Today I want to talk about how to take care of ourselves through the 5 elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
In TCM, there is a foundational understanding that we are surrounded by 5 energy fields or 5 different types of "chi" (氣). These are also called the "5 elements" and play an important role in all aspects of Chinese health culture, and are reflected in other cultures such as Traditional Indian Medicine (ayurveda).
The 5 elements are metal (金), wood (木), water (水), fire (火), and earth (土). Chinese people use this 5-element theory for many things, from the interaction between internal organs to politics, architecture, medicine, and food.
The 5 elements also represent our 5 main organs: lung (metal), liver (wood), kidney (water), heart (fire) and spleen (earth).
The 5 elements also represent 5 different colors: white (metal), green (wood), black/ dark blue (water), red (fire), and yellow (earth).
According to TCM if there is any weakness in a body part or organs, we should choose foods of certain colors / elements to feel better and take care of our health. See the infographic below.
How do you see it? Do you find it complicated? I think it is a complete health system that truly delivers, and I love it!
I would love for you to share your experiences of any aspect of TCM that you have had. Comment below please.