Zang Fu organs: Organs dragging each other

The combinations that recur most

In clinic a pure pattern is rare. These four combinations cover a huge share of chronic cases and are worth recognising at a glance.

Liver invades Spleen

digestion collapsing under tension

Spleen and Lung

phlegm made below and stored above

Heart and Kidney

water not rising, fire not descending: insomnia

Liver and Kidney

one root: dry eyes with low back pain

Common mistake: Naming both organs and treating them equally. There is almost always one that leads and one that is dragged.

Cough with abundant thick white mucus, bloating after meals and a sense of heaviness. Where is the origin?

1. In the Lung, since that is where the mucus is
2. In the Spleen, which fails to transform fluids and makes the phlegm the Lung stores
3. In the Kidney, since all phlegm comes from below

Which combination best explains each case?

• Diarrhoea on the morning of an examLiver invades SpleenSpleen and LungHeart and KidneyLiver and Kidney
• Bronchitis every winter in someone who bloats after mealsLiver invades SpleenSpleen and LungHeart and KidneyLiver and Kidney
• Insomnia with palpitations, dry mouth and low back painLiver invades SpleenSpleen and LungHeart and KidneyLiver and Kidney
• Tired eyes, dizziness on standing and weak kneesLiver invades SpleenSpleen and LungHeart and KidneyLiver and Kidney
• Chronic throat mucus with loose stoolsLiver invades SpleenSpleen and LungHeart and KidneyLiver and Kidney
• Irritable bowel that settles on holidayLiver invades SpleenSpleen and LungHeart and KidneyLiver and Kidney

A patient has both a marked Liver stagnation and a moderate Spleen deficiency. Where do you start?

1. By moving the Liver, while gently supporting the Spleen
2. By tonifying the Spleen thoroughly and leaving the Liver for later
3. By draining both hard at the same time

Match each sign with the organ that explains it.

Order how an emotional stagnation ends as chronic phlegm.

1. Held-in emotion jams Liver qi↑↓
2. The tense Liver invades and weakens the Spleen↑↓
3. The Spleen stops transforming fluids properly↑↓
4. Untransformed fluids pile up as damp↑↓
5. Damp thickens over time and becomes phlegm↑↓