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Rather like the constitutional patient in homoeopathy,^10 many ailments
may be described as being yin or yang. Thus, a yin-deficient patient may be
hot and feverish, restless and stressed out. A yang-deficient patient will feel
cold and be pale and lethargic.
The basic principles of TCM are summarised in Figure 6.2.

The five phases (wu xing)

According to Chinese philosophy, the body organs are related to one of the
five phases (or elements): wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These are said
to represent the circle of life. The five phases have a flow in which they
move, called the ‘generating cycle’ (Figure 6.3):

• Water generates wood (by nourishing trees)


• Wood generates fire (rubbed together to generate fire)


• Fire generates earth (ashes fall to support the soil)


• Earth generates metal (ore)


• Metal generates water (when molten resembles water).

The five phases are applied to the practice of TCM in a number of
different cycles:

• In the shengcycle, organs are considered to be in a familial
  relationship supporting each other, e.g. the kidney may be considered
  to be a fire organ (or ‘mother’ organ) and the liver an earth (or ‘son’)

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Figure 6.2 Basic principles of traditional Chinese medicine.

Liver

Gall bladder

Mutual nourishment cycle Zang organs

Mutual restraint cycle Fu organs

Kidney

Urinary bladder

Heart

Small intestine

Lung

Large intestine

Spleen

Stomach

Water

Metal Earth

Fire

Wood