See figure 3. and figure
4.)
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Figure
3.
This cycle shows how the five elements restrict one another
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Figure
4.
This cycle shows how the five organs restrict one another
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Index:  restricts
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Over-restriction
The Chinese word for restriction, "ke" means "inhibition"
or "winning over". In nature, wood controls the earth. (See
figure 3.) In the body, the liver (a wood element) controls the spleen
(an earth element) and inhibits its functions in a balanced manner. If
the liver's function becomes excessive, there will be over-restriction
of spleen function causing an imbalance in the body. This happens
because excessive liver function produces fire, which in turns affects
the smooth flow of qi. Without good qi flow to start, the spleen cannot
successfully transform food into more qi.
Reverse restriction (insufficient original restriction)
If the enemy is too strong, the controlling element itself becomes
controlled in a reverse manner (i.e. the original restriction is
insufficient). When wood is too strong and its controlling metal axe is
too blunt, the axe cannot cut the wood and may even break as a result
of the rebound force if an attempt is made to chop it. This illustrates
reverse restriction because the wood is able to restrict metal, which
is not usually the case. In our body, if the spleen functions
excessively, its controlling liver will also be restricted in a reverse
manner. The excessive spleen function will produce heat and dampness,
which doesn't have a sufficient release in the body. The constrained
damp heat will heat up the liver and the gall bladder. When this
occurs, the gall bladder can no longer properly regulate bile
secretion, and disease occurs.
Balance between generation and restriction
A famous TCM physician Zhang JingYue (1563-1640 AD) said, "The
mechanism of creation cannot do without promotion. Neither can it do
without control. If there is no promotion, there will be no development
and growth. If there is no control, the unbalanced excitement will be
harmful. It is necessary to have control inside promotion and to have
promotion inside control, so that everything can operate continuously,
in both a complementary and opposite manner."
Balance between generation and restriction is important for normal
transformation of the five elements. Each element is under the
influence of the other four in some way. Wood generates fire and water
generates wood. On the other hand, wood inhibits earth, but itself is
inhibited by metal. In this way, all five elements establish an
intricate homeostasis in nature. This wisdom has also been applied to
TCM by incorporating the theory of the five elements into health
maintenance strategies, which have been successful for thousands of
years. (See figure 5.)
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Figure
5.
Combined generation & restriction cycle
Index:
 Generates
Index:  restricts
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Correlations
within the Five Elements
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Phenomena in the natural
world are grouped into one of the five elements according to their
properties, functions and appearance, but other correlations can be made
among them. By using wood as an example, we can illustrate its many
relationships with nature and the body. In spring, wood is in season,
and the climate is warm and windy. Young grass and trees start to
germinate and grow. A green colour covers the grasslands and forests
forming a refreshing picture. Spring, wind, germination and the
colour green all belong to the wood element and relate to each other
in a synergistic way.
In the body, the liver, which is also part of the wood element, is
responsible for spreading and ensuring the smooth flow of qi like the
wind spreads around air. In Chinese terms, the function is described
as "sprinkling". Similar to germinating grass, the liver
needs to be soft, light and gentle for a desirable healthy state. In
addition, the liver is also physiologically and functionally related
to the eyes and gall bladder. We can understand their connections
better with the example of jaundice. People who have jaundice caused
by gall bladder obstruction or liver malfunction will have yellow
eyes.
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Wood
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Orientation
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East
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Season
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Spring
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Climate
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Wind
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Cultivation
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Germinate
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Yin
Organ
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Liver
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Yang
Organ
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Gall
Bladder
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Orifice
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Eye
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Tissues
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Tendons
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Emotions
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Anger
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Colour
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Blue/
Green
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Taste
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Sour
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Voice
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Shout
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Diagnostic and
Therapeutic Applications of Selected Organs
Kidneys
 The kidneys belong to the water
element. Just as water supports the growth and development of plants, the
kidneys support the birth, development and maturation of humans.
Storage of "jing" is the main function of the kidneys.
"Jing" is a substance essential for reproduction, development
and maturation, and additionally it provides vitality for performing daily
life activities. Therefore, in TCM the kidneys are known as the root of
life.
