Norah McIntire, L.Ac.
8950 Villa La Jolla Drive
Suite B-129
La Jolla, CA 92037

The Five Elements:

Chinese Medicine seeks to realign the body with the natural flow of life to enhance and protect health. This process is rooted in what are called the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each of these elements is associated with a season, a color, a pair of organs, an emotion, and a flavor. To work with the natural movement of life, Chinese medicine uses this model to dictate the most appropriate activities and foods during a particular season. When acting in harmony with the natural world and our place in it, health and vitality are maximized. Below is each element and information about its nature.

Wood:

Color: Green
Season: Spring
Flavor: Sour
Paired Organs: Liver/Gallbladder
Emotion: Anger

Wood is associated with spring, the season of renewal, lengthening days, and increased activity. The color green signifies this, and foods which benefit the body at this time are dark leafy vegetables, cereal grasses, and sprouts. Rising earlier, beginning new projects, and increasing physical activity with cardiovascular exercise, moving meditations, and stretching are all appropriate.

The organs of the Wood element are the Liver and Gallbladder. These organs are responsible for ensuring the smooth and efficient flow of energy throughout the body. This system is sensitive to stress and emotional upset, and if this flow is compromised, emotional and physical symptoms appear. A healthy Wood element provides a person with the vision to plan his/her life, the courage to act on this vision, and the ability to solve problems along the way with a balance of flexibility and commitment.

Examples of discomforts and symptoms that may involve a problem of the Wood element are depression, mood swings, inappropriate anger, PMS with irritability, constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, irregular or painful periods, abdominal or flank pain, and migraine headaches.

Fire:

Color: Red
Season: Summer
Flavor: Bitter
Paired Organs: Heart/Small Intestine
Emotion: Joy

The Fire element oversees the most yang time of the year: summer. The longer days and increased light and temperature encourage rising early, vigorous physical activity, travel, and recreation. Food preparation should emphasize minimal cooking with light, spicy flavor. Foods good for the summer include apples, lemons, limes, melons, cucumbers, green or red peppers, and mung beans.

The Heart circulates blood through the body but is also the center of the mental/emotional self. It controls consciousness, memory, speech, and the ability to interact with others and form healthy relationships. The Small Intestine sorts the “pure from the impure” both physically (digestion) and mentally (weighing options and making sound decisions).

Imbalances of the Fire element may manifest themselves as insomnia, nightmares, mania, inappropriate laughter, anxiety, heart palpitations, high or low blood pressure, poor memory, speech disturbances, and sores on the tongue.

Earth:

Color: Yellow
Season: Late Summer or Transition between Seasons
Flavor: Sweet
Paired Organs: Spleen/Stomach
Emotion: Worry/over-thinking

Late summer or the transition between the seasons is the time of the year associated with the Earth element. The organs of the Spleen and Stomach, which are responsible for digestion, are assigned to this element. Foods that are beneficial to these organs are mildly sweet foods, yellow vegetables, soups, and root vegetables. Examples include sweet potatoes, corn, sweet rice, garbanzo beans, squash, millet, and apricots. Activities involving meditation, gentle stretching, and moderate exercise are seasonally appropriate.

The overall theme of the Earth element is transformation. The transitional and transformational time of the year is reflected in the roles of the Spleen and Stomach: to digest and transform food into accessible nutrients and energy. Mentally, the Earth element is responsible for academic thought and the processing of new information into usable and relevant skills.

Examples of problems involving the Earth element include poor appetite, nausea, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, bad breath, acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea, blood sugar imbalances, craving for sweets, excessive or inappropriate worry, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Metal:

Color: White
Season: Autumn
Flavor: Pungent
Paired Organs: Lungs/Large Intestine
Emotion: Grief

The Metal element is associated with the autumn, a time of cooler temperatures and shorter days. It is the season to begin to gather energy and begin an inward focus. This element is represented by the Lungs and Large Intestine, organs that rule taking in and letting go appropriately. Foods beneficial during autumn include lemons, limes, sourdough bread, aduki beans, apples, pears, and almonds. Increasingly meditative activities, concentrating on storing and preserving energy for the coming colder weather, are beneficial: meditation, deep breathing, visualization, and prayer.

Physically, the Lungs are responsible for respiration, immunity to illness, and overall energy. The Large Intestine acts to process digested food and expel the unused portion. The emotion of the Metal element is grief, the emotion often involved in the letting go of a person or circumstance. A healthy Metal element provides ample energy, resistance to disease, and the emotional capacity to experience loss.

Pathology associated with the Metal element includes shortness of breath, wheezing, bronchitis, low energy, weak voice, cough, sinus congestion, frequent colds and/or flu, allergies, spontaneous sweating, diarrhea, dysentery, and colitis.

Water:

Color: Black
Season: Winter
Flavor: Salty
Paired Organs: Kidney/Bladder
Emotion: Fear

The Water element is associated with the most yin time of the year: winter. The foods and activities beneficial for this system are those that reflect the shorter days and relative stillness and quiet. It is a time to sleep later and be moderate with activity. It is even considered normal to put on a few pounds during the winter season. Examples of foods that influence the Kidney and Bladder organs are black beans, seaweed, black sesame seeds, walnuts, barley, and miso.

The Kidneys and Bladder are responsible for water metabolism. The Kidneys also store the fundamental energies of the body’s yin, yang, and essence. The Kidneys rule the back, knees, ears, skeleton, and marrow. They also play a pivotal role in fertility and hormonal processes.

Disorders of the Water element include low back pain, night sweats, weak knees, tinnitus, infertility, frequent urination, overactive bladder, general weakness, osteoporosis, bone disorders, phobias, excessive fear, and dementia.