Traditional Chinese Medicine explains the timeline of the rise and fall of the five internal organs

The five internal organs of the human body are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The main physiological functions of the five internal organs are the production and storage of essence, qi, blood, body fluids and spirit, so they are also called the five spiritual organs. Throughout a person's life, the rise and fall of vitality shows an ever-changing trend, which is the so-called "life cycle." Regarding the life cycle, "Huangdi Neijing" puts forward two views: one is based on a cycle of 10 years; the other is based on a cycle of 7 years (female) and 8 years (male). The former is to observe the human life cycle from the rise and fall of Qi and blood in the five internal organs; the latter is to observe from the rise and fall of kidney Qi and Tiangui (substances that maintain sexual function).

At 10 years old

The Qi of the five internal organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys) has stabilized. The blood and blood vessels are unobstructed, and the qi and blood are flowing. The flowing qi mainly moves in the lower part of the human body, so 10-year-old children like to "walk". This "走" does not mean "走" in modern Chinese, but jogging.

It is the second stage of life, when the blood begins to become strong and the muscles begin to grow firm. People in this stage are "lucky". "Qi" means walking briskly, which is slower than jogging.

The Qi of the five internal organs is more stable, the muscles are stronger, and the blood vessels are full, so "good walking" means liking to walk, which is a little slower than "good walking".

The internal organs and the twelve meridians reach their peak strength and then begin to decline, but this mainly manifests itself externally. For example, the skin becomes increasingly loose, the facial luster gradually fades, and the hair turns gray. Although the baby can still walk relatively steadily at this stage and has not yet reached the point of wobbling, he already prefers to "sit" and does not like to walk around.

When the liver qi begins to decline, people will show symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, discomfort in the flanks, and weak pulse. Because of the "liver and gallbladder's relationship", bile secretions gradually decrease; and because "the liver opens to the eyes", the eyes begin to see unclearly. It is best to eat more green and sour foods to nourish the liver; eating wormwood stalks often can soothe the liver and promote bile secretion.

The heart begins to decline, and blood and qi gradually become loose and dispersed. People with insufficient blood and qi become prone to lying down. During this stage, you are also prone to feeling anxious, short of breath, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, nightmares, irritability and dry mouth. Some dietary therapy methods can be used to nourish the heart. Soak 15 grams of Poria cocos, 10 grams of longan meat and appropriate amount of rock sugar in water and drink it. It is suitable for treating restlessness caused by heart yin deficiency. Stewing black chicken with 5-10 grams of ginseng, 10 grams of Ophiopogon japonicus, and 5 grams of Schisandra chinensis can relieve weak pulse caused by deficiency of both heart qi and yin.

The temper becomes weak and the skin begins to wither. Symptoms of weak spleen include: poor appetite, abdominal distension, weakness in the limbs, loose stools, pale tongue with white coating, and deep and weak pulse. To nourish the spleen, you should eat less raw and cold food, and eat more easily digestible and appetizing food. For dietary conditioning, you can stew meat with yam and cook porridge with coix seeds, which have the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach.

The lung qi gradually declines, and because the lungs store the soul, the soul begins to disperse. This is why people often say the wrong things when they reach the age of 80. The main manifestations of insufficient lung qi are shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, night sweats, edema, etc. Lily, white fungus, almond, lotus root, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Astragalus membranaceus are all good foods for nourishing the lungs.

When the kidney qi is exhausted, the meridians of the other four organs are also empty. The main symptoms of kidney deficiency are fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, back pain, weak legs, cold hands and feet, clear and long urination, and weak pulse. To nourish the kidneys, you should eat more black foods, such as black mulberries, black fungus, black sesame seeds, etc. You can also eat some naturally salty foods, such as sea fish, kelp, seaweed, etc.

The Qi and blood in the five internal organs are all extremely weak. The body is still there, but the spirit has left.