Tang Ye Jing: Flavor, Season & Direction
This article is Part Three of the Introduction to Exploring the Tang Ye Jing. If you haven't already, check out Part One and Part Two.
What does it mean to say that a particular flavor “tonifies” an organ? In general, I find it most helpful to understand “tonification” as optimizing the function of a given organ. From a classical perspective, the functions of the Five Zang Organs are described in terms of space, or direction, and time, or season. They are correlated with the a given direction or season because in some fundamental way, the functioning of the organ system is in resonance with these phenomena. The Five “Phases” or Movements are functional descriptions of physiological processes, and so to say that a flavor tonifies an organ according to the Five Phases is to say that it also resonates with these associations in particular way.
Let's make this more concrete. In the Su Wen, the seasons are each associated with a specific movement; These associations are mentioned throughout the Nei Jing, such as Chapters 2 and Chapter 5 of the Su Wen. The specific associations are: Spring with birth or generation (sheng 生 ), Summer with growth or expansion (zhang 長), Autumn with gathering or harvest (shou 收), and Winter with storage (cang 藏). The “fifth season” of late summer is associated with transformation (hua 化 ). Now compare these associations to the actions of the Five Flavors as described in Su Wen Chapter 22: Acrid disperses (san 散 ), Salty softens (ruan 耎), Sour gathers (shou 收 ), Bitter consolidates (jian 堅), and Sweet relaxes, or moderates (huan 緩).
There is a perfect correlation between the actions of the flavors described here and the activity of the seasons associated with each of the organs. The dispersing action of Acrid perfectly matches the activity of Wood, the spreading function of the Liver, and the initiation of birth and generation in Spring; the softening, dissolving action of Salty allows Fire to expand fully, resonating with the fullness of growth in summer and the Heart's circulatory activity; the contracting, astringing action of Sour resonates with the gathering activity of Autumn, the Lung's function of gathering qi and also of guarding the surface; the consolidating quality of Bitter matches the Winter activity of storage and the Kidney's role in storing Essence and Yuan Qi; and finally, the moderating quality of Sweet conforms to the harmonizing and transforming function of Late Summer and the Spleen's role as the central pivot of the Zang organs. It is clear from this that the Tang Ye Jing's Flavor and Phase associations are deeply rooted in an understanding of the physiology and cosmology of each of the organ networks.
If this is how tonification works, then what about draining? In a Five Phase context, I would suggest that we can understand draining as down-regulating, or balancing the Five Zang organs. It is important to keep in mind that when we are discussing the Five Zang, in an ultimate sense we do not want to truly “drain” or purge any of the Zang, since by definition the job of the Five Zang is to store (in contrast, the job of the Six Fu is to drain, and so by purging or flushing any of the Six Fu it can be argued that we are in a certain sense, tonifying them). So in this context, “draining” a Zang organ can be understood as providing a necessary counterweight to that organ's primary activity while also enhancing a secondary function of the organ in question. With this understanding in mind, we can analyze the more well known associations between the Five Flavors and the Five Phases.
In the case of Sour an astringing or gathering quality will restrain an excessively spreading or dispersive Liver. The gathering action of Sour also evokes the Liver's function of storing the Blood (Bai Shao, Suan Zao Ren). Bitter consolidates, which means it will help prevent the expansive activity of the Heart; bitter also drains downward, which can be helpful in the case of excessive Fire (Huang Lian and Huang Qin) and assisting the descent of Heart Fire to warm Kidney Water. Acrid can open and clear the Lung, and it can also aid the Lung's function of outwardly dissipating qi (Gan Jiang and Xi Xin). Salty can dissolve as well as percolate, offsetting any tendency toward excessive accumulation in the Kidney and Lower Burner; many salty agents also have a heavy, settling quality that can help with anchoring Yang (Mu Li, Gui Ban). In this sense, we could also consider that these commonly paired flavor/actions are counterbalancing the inherent tendency of the organ – hence why they are said to “enter” (ru 入) the various organs/phases in Su Wen Chapter 23. Su Wen Chapter 10 says that each of the organs “desires” (yu 欲 ) these associated flavors. We can understand these terms as describing an inherent Yin/Yang balance of the associated organ's functions.
