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The zangfu organs are functional entities stipulated by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). These classifications are not based in physiology or science. They constitute the technological centrepiece of TCM's general concept of how the human body works. The term zang refers to the organs considered to be "solid" yin in nature – Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney – while fu refers to the "hollow" yang organs – Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Gall Bladder, Urinary Bladder, Stomach and San Jiao.
Each zang is paired with a fu, and each pair is assigned to one of the wuxing. The zangfu are also connected to the twelve standard meridians – each yang meridian is attached to a fu organ and each yin meridian is attached to a zang. They are five systems of Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney.[1] [2] [3]
To highlight the fact that the zangfu are not equivalent to the anatomical organs, their names are often capitalized.
To understand the zangfu it is important to realize that their concept did not primarily develop out of anatomical biological considerations but from cosmological patterns and influences. The need to describe and systematize the bodily functions was more significant to ancient Chinese physicians than opening up a cadaver (dead body) and seeing what morphological formal structures there actually were. For example traditionally viewing the Heart of pericardium was forbidden. Thus, the zangfu are functional relational entities first and foremost, and only loosely tied to (rudimentary) anatomical assumptions.
Each zangfu organ has a yin and a yang aspect, but overall, the zang organs are considered to be yin, and the fu organs yang.[4]
Since the concept of the zangfu was developed on the basis of wuxing philosophy, they are incorporated into a system of allocation to one of five elemental qualities (i.e., the Five goings or Five Phases). The zangfu share their respective element's allocations (e.g., diagnostics of colour, sound, odour and emotion etc.) and interact with each other cyclically in the same way the Five Elements do: each zang organ has one corresponding zang organ that it disperses, and one that it reinforces or tonifying and sedative.[5]
The correspondence between zangfu and Five Elements are stipulated as:
The zang organs' essential functions consist in manufacturing and storing qi and blood (and, in the case of the Kidney, essence). The hollow fu organs' main purpose is to transmit and digest (传化,) substances (like waste, food, etc.).[6]
Each zang has a corresponding "orifice" it "opens" into. This means the functional entity of a given zang includes the corresponding orifice's functions (e.g. blurry vision is primarily seen as a dysfunction of the Liver zang because the Liver channel "opens" into the eyes).
In listing the functions of the zang organs, TCM regularly uses the term "governing" (Chinese: c=主|p=zhǔ|labels=no) – indicating that the main responsibility of regulating something (e.g. blood, qi, water metabolism etc.) lies with a certain zang.
Although the zang are functional entities in the first place, TCM gives vague locations for them – namely, the general area where the anatomical organ of the same name would be found. One could argue that this (or any) positioning of the zang is irrelevant for the TCM system; there is some relevance, however, in whether a certain zang would be attributed to the upper, middle or lower jiao.
See main article: Heart (Chinese medicine). The Heart:
See main article: Pericardium (Chinese medicine). Since there are only five zang organs but six yin channels, the remaining meridian is assigned to the Pericardium. Its concept is closely related to the Heart, and its stipulated main function is to protect the Heart from attacks by Exterior Pathogenic Factors. Like the Heart, the Pericardium governs blood and stores the mind. The Pericardium's corresponding yang channel is assigned to the San Jiao ("Triple Burner").
See main article: Spleen (Chinese medicine). The Spleen:
See main article: Liver (Chinese medicine). The Liver:
See main article: Lung (Chinese medicine). Yin Metal. Home of the po (Chinese: 魄, Corporeal Soul), paired with the yang organ the Large Intestine.
The function of the Lung is to disperse and descend qi throughout the body. It receives qi through the breath, and exhales the waste and helps the peristaltic action of the gastrointestinal tract.The Lung governs the skin and hair and also governs the exterior (one part of immunity) and the closing of the skin pores. A properly functioning Lung organ will ensure the skin and hair are of good quality and that the immune system is strong and able to fight disease. The normal direction of the Lung is defending, when Lung qi "rebels" it goes upwards, causing coughing and wheezing. When the Lung is weak, there can be skin conditions such as eczema, thin or brittle hair, and a propensity to catching colds and flu. The Lung is weakened by dryness and the emotion of grief or sadness.
See main article: Kidney (Chinese medicine). Water. Home of the zhi (Chinese: 志, Will), paired with the Bladder.
The Kidneys store jing Essence, govern birth, growth, reproduction and development. They also produce the Marrow which fills the spinal cord, brain and control the bones. The Kidneys are often referred to as the "Root of Life" or the "Root of the Pre-Heaven Qi".
See main article: Large intestine (Chinese medicine).
See main article: Urinary bladder (Chinese medicine).
See main article: Stomach (Chinese medicine).
See main article: Small intestine (Chinese medicine).
See main article: San Jiao.
The concept of the zangfu is not identified by evidence based medicine – the underlying assumptions and theory have not been verified or falsified by controlled experiments. As the study and practice of Traditional Chinese medicine's mechanisms are comparatively new in the west it has been criticized as pseudoscientific.[13]