The representation of yin and yang in the human body

The Yin-Yang theory is a measure of all things, and it is also a methodology. How is the Yin-Yang theory used in various aspects of medicine?

Let’s take a look.

First, it can be used to illustrate the organizational structure of the human body.

Due to different structural levels and functional characteristics, the human body’s tissue structure also has different yin and yang attributes.

As far as the parts of the human body are concerned, as mentioned in the previous lecture, the upper part is yang and the lower part is yin. Above the navel is yang, below the navel is yin;

We also know that the outside is yang and the inside is yin, so in the human body, the skin on the surface of the body is yang, and the deep muscles and bones are yin;

Furthermore, the back of the human body is yang, and the chest and abdomen are yin. Why?

We can think about this. Most of our ancestors were farmers. Farmers have long worked with their faces facing the loess and their backs facing the sky. Therefore, the back is easily exposed to sunlight and belongs to Yang, while the chest and abdomen are Yin. Extending this, the Du meridian running in the middle line of the back belongs to yang, and the Ren meridian running in the middle line of the chest and abdomen belongs to yin, so it is easy to understand.

Next, the outside of the limbs is yang, and the inside of the limbs is yin;

How to determine the inside and outside? When our limbs are naturally spread out, the side with darker skin exposed to the sun belongs to yang, while the side with lighter skin belongs to yin.

According to this principle, the meridians that run on the outside of the limbs are called yang meridians, and those that run on the inside of the limbs are yin meridians.

Regarding the basic substances that maintain human life activities, the invisible Qi belongs to Yang, and the tangible blood, body fluid, and essence belong to Yin.

As far as internal organs are concerned, because the six internal organs conduct water and grain and are dynamic, they belong to yang; while the five internal organs store essence and are internally guarded, so they belong to yin.

Because yin and yang can be divided infinitely layer by layer, among the five internal organs, relatively speaking, the heart and lungs at the top are yang; the liver, spleen, and kidneys at the bottom are yin.

Going one step further, each organ has heart yin and heart yang, liver yin and liver yang, kidney yin and kidney yang, etc.

This is what the "Huangdi Neijing" says: "Life is tangible and inseparable from yin and yang."

Second, yin and yang can explain the physiological activities of the human body.

The normal life activities of the human body are the result of the normal operation of the tissues and functions of the internal organs of the body, as well as the coordination and balance of yin and yang between the body and the internal and external environment. We will expand on this part when we talk about the internal organs, qi, blood and body fluids.

Therefore, the human body is in a physiological state, which is actually a state of balance between yin and yang.

So, if the human body is sick, the yin and yang have lost their balance and coordination, which is called yin and yang imbalance.

This leads to the third point. Yin and Yang can also explain pathological changes in the human body.

The factors that cause people to get sick are also called evil qi, and the body's disease resistance is generally called righteous qi. The process of disease is the process of the mutual struggle between evil energy and the healthy energy of the human body.

Since everything can be divided into yin and yang, then of course evil and righteousness can also be divided into yin and yang.

As far as disease evils are concerned, they can be divided into two categories: yin evils and yang evils. For example, among the six evils, heat and heat (fire) evils are yang evils, while cold and dampness evils are yin evils.

The human body’s righteous energy is divided into Yin essence and Yang energy.

Since both evil and righteousness can be divided into yin and yang, the process of the struggle between evil and righteousness is the mixing of different yin and yang forces. During this process of change, the yin and yang of both the evil and the righteous may become more or less. As long as there is an imbalance, we say: yin and yang are out of balance.

The main manifestations of yin and yang imbalance include excessive yin and yang, excessive yin and yang, etc.

Let’s first talk about the situation where yin and yang are excessive.

Excessive yin and yang refers to the pathological changes caused by excessive excess of yin or yang.

Exuberance is evidence. "Su Wen·Yin and Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun" points out: "The victory of Yang will cause heat, and the victory of Yin will cause cold."

Among them, the partial excess of Yang refers to the presence of Yang evil - that is, fire evil and heat evil. Under the action of yang, one side of yang is overactive. As a result, the characteristics of yang - heat and excitement - are manifested, causing the body to show the pathological phenomenon of hyperactivity and excessive heat production.