Finally, it is important to highlight the fact that different clinical situations require different strategies of tonifying or draining the Five Zang. In other words, the application of this theory is quite subtle. The Su Wen highlights that harm can come to the Five Zang Organs and their associated tissues and vital substances from any of the Five Flavors, including the ones that are associated with that given organ! Chapter 3 of the Su Wen states: “That which is generated by Yin, have the Five Flavors as their foundation; [but] the Five Mansions of Yin are harmed by the Five Flavors.” (陰之所生, 本在五味; 陰之五宮，傷在五味) Gao Shishi (高世栻), in his commentary on this passage, states: “The five flavors are the basis of the yin organs, but the yin organs may also be harmed by the five flavors, if consumed in excess. This is like water, which may keep a boat afloat but may also overturn it.”* Su Wen Chapter 5 and Chapter 67, for example, discuss how consuming the flavors commonly associated with the Five Zang can harm their associated tissues (i.e. consuming Sour harms the sinews, etc), while Su Wen Chapter 10 discusses how consuming the flavors the Tang Ye Jing associates with the Five Zang can also harm their associated tissues (i.e. consuming Acrid harms the sinews and the nails, etc). In considering the clinical implications of this, we return to the basic principle that there are no absolutes in Chinese Medicine; giving an effective treatment is a matter of understanding the proper timing and context, of grasping the dance of Yin and Yang and responding appropriately.
With this preliminary discussion out of the way, we can now turn to the contents of the Tang Ye Jing itself, and being an analysis of each of the Five Phases, their associated Flavors and the herbs in each category. Some of these herbs are commonly used in Zhang Zhong Jing's formulas, while others are more obscure, but by delving into them we can deepen our understanding of the Five Phases and their application in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
__________________________________________
* Found in Paul Unschuld's translation of the Su Wen
What does it mean to say that a particular flavor “tonifies” an organ? In general, I find it most helpful to understand “tonification” as optimizing the function of a given organ. From a classical perspective, the functions of the Five Zang Organs are described in terms of space, or direction, and time, or season. They are correlated with the a given direction or season because in some fundamental way, the functioning of the organ system is in resonance with these phenomena. The Five “Phases” or Movements are functional descriptions of physiological processes, and so to say that a flavor tonifies an organ according to the Five Phases is to say that it also resonates with these associations in particular way.
Let's make this more concrete. In the Su Wen, the seasons are each associated with a specific movement; These associations are mentioned throughout the Nei Jing, such as Chapters 2 and Chapter 5 of the Su Wen. The specific associations are: Spring with birth or generation (sheng 生 ), Summer with growth or expansion (zhang 長), Autumn with gathering or harvest (shou 收), and Winter with storage (cang 藏). The “fifth season” of late summer is associated with transformation (hua 化 ). Now compare these associations to the actions of the Five Flavors as described in Su Wen Chapter 22: Acrid disperses (san 散 ), Salty softens (ruan 耎), Sour gathers (shou 收 ), Bitter consolidates (jian 堅), and Sweet relaxes, or moderates (huan 緩).
There is a perfect correlation between the actions of the flavors described here and the activity of the seasons associated with each of the organs. The dispersing action of Acrid perfectly matches the activity of Wood, the spreading function of the Liver, and the initiation of birth and generation in Spring; the softening, dissolving action of Salty allows Fire to expand fully, resonating with the fullness of growth in summer and the Heart's circulatory activity; the contracting, astringing action of Sour resonates with the gathering activity of Autumn, the Lung's function of gathering qi and also of guarding the surface; the consolidating quality of Bitter matches the Winter activity of storage and the Kidney's role in storing Essence and Yuan Qi; and finally, the moderating quality of Sweet conforms to the harmonizing and transforming function of Late Summer and the Spleen's role as the central pivot of the Zang organs. It is clear from this that the Tang Ye Jing's Flavor and Phase associations are deeply rooted in an understanding of the physiology and cosmology of each of the organ networks.
