The spleen and stomach, both associated with the Earth element, govern the nourishment of the flesh and the di…
The spleen and stomach, both associated with the Earth element, govern the nourishment of the flesh and the digestion of food and drink. When wind, cold, summer heat, or dampness attack from outside, they linger in the flesh and skin, eventually entering the spleen and stomach. When dietary excess or imbalance harms from within, the intestines and stomach lose function and cannot properly separate waste. As illness arises from many sources, so too are its names manifold. Persistent wind may cause chronic diarrhea. Excess dampness leads to sluggish, heavy stools. Cold invasion causes watery diarrhea. Excess heat results in toxic dysentery. It may be cold, hot, red, white, mixed-colored, intestinal residue, retentive, intermittent, or linked to worms, parasites, and other conditions, each with distinct patterns. All stem from poor regulation of the body and careless eating, leading to internal imbalance and a clash of healthy and pathogenic Qi.