The Spleen & Stomach in Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine views organs in the body as both the anatomical structure and all of the functions that the organ is responsible for. Instead of looking at each organ by itself, this medicine sees the organs as an interconnected system - no single organ is affected alone. We use capital letters for the organs to indicate that we are talking about the organ through the Chinese medicine lens, rather that the isolated anatomical structure.

When we look at digestion, many organs are involved, though there is a special, functional relationship between the Spleen and the Stomach. These organs are like partners or coworkers and the health or weakness of one will directly affect the other. The Spleen is in charge of the transformation and transportation of foods, and it has an upward, ascending directionality. This means that the Spleen separates the food that we consume into what we can and cannot use, and sends the nutritive essence of the food upward - towards the Lungs and Heart - where it will be transformed into Qi and Blood for the rest of the body. The Stomach, on the other hand, breaks down food during digestion and has a descending directionality. It sends food downward toward the Small Intestine to be further absorbed and disintegrated.

The Spleen and Stomach are both associated with the Earth element in Five Element Theory. This element is characterized by the color yellow, late Summer and harvest time, the sensation of touch, the sound of singing, the sweet flavor, and the emotions that come along with worry and pensiveness. When the Earth element is in harmony, we feel grounded, centered, and balanced - we will likely have healthy digestion and feel more creative. When the Earth element is out of balance, it is likely that we will feel stuck, without our desired creative spark, and our digestion will often become compromised.

Overthinking, chronic worry, and rumination lead to disharmony in the Earth element and negatively affect or weaken the Spleen and Stomach, which can result in digestive distress. Likewise, diets that have lots of sugar and too many spicy foods also compromise the Spleen and Stomach.

• When the Spleen becomes weak, the ascending energy is not as robust and the nutritive essence of food is not as readily transformed into Blood and Qi. We feel tired, sluggish, and bloated. In Chinese medicine, this is called Spleen Qi deficiency.

• When the Stomach becomes weak, the downward-moving energy also becomes weak, which may result in unwanted ascending movement. We feel nauseated and tired, and we might experience acid reflux or symptoms of GERD. This is called rebellious Stomach Qi in Chinese medicine (the Qi is rebellious because it’s moving upward instead of downward).

A few ways to support the Spleen and Stomach:

• Address your stressors. Find what works for you - movement, meditation, art, music, or other forms of physical or creative expression. Chronic stress and rumination not only negatively affect mental health - they weaken your digestive function as well.

• Eat breakfast. Try to have some food, even just a small something, between 7 and 9 am. This is the time of the Stomach according to the Chinese medicine organ clock, which is ideal for digestion and which also leads into the time of the Spleen (9-11 am).

• Avoid eating late at night. When we eat too late, there is a greater possibility of food stagnation in our digestive system, as the Spleen and Stomach are not at their strongest and the food usually does not have time to break down before we lie down for sleep.

• Decrease the dehydrators. Try to decrease the amount of sugar, caffeine, hot spices, alcohol, garlic, and onion in your diet. These foods are dehydrating and negatively impact the digestive integrity of the Spleen and Stomach.

Chinese medicine also offers herbal formulas that support the Spleen and Stomach while addressing other disharmonies you may have co-occurring within. However, these formulas all have different energetic profiles and it is important for a Chinese medicine practitioner to assess your constitution in order to select an appropriate formulation for you.

If you’re interested in giving your Spleen and Stomach a little more love or you suspect you may have a weakened digestive system, check out the links below. You are also welcome to respond to this email with questions or find a time for an herbal session.

Warmly,

Artemisia

innervillagehealth.com

Schedule a session here

Related Resources

• Congee (rice porridge) is an excellent way to support your digestion. You can find a great recipe from Andrew Sterman here. Though I’ve shared this before, the importance of wet-cooked foods cannot be overstated!

• You might enjoy this resource on digestive support from Golden Flower Chinese Herbs - it contains some good general information as well as specific information about a few herbs and formulas.

• If you’ve already got some herbs on hand and are looking to do some DIY digestive support, these ideas from Mountain Rose Herbs might be fun to try!