Fu Organs

Question 1

Gallbladder- Functions

Answer 1

1. Stores and Excretes Bile- Receives bile from LV and stores and excretes it for digestion. Dysfuntion: N&V, belching
   * Extraorinary Organ: only yang organ that doesn’t deal with good, drink and waste products, doesn’t communicate with exterior (mouth, anus, urethra), only yang organ that stores bile
2. Controls decisions, courage and decisiveness
3. GB provides Qi to the SINEWS to ensure their proper movement and agility ( The Gathering (Hui) point for sinews is on the GB Channel: GB34)
4. GB has an influene on the quality and length of sleep. It can also affect you mentally. Deficiency = depression; excess: manic
5. LV’s function of smooth flow of Qi = helps GB’s function of storing and discharging bile; GB’s ascending action helps LVs function of smooth flow of Qi

Question 2

Small Intestine- Functions

Answer 2

1. Controls Receiving and Transforming: SI recieves food and drink from ST and separates clear and turbid. Clear-> SP, Turbid-> LI and UB
2. Separates Fluids into Pure and Impure
3. Mental Aspect: discrimination and judgement
4. HT & SI Relationship: physical level: interior and exterior. HT heat transforming into SI: tongue ulcer, yellow and painful urine.
   Psychological level: clear judgement, decisions
   - SI: Discernment, discriminating
   - HT: mental capacity and clarity

Question 3

San Jiao- Functions

Answer 3

1. Mobilizes Yuan Qi (original qi): Yuan Qi: the transformation power of Qi in all Zang Fu.
2. Controls the ascending/descending and entering/exiting of Qi in all Zang Fu
3. Controls the water passages and the excretion of fluids. Upper Jiao: Sweat, MJ: ST fluid, LJ: Urine
4. Maintains excretion: UJ: Defensive Qi, MJ: ST Fluid, LJ: Fluid
5. Mobilizes Yuan Qi emerging from Ming-men to make it differentiate in its different forms in different parts of the body
6. 3 Divisions:
   - Upper Jiao: Lung, HT, PC- (fog)sweat, Zong Qi
   - Middle Jiao: SP, ST, GB- (maceration chamber) ST Fluids- Ying Qi
   - Lower Jiao: LV, KD, UB, SI, LI- (ditch) Urine- Yuan Qi
7. SJ as body Cavities:
   - Cavity: Entering and Exiting of Qi
   - Chest Cavity: Zong Qi
   - Abdominal Cavity: Membranes
   - Space between skin and muscle: Defensive Qi (Wei Qi)
   - Joint Cavity: Joint Capsule
8. PC & SJ Relationship: Affect the mental-emotional state: Minister Fire Rises towards these two channels

Question 4

Stomach- Functions

Answer 4

1. ST receives food and drink and holds them down “Sea of Food and Drink or Great Granary”
2. Controls the Rotting and Ripening of food- ST prepares for SP to separate and extract essence from food. ST is the origin of Qi and Blood as Food-Qi (Gu Qi) is extracted from the ST
3. Controls the transportation of food essences
4. Controls the descending of Qi- Descends transformed food down to SI. LV Qi helps the descending of ST Qi
5. Origin of Fluids- to R&R, ST needs lots of fluids. Liquid part of food and drink condenses to form Jin-Ye
6. ST easily suffers from Fire or Phlegm Fire. Fire easily agitates Mind and causes mental symptoms.
7. Stomach: Qi descends, likes wetness and dislikes dryness; if ST too dry, Qi can’t descend; easily suffers from Excess; prone to heat; suffers from Yin Deficiency

Question 5

Large Intestine: Functions

Answer 5

1. Controls passage and conduction- Receives food and drink from SI and extracts water from food. Excretes stools
2. Transforms Stools and Reabsorbs Fluids
3. LI influences our capacity for letting go and for not dwelling in the past
4. The descending of LU Qi aids the downward movement of LI. Deficiency : Constipation
   - LU ability to send Qi downwards depends on LI role in excreting waste food. Deficiency: breathlessness

Question 6

Bladder

Answer 6

1. Removes water by Qi and Transformation: UB receives clear fluids from SI, and transforms these into urine which is excreted.
   Qi transofmation: the power for fluid transformation.
2. KB & UB: Kidney and Mingmen Fire give UB the Qi and heat for fluid transformation. KD relies of UB to move and excrete some of their ‘dirty’ fluids