Yin and Yang are important concepts in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. The concepts were from ancient Chinese philosophy.
In ancient China, the theory of Yin and Yang or the supernatural power of ghosts and gods were two ways that people explained natural phenomena.
In the spring of 644 BC, five aerolites landed in the territory of the Song State, which was one of feudal states in the Zhou Dynasty. And six birds flew backwards over the capital of the Song State. At that time, the emissary sent by the Zhou’s king visited the Song State. The monarch of the Song State asked the royal emissary, “What is the omen? Good or bad?” The royal emissary made a prophecy, but he privately said to others, “The monarch should not ask that. It’s the changes of Yin and Yang, not the cause of good or bad fortune. Good or bad fortune is caused by humans, but I couldn’t say this before the monarch.”
In the nature, what kinds of things are classified as Yin, and what kinds of things are classified as Yang? In short, the things which are down, cold, dark or less active are classified as Yin, while the things which are up, warm, bright or active is classified as Yang.
The sun is classified as Yang, and the moon is classified as Yin. In the noon of a day, Yang is the strongest. In the mid night, Yin is the strongest. At the summer solstice Yang is the strongest, and at the winter solstice Yin is the strongest.
Water is classified as Yin, and fire is classified as Yang.
Women are classified as Yin, and men are classified as Yang.
The north side of a mountain is classified as Yin. The south side of a mountain is classified as Yang.
The south bank of a river is classified as Yin. The north bank of a river is classified as Yang. If we pay attention to a fishpond in a sunny day of winter, we can see fishes gathered in the north of the pond. Why? They can enjoy the warm sunshine.
In the world view of ancient Chinese people, the human world is classified as Yang, and the underworld is classified as Yin.
In ancient Chinese philosophy, Qi is the fundamental substance that forms the world. Qi divides into Yin and Yang. Therefore, Yin is also called Yin-Qi, while Yang is also called Yang-Qi. In contrast with the broad and abstract concepts of philosophy, the Yin and Yang theory that is applied in traditional Chinese medicine is much more complicated.
The theory of Yin and Yang applied by traditional Chinese medicine originated from ancient Chinese philosophy. The effective application practice in traditional medicine shows the vitality of the old theory.
Qi is the basic substance of the world in ancient Chinese philosophy. In the broad sense, Qi divides into Yin and Yang. Lower, cold, dark, or less active things are classified as Yin, while upper, warm, bright or active things are classified as Yang.
In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine about the internal organs of the body, the concept of Qi is frequently applied in the narrow sense. Qi is an active substance which is different from Yin but is close to Yang.
Broadly speaking, the body of a human has Yin and Yang. If Yin and Yang are unbalanced, the person feels sick.
If Yang is excessive, the person feels hot and irritable. His face is red, and sometimes even his eyes are some red. He wants to drink cold water. His tongue is red, and the tongue fur is yellow. His urine is yellow, and his feces are dry. His pulse is rapid.
If Yin is excessive, the person feels cold, and likes to stay in a warm environment. The color of his tongue is light, and the tongue fur is white. His feces are watery. His abdomen feels cold and painful, but he refuses to press the pain point. His pulse is tight or slow.
If Yang is deficient, the person feels cold. He is less active, and he is lethargic. His feces are unformed. His urine is colorless and the amount of urine more than normal. His abdomen may feel uncomfortable. When pressing his abdomen or using a hot compress, his abdomen feels better. His pulse is sunken and slow.
If Yin is deficient, the person feels hot and fidgety. His cheeks may be flushed, and he has night sweat. His throat feels dry. his tongue fur is less than normal. His pulse is thin and rapid.
The basic principle of treatment is to strengthen the deficient and weaken the excessive.
In general, the medicinal materials of cold or cool attribute are used to reduce the excess of Yang, and the medicinal materials of hot or warm attribute are used to reduce the excess of Yin. For strengthening the deficient, it is very important to judge which internal organ loses the balance of Yin and Yang. Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidneys are called five internal organs in traditional Chinese medicine. Each of the internal organs has Yin, Yang and Qi. Because each internal organ has different functions, the unbalance of Yin and Yang has special characteristics. Therefore, there are various methods of strengthening the deficiency.
Yike Jiang
Article category: Chinese Medicine