If this is how tonification works, then what about draining? In a Five Phase context, I would suggest that we can understand draining as down-regulating, or balancing the Five Zang organs. It is important to keep in mind that when we are discussing the Five Zang, in an ultimate sense we do not want to truly “drain” or purge any of the Zang, since by definition the job of the Five Zang is to store (in contrast, the job of the Six Fu is to drain, and so by purging or flushing any of the Six Fu it can be argued that we are in a certain sense, tonifying them). So in this context, “draining” a Zang organ can be understood as providing a necessary counterweight to that organ's primary activity while also enhancing a secondary function of the organ in question. With this understanding in mind, we can analyze the more well known associations between the Five Flavors and the Five Phases.
In the case of Sour an astringing or gathering quality will restrain an excessively spreading or dispersive Liver. The gathering action of Sour also evokes the Liver's function of storing the Blood (Bai Shao, Suan Zao Ren). Bitter consolidates, which means it will help prevent the expansive activity of the Heart; bitter also drains downward, which can be helpful in the case of excessive Fire (Huang Lian and Huang Qin) and assisting the descent of Heart Fire to warm Kidney Water. Acrid can open and clear the Lung, and it can also aid the Lung's function of outwardly dissipating qi (Gan Jiang and Xi Xin). Salty can dissolve as well as percolate, offsetting any tendency toward excessive accumulation in the Kidney and Lower Burner; many salty agents also have a heavy, settling quality that can help with anchoring Yang (Mu Li, Gui Ban). In this sense, we could also consider that these commonly paired flavor/actions are counterbalancing the inherent tendency of the organ – hence why they are said to “enter” (ru 入) the various organs/phases in Su Wen Chapter 23. Su Wen Chapter 10 says that each of the organs “desires” (yu 欲 ) these associated flavors. We can understand these terms as describing an inherent Yin/Yang balance of the associated organ's functions.
Finally, it is important to highlight the fact that different clinical situations require different strategies of tonifying or draining the Five Zang. In other words, the application of this theory is quite subtle. The Su Wen highlights that harm can come to the Five Zang Organs and their associated tissues and vital substances from any of the Five Flavors, including the ones that are associated with that given organ! Chapter 3 of the Su Wen states: “That which is generated by Yin, have the Five Flavors as their foundation; [but] the Five Mansions of Yin are harmed by the Five Flavors.” (陰之所生, 本在五味; 陰之五宮，傷在五味) Gao Shishi (高世栻), in his commentary on this passage, states: “The five flavors are the basis of the yin organs, but the yin organs may also be harmed by the five flavors, if consumed in excess. This is like water, which may keep a boat afloat but may also overturn it.”* Su Wen Chapter 5 and Chapter 67, for example, discuss how consuming the flavors commonly associated with the Five Zang can harm their associated tissues (i.e. consuming Sour harms the sinews, etc), while Su Wen Chapter 10 discusses how consuming the flavors the Tang Ye Jing associates with the Five Zang can also harm their associated tissues (i.e. consuming Acrid harms the sinews and the nails, etc). In considering the clinical implications of this, we return to the basic principle that there are no absolutes in Chinese Medicine; giving an effective treatment is a matter of understanding the proper timing and context, of grasping the dance of Yin and Yang and responding appropriately.
With this preliminary discussion out of the way, we can now turn to the contents of the Tang Ye Jing itself, and being an analysis of each of the Five Phases, their associated Flavors and the herbs in each category. Some of these herbs are commonly used in Zhang Zhong Jing's formulas, while others are more obscure, but by delving into them we can deepen our understanding of the Five Phases and their application in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
__________________________________________
* Found in Paul Unschuld's translation of the Su Wen
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