Being from the water element, the kidneys also control water, so
disharmony of water in the body can also be a sign of kidney
disharmony. For example, urinary incontinence (the inability to control
proper urination) indicates a kidney deficiency. Hearing disorders or
even deafness can also occur in elderly people who are kidney
deficient. This is because the kidneys are connected with the ears,
which belong to the water element under the orifice classification.
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Colour is another
indication of kidney disharmony. Renal (kidney) failure patients
often have a darker skin complexion than their normal colouring. From
a western medicine perspective, this is due to the kidneys being
unable to excrete uremic toxins that build up in the blood and body.
Since ancient times, TCM practitioners have also been able to
diagnose renal failure because they associated the "blackening"
of the skin with kidney disharmony. This is due to the fact both the
colour black and the kidneys are grouped under the water element.
Another example of this type of correlation is the emotion of fear. A
person who is fearful in a particular situation may experience
urinary incontinence. Again, the relationship of fear to the kidneys
and bladder under the water element is what causes urinary
incontinence to occur and not something else.
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Water
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Orientation
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North
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Season
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Winter
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Climate
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Cold
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Cultivation
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Store
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Yin
Organ
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Kidney
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Yang
Organ
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Bladder
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Orifice
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Ear
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Tissues
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Bones
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Emotions
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Fear
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Colour
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Black
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Taste
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Salty
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Voice
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Groan
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Liver
As previously mentioned, the liver belongs to the wood element and
controls the flow of qi. If a person has angry emotions, the liver
will be adversely affected and liver disharmony can manifest as a
shady green colour on the face. Since the liver is connected to the
eyes, some types of dizziness and eye disorders are related to liver
dysfunction from a TCM point of view. By restoring normal liver
function, the eye problem will automatically be cured.
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Wood
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Orientation
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East
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Season
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Spring
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Climate
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Wind
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Cultivation
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Germinate
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Yin
Organ
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Liver
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Yang
Organ
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Gall
Bladder
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Orifice
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Eye
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Tissues
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Tendons
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Emotions
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Anger
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Colour
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Blue/
Green
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Taste
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Sour
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Voice
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Shout
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How Generation and Restriction Works
The story of a
clever doctor
There once was a newly elected mayor who came to a village to help the
people. Being new, he met many challenges in governing the village and
was overwhelmed by his tasks. Soon, he experienced profound pensiveness
and felt very sick. One day, he invited a renowned village doctor to
his house to help cure him. The doctor felt his pulse and then thought
for a while. Suddenly, he had a crazy idea and said,
"Congratulations, mayor! Your symptoms are signs of pregnancy.
Don't worry too much. You will get better soon." No sooner had the
doctor spoken, the mayor shouted angrily, "Get out! I am male. How
can I be pregnant? How ridiculous you are!" A short time later,
the mayor's illness disappeared, just as the doctor had predicted.
How was the mayor cured? The answer lies in the generation and
restriction abilities of the five elements. According to TCM, the
mayor's sickness belonged to earth disharmony, because pensiveness is
part of the element earth. Excessive pensiveness harms the spleen,
which is also part of the element earth, but wood restricts earth.
While anger is the emotion of liver and wood element, sudden and
excessive anger can easily inhibit the excessive earth. Therefore, the
renowned doctor deliberately made the mayor angry and effectively
neutralized his pensiveness. By controlling the mayor's excessive earth
element, his body's harmony was restored and he was cured.
The
Five Elements and a Healthy Lifestyle
The relationships of the five elements play an important role in
maintaining a balanced lifestyle. This is illustrated in season
changes. During the spring season, which belongs to the wood element,
we should avoid excessive anger in order to stay healthy. In the winter
season, which belongs to the water element, our bodies prefer to store
energy so rest is important. Storage is an important function of the
water element; therefore, in winter it is advisable for people to go to
bed early. Even today, the application of the five elements theory
remains relevant in promoting health. Understanding the relationships
between the elements is the first step to achieve a harmonious balance
in nature and life.
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