2) Generation, Restriction, Subjugation and
Reverse Restriction among the Five Elements
Among the five elements, there exist the relations of
generation, restriction, subjugation and reverse restriction. Generation implies
production and promotion. The order of generation is as follows: wood generates fire, fire
generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water, in its turn,
generates wood. As far as the relationship of generation of each of the five elements is
concerned, it is composed of two aspects - generating and being generated. The element
that generates is called the mother, while the element that is generated is called the
son. Hence, the relation of generating and being generated among the five elements is also
known as that of mother and son. Take wood for example. Because wood produces fire, it is
called the mother of fire. On the other hand it is produced by water, so it is called the
son of water.
Restriction connotes bringing under control or restraint.
So far as the relationship of restriction that the five elements possess is concerned, it
works in the following order: wood restricts earth, earth water, water fire, fire metal,
and metal wood. Each of the five elements has the chance of restricting and being
restricted. Take wood for example. The element restricting wood is metal, and the element
that is restricted by wood is earth.
In view of the correlations among things, neither
generation nor restriction is dispensable. Without generation, there would be no birth and
development; without restriction, excessive growth would result in harm. For instance, on
one hand, wood generates fire, and on the other, it restricts earth; while earth, in its
turn, generates metal and restricts water. Thus in generation there resides restriction,
and in restriction there exists generation. They oppose each other and at the same time
cooperate with each other, thus a relative balance is maintained between generation and
restriction, and the normal growth and development of things is ensured.
Should one of the five elements be excessive or
insufficient, there would appear the phenomena of abnormal restrictions, known as
subjugation and reverse restriction. By subjugation is meant that one element subdues the
other when the latter is weak. It is the manifestation of abnormal coordination among
things. For instance, if wood is in excess and metal can not exercise normal restriction
on it, then the excessive wood will subjugate earth in such a way that earth will become
weaker.
Reverse restriction means preying upon others. That is,
when any one of the five elements is in excess, the one originally restricting it will be
restricted by it instead. That is why we call it reverses restriction. For instance, the
normal order of restriction is that metal restricts wood; but if wood is in excess or
metal is insufficient, wood will restricts metal in the reverse direction.
It is clear that the order of reverse restriction is just
opposite to that of restriction and that reverse restriction is undoubtedly a harmful one.
The Application of the Theory of Five Elements in
TCM
In the science of TCM, the theory of five elements is
used, in the main, to explain the physiology and pathology of the human body and to guide
the clinical diagnosis and treatment.
1) Explaining the Correlations between the Five
Viscera
The generation of the five elements can be used to expound
the interdepending relations between the five viscera. For instance, the vital essence of
the kidney (water) nourishes the liver (wood), which is known as water generating wood.
The liver (wood) stores blood to nourish the heart (fire), which is termed wood generating
fire. The heat of the heart (fire) warms the spleen (earth), which is called fire
generating earth. The spleen (earth) transforms and distributes feed essence to replenish
the lung (metal), which is referred to as earth generating metal. The lung (metal) dredges
the water passages to help the kidney (water), which is taken as metal generating water.
The restriction of the five elements can be used to
explain the inter-restraining relations between the five viscera. For instance, the lung
(metal) disperses and descends so as to restrain the exuberance of the liver (wood), which
is known as metal restricting wood. The liver (wood) that functions well smoothes and
regulates the stagnation of the qi of the spleen (earth), which is called as wood
restricting earth. The function of the spleen (earth) plays in transporting, distributing
and
transforming nutrients and promoting water metabolism and
may prevent the overflow of the water of the kidney (water), which is referred to as earth
restricting water. The ascending 6f the kidney (water) can p~ event the heart (fire) from
hyperactivity. Which is explained as water restricting fire.
2) Expounding Pathological Influences between the
Five Viscera
As is known, the theories of sudjugation, reverse
restriction, "illness of mother-organ involving son-organ", and "ill-ness
of son-organ involving mother-organ" concerning the five elements may be used to
expound the pathological influences between the five viscera. Take lung trouble for
example. If it results from heart trouble, that is regarded as "fire subjugating
metal". If it is caused by liver (wood) trouble, that is refer-red to as "wood
reversely restricting metal". If it is led by spleen (earth) trouble, that is looked
upon as "illness of mother-organ involving son-organ". And if it is due to
kidney (water) trouble, that is taken as "illness of s6n-orga~ involving
mother-organ".
3) Diagnosing and Treating Diseases
Because, in accordance with the attribution of things to
the five elements, the five viscera have specific connections with the five colors (blue,
red, yellow, white and black), the five voices (shouting, laughing, singing, crying and
moaning), the five kinds of flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, acrid and salty) as well as the
relevant pulse conditions, one, when diagnosing, should do like this first, synthesize the
materials obtained through the four methods of diagnosis (observation, listening and
smelling, inquiring, pulse feeling and palpation), and then, deduce what the disease is
according to the theory of five elements. For instance, a blue face, preference for food
with sour flavor and bowstring pulse condition may indicate liver disease; a red face,
bitter taste in the mouth and overflowing pulse condition may suggest the hyperactivity of
heart fire; the patient whose qi of the spleen is deficient looks blue because of
"wood having subjugated earth"; the patient who has heart trouble looks dark
because of "water having restricted fire", to mention but a few.
In treatment, the theory of five elements, on the one
hand, is used to prevent the transmission of diseases. As the 77th Problem, a chapter of
Classic On Medical Problems, says, 'When liver disease occurs, it will spread to the
Spleen, 80 the qi of the spleen should be reinforced before it is affected." On the
other hand, the theory of five elements may be used to help work out the principle and
method of treatment. For instance, The 69th Problem, a chapter of Classic On Medical
Problem, points out that "if hypofunction is found in the son-organ, the mother-organ
should be tonified; if hyperfunction is found in the mother-organ, the son-organ should be
treated with purgation", to mention but a few. Physicians of later generations have
applied the law of generation, restriction, subjugation and reverse restriction of the
five elements to work out many effective and specific treating methods such as reinforcing
earth to generate metal (strengthening the function of the spleen to benefit the lung),
replenishing water to nourish wood (nourishing the essence of the kidney to benefit the
liver), supporting earth to restrict wood (supplementing the function of the spleen to
treat hyperactivity of the liver), and strengthening water to control fire (replenishing
the essence of the kidney to treat hyperactivity of the heart), and so on In the science
of acupuncture and moxibustion, the five kinds of points of the 12 channels distributed at
the ends of the extremities, i.e.,the Jing (well) Points, the Ying (spring) Points, the
Shu (stream) Points, the 7?ng (river) Points and the He (sea) Points, are - respectively
included in the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water. In clinical treatment,
these points may be chosen according to the specific state of certain that is being
treated and in accordance with the law of generation, restriction, subjugation and reverse
restriction of the five elements. Prom above, it has been known that the theory of yin and
yang is used to state the two components of one thing, or the relations of opposition,
interdependence, waxing and waning and the transformation between two opposite things;
while the theory of five elements is used mainly to explain the property and correlation
among things according to the attribution of things to the five elements as well as the
law of generation, restriction, subjugation and reverse restriction of the five elements.
But do remember that both theories are often combined when used.
Extracted from "Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese
Medicine"
