With the development of the social economy and the improvement of people's living standards, people's understanding of health has gradually deepened. More and more people are paying attention to sub-health and actively preventing and treating it. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon states, “Man relies on water and grains as his foundation,” indicating that humans depend on water and grains for survival. When water and grains enter the stomach, they undergo rotting and digestion in the stomach, and then the spleen transforms and transports them to distribute their essence throughout the body, nourishing all the zang-fu organs. This idea of “man relying on stomach qi as his foundation” is significant for the prevention of diseases. The renowned physician Li Dongyuan of the Jin-Yuan era proposed the academic thought that “all diseases arise from internal injuries to the spleen and stomach,” highlighting the extremely important position of the spleen and stomach in the human body, with their health directly affecting the health of the body.
Physiological Functions of the Spleen and Stomach
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the “spleen and stomach” refers to a functional concept that goes far beyond the anatomical scope of the spleen and stomach, encompassing the functions of the entire digestive system and part of the circulatory system. The Plain Questions: Secret Classic of the Lan Ling records, “The spleen and stomach are the granary officials, from which the five flavors emerge.” The stomach is responsible for receiving water and grains, while the spleen is responsible for transforming and transporting essence. Their coordinated actions maintain the digestion and absorption of food and the delivery of nutrients, exerting their nourishing and moisturizing effects.
The spleen primarily ascends clear qi, transporting the essence of water and grains to the heart, lungs, and head, maintaining the relative stability of the positions of the zang-fu organs. The stomach primarily descends turbid qi, sending down the received and rotten food to the small intestine, then passing it to the large intestine, and finally discharging the dregs. The ascending of the spleen and descending of the stomach ensure the normal processes of digestion and absorption, as well as waste excretion.
If the ascending and descending functions of the spleen and stomach become disordered, and their transformation and transportation become impaired, they will affect each other. If the clear qi does not ascend, it will inevitably lead to the turbid qi not descending, and if the turbid qi does not descend, it can also affect the clear qi from ascending. For example, if the spleen is trapped by dampness and its transformation becomes impaired, the clear qi will not ascend, which can affect the stomach's reception and descent, leading to symptoms such as reduced appetite, vomiting, nausea, and fullness in the epigastric region. Conversely, if there is irregular eating, and food stagnates in the stomach, causing disharmony in the stomach, it can also affect the spleen's ascending of clear qi and its transformation, resulting in symptoms such as abdominal distension and diarrhea.
In TCM, it is believed that the spleen belongs to yin and prefers dryness and dislikes dampness, while the stomach belongs to yang and prefers moisture and dislikes dryness. The statement that the spleen likes dryness and dislikes dampness means that an unvigorous spleen can cause stagnation of water and dampness; conversely, the stagnation of water and dampness can also influence the spleen's transformation function. The statement that the stomach likes moisture and dislikes dryness means that when the stomach's fluids are sufficient, its functions of receiving and rotting are normal, allowing food and water to be decomposed and moistly descended into the intestines in a regulated manner.
In addition, the spleen is responsible for controlling blood, meaning that the spleen has the function of maintaining the circulation of blood within the vessels, preventing it from escaping outside the vessels.
Symptoms of Discomfort in the Spleen and Stomach
When there is disharmony between the spleen and stomach, in addition to gastrointestinal discomfort such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, it can manifest in many other ways. As long as one pays attention, they can find signs on their body.
Dull Complexion and Weak Muscles
The spleen and stomach are the sources of qi and blood production. If the spleen qi is weak and the production of qi and blood is insufficient, the skin cannot receive adequate nourishment and nutrition, becoming dull and lacking luster. If timely adjustment is not made, the complexion will gradually turn yellow, and the person will become thin and aged. The spleen governs muscles, and spleen deficiency can lead to a decline in muscle strength, resulting in weakness and softness in the limbs and accumulation of fat.
Bleeding and Anemia
If the spleen qi is weak and cannot control the blood, the blood does not follow the vessels, commonly seen in chronic bleeding conditions, such as skin bleeding forming purpura, excessive menstruation, hematochezia, hematuria, epistaxis, and gingival bleeding. At the same time, there may be symptoms of qi deficiency throughout the body, with the severity of qi deficiency increasing with the number of bleeding sites.
Edema and Excessive Thin, Clear Leucorrhea
If the spleen's function of transforming and transporting water is disrupted, it can lead to internal retention of water and dampness, causing generalized edema. If the water and dampness tend to accumulate downward, it can weaken the stability of the band meridian in women, resulting in excessive, thin, and clear leucorrhea.
Dry Lips
In TCM, “the lips are the organs of the spleen” and “the spleen opens at the mouth.” Problems with the spleen and stomach can manifest on the lips. People with normal spleen and stomach functions have red and lustrous lips with appropriate moisture. However, those with poor spleen and stomach functions often have pale, bloodless lips, dryness, peeling, and cracks.
Salivating During Sleep
The spleen governs saliva, which is also known as saliva. The spleen has a consolidating effect, and when the spleen qi is abundant, saliva is normally transported and retained in the oral cavity, aiding swallowing and digestion. If the spleen qi is weak and its consolidating function is weakened, saliva is no longer restrained, causing one to drool unconsciously during sleep.
Insomnia and Frequent Dreams
In TCM, it is believed that “when the stomach is not harmonious, sleep is unstable.” Disharmony between the spleen and stomach can decrease sleep quality, leading to difficulties falling asleep, easy waking, and frequent dreams. Insufficiency of spleen yin can lead to insufficient sources of production, preventing food and grains from being transformed into essence to nourish the heart and spleen, resulting in symptoms such as reduced appetite, abdominal distension after eating, palpitations, insomnia, and frequent dreams.
Bitter Mouth and Halitosis
The spleen and stomach work together to ascend and descend, completing the digestion and absorption of food. If there is damp heat in the spleen and stomach, clear qi cannot ascend, and turbid qi cannot descend, it can easily cause symptoms such as bloating, acid reflux, and belching. When turbid qi rises through the esophagus to the mouth, it can form bitter mouth and halitosis.
Urination Difficulties
The kidney governs water, and the spleen governs transformation and transportation. Together, they manage the metabolism and transmission of body fluids. When the spleen qi is strong and functioning properly, clear qi ascends and turbid qi descends, assisting the kidney in transforming water and ensuring smooth urination. If the ascending and descending functions of the spleen become disordered, it can easily lead to difficulties in urination. If there is excessive internal cold and dampness affecting the bladder, the transformation function can become impaired, resulting in decreased urine output.
Kidney Deficiency and Lumbar Pain
The spleen is the root of postnatal development, and the kidney is the root of prenatal development. The prenatal and postnatal aspects mutually nourish and support each other. Long-term insufficiency of spleen yin can lead to kidney yin deficiency, forming a deficiency of both spleen and kidney yin, manifested as symptoms such as softness in the lower back and knees, dizziness in the head and eyes, heat in the hands and feet, and dry mouth without thirst.
Tumors
Disharmony in the functions of the spleen and stomach and disruption of qi movement can prevent qi from circulating blood, leading to stagnation of blood stasis. The inability to distribute water, grains, and fluids can lead to the accumulation of dampness, coagulation into phlegm, and eventually the formation of tumors over time. Modern clinical research has found that spleen deficiency can lead to a decrease in the body's immune function, which is closely related to