Since Yang represents heat, there is too much Yang now, so too much heat is produced. If there are more, it is evidence, so together they are called excess heat syndrome.

What are the manifestations of real heat?

Fever, or fear of heat, or local burning sensation. At the same time, symptoms of heat such as flushed face, red tongue, and rapid pulse may be seen.

According to the principle of opposition and restriction of yin and yang, if there is too much yang heat, the body's yin fluid will decrease, and symptoms such as dry mouth, yellow short urine, dry and hard stools that damage body fluids will occur. "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" calls it As "yang prevails, yin disease".

Come on, let’s talk about the situation where yin is too strong.

Yin excess means that under the influence of yin evil, that is, cold evil and dampness evil, the yin side is excessive. The characteristic of yin is cold, and yin inhibits the function of yang. The human body is in such a pathological state.

If there is too much yin, it means cold, and if there is too much yin, it means coldness, so it will show up as a series of signs of coldness. For example, if you are afraid of cold, or have localized cold pain, or you like warmth, your face will be white, your tongue will be pale, your pulse will be slow or tight, etc., this is "yin prevailing and you will be cold".

When yin-cold becomes too strong, the body’s yang energy will inevitably be depleted, and the yang energy will show a pathological state of decreased function. Therefore, it is said, “Yin prevails, resulting in yang disease.”

Let’s talk about the partial decline of yin and yang.

The partial decline of yin and yang means that either yin or yang is lower than the normal level. If it is low or missing, it means deficiency syndrome.

Among them, Yang partial decline is the deficiency of Yang energy in the body, which promotes the decline of warmth and other functions. Manifested as a series of signs of deficiency and cold.

For example, if you are afraid of cold, have cold limbs, lie down, or feel cold in some parts, you not only like warmth, but also like to be pressed. Here is a trick for you. If there is any discomfort in the area, press it with your hands. The more you press it, the more uncomfortable it becomes. This is a syndrome. If you feel comfortable after pressing it, it is a deficiency syndrome.

Since it is deficiency and cold, there are also symptoms of deficiency such as mental fatigue and weak pulse, so it is said that "Yang deficiency leads to cold".

The difference here we should pay attention to is: Yang deficiency and Yin excess are both cold syndromes. Yang deficiency is deficiency and cold, which generally lasts for a long time. Yin excess is just cold, generally without virtual symptoms, and is mostly a temporary symptom caused by temporary cold or eating too much raw or cold food.

Come on, let’s talk about the decline of Yin.

Yin deficiency refers to the deficiency of yin fluid in the body, which has insufficient moisturizing and calming effects. At the same time, yin deficiency cannot control yang, showing a pathological state in which yang energy is relatively overactive.

When Yang Qi is relatively strong, heat will appear; it is caused by lack of Yin, so it is a deficiency. The total is "deficient heat".

This kind of heat is because it is deficient heat, so even if there is fever, the temperature is not high, such as low-grade fever, hot flashes, or even five-upset fever, which does not even show body temperature, and Face - it is not real heat, so the whole face will not be red, only the cheekbones will be red, that is, malar redness.

Yin deficiency means less Yin fluid, so there will be dry mouth, dry tongue, yellow short urine, dry and hard stools, etc., which are symptoms of insufficient water, and also include a thready pulse, etc.

So it is said that "Yin deficiency results in heat."

The pathological changes of yin and yang are actually much more complicated than what is mentioned above. However, this is not a professional course, so we just need to establish a general feeling about it first.

The fourth point is that the Yin and Yang theory can also guide the treatment of diseases.

Yin and Yang imbalance can be said to be the basic pathological mechanism of the disease.

Therefore, regulating yin and yang, replenishing the deficiency and purging the excess, and restoring the balance and coordination of yin and yang are the basic principles of traditional Chinese medicine in treating diseases.

"Suwen·Zhizhenyao Dalun" points out: "Carefully observe the location of yin and yang and adjust them to balance them." The "leveling" here means that the purpose is to restore balance.

Next, let’s talk about the treatment principles determined by the Yin and Yang theory.

The first is the treatment principle of excessive yin and yang:

When yin is excessive or yang is excessive, it is empirical evidence that there is more than enough, so the treatment principle is "reducing the excess" .

