Five elements theory of traditional Chinese medicine

The five elements refer to the movement of wood, fire, earth, gold and water. The ancient Chinese people realized that wood, fire, earth, gold and water were the most indispensable basic substances in their long-term life and production practice, which extended that everything in the world was produced by the movement of five basic substances: wood, fire, earth, gold and water. These five substances are mutually enriched and restricted, and maintain a dynamic balance in the constant movement of mutual development and mutual resistance, which is the five elements. According to the theory of five elements, "straight wood is straight", and everything that has the function or nature of growth, rising and smoothness belongs to wood; "Fire is said to get angry", and everything that has a warm and upward effect belongs to fire; "Soil and crops", all things with biochemical and bearing functions belong to soil; "Gold says that it follows the leather", and everything that has the function of cleaning and reducing convergence belongs to gold; "Moisturizing" means that everything that is cold, moist and moving downward belongs to water.

The theory of five elements classifies things according to the characteristics of five elements, and compares the properties and functions of various things and phenomena in nature with the characteristics of five elements, and then belongs to five elements respectively.

According to the theory of five elements, there is a relationship between the five elements: birth, grams, multiplication and humiliation. The relationship between the five elements can explain the relationship between things, and the multiplication of the five elements can be used to show the mutual influence after the balance between things is broken.

Traditional Chinese medicine uses the theory of five elements to explain the physiological function of human body and the pathological changes of the body, which is used for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.