In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lung governs the skin and fur

Traditional Chinese Medicine is a broad and profound science, which is why many of its terms are confusing to people. For example, professional terms such as "exogenous wind evil" and "lung governs skin and fur" would make normal people feel confused. Exogenous wind evil can be inferred from the literal meaning that it is a cold symptom caused by a person being infected by wind and cold, but what kind of symptoms does the term "lung governs skin and fur" specifically refer to?

The lungs govern the skin and hair. When the lungs are full of qi, the skin becomes smooth.

We know that the hand Taiyin lung meridian and the foot Taiyin spleen meridian are two meridians in the human body. Taiyin is a state of Yin Qi. Yin Qi goes through three stages from childhood to old age, namely Shaoyin, Taiyin and Jueyin. If we use a person as an analogy, Taiyin is like a housewife. The housewife's responsibility is to prepare meals for the whole family. The function of Taiyin is to distribute Qi, blood or the essence of water and grain to the whole body. The spleen can supply essence to the muscles. People with strong spleens tend to have plump muscles. The lungs are located higher than the spleen, or can be said to be more superficial, so the parts they supply are also superficial, including the skin. People with sufficient lung qi have moist and smooth skin.

Since the lungs control the skin and hair, the two often get sick at the same time and are involved with each other. When the skin and fur on the body surface are invaded by cold evil, it will affect the lung qi's ability to spread and descend, causing coughing and sputum; similarly, lung qi deficiency will also lead to a decrease in the skin's ability to resist external evil, manifesting as spontaneous sweating, fear of wind and cold, and susceptibility to colds. Some female friends have pale complexions, or look sallow and dull, or have pigmentation and premature wrinkles, etc., which are caused by lung qi deficiency and the inability of body fluids and blood to nourish the skin. If a person's lung qi is sufficient, the skin will be moisturized, smooth and elastic.

Knowing the relationship between the lungs and skin, we should pay attention to both aspects in health care. Patients with poor lungs and chronic coughs and asthma should not only quit smoking and avoid activities in air-polluted places, but also keep their skin warm. People with poor skin, dull and lusterless skin should not just pay attention to the surface and spend all their energy on choosing cosmetics. If the lung qi is not sufficient, the skin cannot be nourished and it will be futile to apply any high-end cosmetics.

So, how can we nourish the lungs?

First of all, people can eat more sweet, light and crispy foods, such as lily, fresh lotus root, jellyfish, persimmon cake, etc.; they can also add some Chinese medicine for clearing the lungs and nourishing yin when making porridge, such as Ophiopogon japonicus, Asparagus cochinchinensis, Adenophora sibiricum, Polygonatum odoratum, etc.

Secondly, in traditional Chinese medicine, strengthening the spleen and stomach can also achieve the purpose of nourishing the lungs. The lungs and spleen both belong to Taiyin, and the two are closely related. Through the classic prescriptions for tonifying the spleen (such as Sijunzi Decoction, Shenling Baizhu Powder, etc.), the lung qi can be replenished, which is what Chinese medicine often calls the "method of cultivating earth to produce gold." Normally, people should pay attention to keeping their chest and head up, or do more chest expansion exercises to fully open the lungs.

In addition to diet, medicine and exercise, people must also maintain a positive and optimistic mood, because the lungs are responsible for sadness. If the mood is too pessimistic, it can cause stagnation of lung qi, further damaging the lung's positive energy, and thus causing lung qi deficiency.

Therefore, if the lung qi is insufficient, our skin will become dry and yellow. If you want to have good skin, you must take good care of your lungs.