They are brain, medulla, the bones, the blood vessels, gallbladder and uterus collectively
as the "extraordinary organs".
- The gallbladder is included here, which is also one of the six bowels.
- The blood vessels, the medulla and the bones were also introduced when speaking
of the heart and the kidney of the five viscera.
- Here only understanding of the brain and the uterus is discussed.
1) The Brain
- Marrow combines to form the brain.
- The Miraculous Pivot says, “The brain is the sea of marrow”.
Main functions of brain are as follows :
A) Controls mental and thinking activities.
- Plain questions say, “The head is the source of mental activities”. So the brain
operates mental activities.
B) Guiding sensuous and language activities
- Most mental activities like listening and transmitting the sounds so one can hear,
receiving an image and analyzing that so one can see, appreciating the smell, being
able to speak etc are dealt most comprehensively with the functions of the brain.
- Most mental, conscious and reasoning activities result separately from the five
viscera and the gallbladder.
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According to the theory of viscera and bowels
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Heart houses the mind
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And ensures the existence of pleasure
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Lung stores the inferior spirit
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Lung stores the inferior spirit
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Spleen houses intentions
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And takes part in directing reasoning
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Liver stores the soul
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And its disorder may cause anger.
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The kidney stores the memory
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And its disorder may cause fright.
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The gallbladder
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Is associated with one's courage in making decisions.
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- Among these, the heart, the liver and the kidney play the major part in controlling
mental activities.
- Therefore, either syndromes established by an overall differentiation of the signs
and symptoms of diseases such as "the heart confused by phlegm",
- The stagnancy of qi (vital energy) of the liver" and "the imbalance of the normal
physiological coordination between the heart and the kidney" or their corresponding
therapies, such as "resolving phlegm so as to open the aperture of the heart", "removing
stagnancy of vital energy of the liver in order to restore the normal function of
a depressed liver" and "restoring balanced vital function of the heart and the vital
essence of the kidney", are, in fact, included in Western medicine.
- From the foregoing physiology and pathology of the brain, it can be seen that although
similar to Western medicine in understanding the brain in some aspects, there are
different ways and depths in doing so.
2) Uterus.
Its main functions are as follows :
A) Menses.
- The uterus is the organ by which a woman produces menstruation.
- Generally speaking a girl’s qi of the kidney increasing and her womb is fully developed
when she reaches the age of 14 or so.
- Under the action of a substance named “tian gui”, her Ren Channel flourishes to
become more unobstructed, her Chong Channel flourishes more, her sea of blood becomes
fuller, and she begins to have regular menses.
- When she becomes a woman of 49 years old, her qi of the kidney becomes weaker.
- The “tian gui” in her body is used up.
- Both her Ren and Chong Channels close and become obstructed6 and she begins to have
menstrual disorders until menopause occurs.
B) Pregnancy
- Once a woman's uterus is fully developed and her menses are regular an egg from
her ovary can be fertilized with sperm and pregnancy can result.
- The physiological functions of the woman's uterus are mainly related to the heart,
the liver, the spleen, the kidney as well as the Ren Channel and the Chong Channel.
- This is because the functions of producing menses and becoming pregnant are not
irrelative to the blood and the productive essence and, what is more, the heart
controls blood circulation, the liver installs and regulates the blood, the spleen
keeps the blood flowing within the vessels, the kidney stores the reproductive essence,
and two channels mentioned above supply the uterus with the blood.
- Therefore, pathologically, abnormal functions of the above organs and channels caused
by various pathogenic factors will affect the functions of the uterus, resulting
in menstrual disorder and sterility.
- In the treatment of these disorders, often begins with adjusting and replenishing
the above organs.
- From the foregoing physiology and pathology of the uterus, it can be seen that in
traditional acupuncture it refers to the whole internal genital system.