Core Competency
The Five Elements Theory—derived from the “Chinese Medical Encyclopedia—Tibetan Medicine”
Release time:
2015-12-30 14:42
The Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—are classified, deduced, and used to explain the composition of the material world and the transformations of things based on their inherent properties and the complex relationships of mutual generation and restraint. This system is known as the Five Elements Theory. Tibetan medicine has adopted the Five Elements Theory from Traditional Chinese Medicine to explain the human body, physiological processes, pathological conditions, and their interactions with the external environment, thereby enabling differentiated diagnosis and treatment. The Five Elements Theory is primarily applied in pulse diagnosis. In other areas, Tibetan medicine predominantly relies on the Five Sources Theory. As early as the late 8th century AD, Tibetan medicine adopted this theory from a Chinese text titled "Moon King’s Medical Diagnosis," which had been compiled from Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Five Elements Theory is elaborated upon and further developed in the classic Tibetan medical work, "The Four Medical Tantras."
In Tibetan medicine, pulse diagnosis correlates the five seasons, the zang organs, the pulse qualities, and the Five Elements. During the spring season, the Five Elements are associated with Wood; the zang organ is the Lung, and the fu organ is the Gallbladder. In the pulse, the Liver-Wood pulse and the Gallbladder pulse are strong, while the pulse itself is fine and tight. During the summer season, the Five Elements are associated with Fire; the zang organ is the Heart, and the fu organ is the Small Intestine. In the pulse, the Heart-Fire pulse and the Small Intestinal pulse are dominant, and the pulse is full and long. During the autumn season, the Five Elements are associated with Metal; the zang organ is the Lung, and the fu organ is the Large Intestine. In the pulse, the Lung-Metal pulse and the Large Intestinal pulse are strong, and the pulse is short and coarse. During the winter season, the Five Elements are associated with Water; the zang organ is the Kidney, and the fu organ is the Bladder. In the pulse, the Kidney-Water pulse, the Bladder pulse, and the "Three Wood Blockages" (Jingfu) pulse are prominent, and the pulse is soft and slow. During the four-season period (each of the above-mentioned seasonal periods lasts 18 days, totaling 72 days), the Five Elements are associated with Earth; the zang organ is the Spleen, and the fu organ is the Stomach. In the pulse, the Spleen-Earth pulse and the Stomach pulse are strong, and the pulse is soft and brief. The zang organs and the Five Elements have relationships of mutual generation and mutual inhibition—such as mother-child and enemy-friend relationships—which are used to explain the interplay of pathological influences and guide diagnosis and clinical treatment.
(Compiled by Dainzeng Zhaxi, with contributions from Cha Quan Zhang)
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