Spleen is located in the middle lesion of human body, in the abdominal cavity under diaphragm. Regarding the shape of the spleen, The Analects of Confucius said: "The spleen is like a sickle, which is the same membrane as the stomach, and the left side attached to it is under the eleven vertebrae." And "Difficult Classics 42 Difficult Classics" also said: "The spleen weighs two catties and three liang, is three inches wide and five inches long, and spreads ointment for half a catty, mainly covering blood and warming the five internal organs." The "loose ointment" here, according to the Notes on Difficult Classics, refers to the anatomical pancreatic tissue, which many people say today. If this is true, the spleen in the Tibetan image of traditional Chinese medicine should include the pancreas.
Main physiological functions of spleen
Spleen governs transport and transformation, spleen governs ascending hair, and clearing spleen governs blood.
Spleen governs transport and transformation: the transport and transformation function of spleen includes the transport and transformation of Shui Gu subtle and fluid.
1. Yunhua Shui Gu: Shui Gu refers to all kinds of food and drinks. Shui Gu refers to the digestion, absorption and dispersion of food and drink by the spleen. After food and drink enter the stomach through the mouth and esophagus, they are decomposed by the stomach and then go down to the small intestine to be turbid respectively. During this period, we need to rely on the transportation of the spleen to digest food and drink. Gu Cheng's delicate substances can be used by the human body. Similarly, it is also necessary to rely on the transportation of the spleen to transport these subtle substances to various organs and organs, so that they can play their normal physiological functions.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the function of transforming spleen into Shui Gu depends entirely on the spleen. Only when the spleen is vigorous can Shui Gu be digested and absorbed normally, providing sufficient nutrition for the transformation of essence, qi, blood and body fluid, so that the viscera, meridians, limbs, bones, fur and muscles of the human body can be fully nourished and normal physiological functions can be maintained. If the temper is weak, the delicate function of Yunhua Huashui Valley will decline, and the digestion and absorption function of the body will be abnormal, and then abdominal distension, loose stool, loss of appetite, and even sallow and emaciated, burnout and fatigue will occur. It can also be caused by deficiency of qi and blood biochemistry and qi deficiency, so the spleen and stomach are the acquired foundation and the source of qi and blood biochemistry.
2. Transport water: Transport water refers to the function of the spleen to absorb, transport and disperse water, and is an important part of the spleen's main transport. The function of spleen transporting and transforming water fluid includes two aspects. Because the spleen is located in the middle jiao of human body, it plays an important pivotal role in water-liquid metabolism.
Therefore, only when the temper is strong, the transport and transformation function of water can be played normally, and the abnormal stagnation of water in the body can be prevented, which also prevents the production of pathological products such as dampness, phlegm and drinking.
After birth, people mainly take nutrition from food and drink, and the digestion and absorption of food and drink mainly depend on the transport function of spleen. The transport function of spleen and stomach is of great significance to maintaining human life and health, so there are sayings that spleen and stomach are the foundation of the day after tomorrow and the source of qi and blood biochemistry. This is actually a theoretical summary of the important physiological significance of dietary nutrition and digestion and absorption function.
The theory that spleen and stomach are acquired is of great significance to the prevention and treatment of diseases. In daily life, we should pay attention to diet nutrition, moderate diet and maintain the spleen and stomach to prevent diseases. For example, Gao Li, a doctor in the Jin Dynasty, said in the theory of spleen and stomach: the theory of spleen and stomach ascending and descending: "All diseases are caused by the decline of spleen and stomach." When using drugs in clinical treatment, we should also pay attention not to damage the spleen and stomach.
Spleen is the heart, fluid, body and orifices.
Spleen in the brain means that the spleen drools in body fluid, the spleen is a combination of muscles in the body, the spleen is open in the main limb and the spleen is in the lips.
Thinking is the ambition of the spleen: thinking is thinking, which is a state of conscious thinking activities. This is the embodiment of the function of the heart governing the gods, but Chinese medicine believes that thinking is closely related to the spleen, so there is a saying that "thinking comes from the heart and the spleen should respond". Normal thinking has no adverse effect on the physiological activities of the body, but when thinking too much and thinking is unsuccessful, it will affect the normal physiological activities of the body. The most important thing is that it affects the normal operation of qi, leading to qi stagnation and gas knot. Therefore, Su Wenju said on pain: "Thinking leads to the existence of mind, the return of God, the existence of righteousness and the stagnation of qi." Therefore, excessive thinking affects the transport function of the spleen, leading to spleen and stomach weakness, abnormal transport, digestive and absorption dysfunction, abdominal distension, anorexia, dizziness and other symptoms, which is called "thinking leads to qi stagnation." In daily life, digestive dysfunction caused by mental stress or overthinking is not uncommon.
Physiological characteristics of spleen
1. Spleen likes dryness and hates dampness: the spleen and stomach belong to the soil in the five elements, but according to the theory of yin and yang, the spleen is yin soil and the stomach is yang soil. Yang of the spleen tends to decline, while Yin tends to flourish. Spleen also governs the transport and transformation of body fluids, so dampness invades the human body, which is most likely to hurt spleen yang. Yang Can with spleen deficiency not only leads to stagnation of dampness in the body, but also easily leads to invasion of external dampness. For example, "Clinical Guide to Medical Records" said: "Those who are wet and happy to return to the spleen feel the same qi." So the spleen "likes dryness and hates dampness".
The theory that spleen likes dryness and hates dampness has certain clinical significance.
2. Spleen is the hub of Qi-Qi: Spleen is located in the middle jiao of human body, with heart and lung above and liver and kidney below. Therefore, the ascending and descending movements of fire and water, qi and blood, yin and yang of the human body are all centered on the spleen. For example, in "On Blood Syndrome", it says: "Its qi passes through the heart and lungs, liver and kidney, and it is filled with tendons from the outside, so it is called the center and all sides are smooth." Therefore, the obstruction of qi movement in human body is most likely to lead to imbalance of spleen and stomach, abnormal transport and transformation, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension, and loose stool. The main points of treatment are regulating qi and regulating spleen and stomach.
In addition, spleen-qi governing ascending is also one of the characteristics of spleen, which has been discussed in Spleen Governing Ascending Qing.
3. Spleen corresponds to long summer: Chinese medicine believes that the five internal organs correspond to the four seasons of yin and yang in nature. Spleen is too wet and dirty soil, and it should be wet in the long summer, so the temper should be in the long summer. Because of the seasonal dampness in long summer, the spleen likes dryness and hates dampness, so dampness is easy to invade the spleen, leading to abnormal transport. Therefore, in the long summer, fragrant products such as Pogostemon, Eupatorium odoratum, etc. Often added.