According to the principle of opposition and restriction of yin and yang, excess heat syndrome caused by excessive yang is suitable to be treated with cold and cooling drugs to clear excess heat, which is what we often say, "What is hot is cold";

For syndromes of actual cold caused by excessive yin, warming medicines should be used to expel the cold. This is "what is cold is hot."

Yin and yang are weakened, and there is less of what should be. This forms a deficiency syndrome, so the treatment principle is "to make up for the deficiency."

Among them, the deficiency of heat syndrome caused by yin deficiency is mainly to nourish yin. Use drugs such as Adenophora adenophora, Ophiopogon japonicus, Polygonatum odoratum, Dendrobium, Lycium barbarum, Ligustrum lucidum, turtle shell, and turtle shell. Chinese patent medicines Most of them use Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Zhibai Dihuang Pills, and Zuogui Pills.

For deficiency and cold syndrome with partial yang deficiency, the main method is to replenish yang, using aconite, cinnamon, dried ginger, cordyceps, pilose antler, Cistanche deserticola, Cynomorium cynomorium, Dipsacus, Morinda officinalis, epimedium, and walnuts. For these medicines, most of the Chinese patent medicines include Jingui Shenqi Pills, Yougui Pills, Fuzi Lizhong Pills, etc.

Treatment requires medication, and the Yin and Yang theory can also summarize the properties of drugs.

Traditional Chinese medicine’s understanding of drug properties is mainly based on the four qi, five flavors, rising, falling, floating and sinking.

Among them, the four qi, rising and falling, are more meaningful when summarized using the theory of yin and yang.

The four qi refers to the four properties of cold, hot, warm and cool medicines. Among them, cold and cool belong to yin, while warm and hot belong to yang.

What are cold and cooling medicines? This was actually tried on humans. Generally speaking, drugs that can reduce or eliminate heat syndrome, or when normal people take these drugs, will cause a cold feeling, such as a light mouth, loose stools, and long and clear urine. From this, we know that the properties of these drugs Most of them are of cool or cold nature, such as skullcap, coptis, gardenia, etc.;

On the other hand, there are drugs that can reduce or eliminate cold syndrome, or those that are easy for normal people to get angry after eating. The properties of these drugs Most of them are warm or hot, such as aconite, cinnamon, and dried ginger.

Therefore, cold or cooling drugs are used to treat heat syndrome, and hot or warm drugs are used to treat cold syndrome.

The next step is rising, falling, floating and sinking: the rising, falling, floating and sinking of a drug refers to the action trend of the drug after it enters the human body.

Ascending means that the drug has a tendency to rise and act on the upper part of the human body; floating means that the drug has a tendency to spread upward and to the superficial parts; descending means that the drug has a tendency to go down and act on the lower part of the human body. The tendency; sinking, refers to the tendency of the drug to have a downward and inward sedative effect.

Here, what rises is Yang; what sinks is Yin.

Among them, the lifting and floating medicine is mostly used for diseases with upper and external disease locations, such as head diseases, cardiopulmonary diseases, and body surface diseases, such as colds and skin diseases. This is easy to understand. Only when the medicine rises and floats can it reach the upper part of the disease and achieve the therapeutic effect.

However, lifting and floating drugs can also be used for lesions that are on the decline. What is the disease trend?

For example, gastroptosis, hepatoptosis, nephroptosis, uterine prolapse, and anal prolapse. Because their disease trends are downward, according to the principle of opposition and restriction of yin and yang, they should be elevated during treatment. Upward, this uses lifting and floating medicine.

On the other hand, let’s talk about sedimentation drugs.

Sedimentation drugs are mostly used for diseases where the disease is in the lower part and inside, such as liver and kidney diseases, and diseases in the lower half of the body. Only by using sedimentation drugs can the "medicine reach the disease location."

Sedimentation drugs can also be used for progressive lesions. What is the disease trend?

For example, when coughing, wheezing, burping, and belching, you can see that the air in them all moves upward. This is also pathological, so at this time, you need to use settling medicine to lower the air. For example, agarwood and agarwood, as you can tell from their names, they can sink and fall.

The theory of yin and yang is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. The above three lectures should give us a general understanding of the origin, connotation and application of this theory.