Blood

Blood is a kind of red liquid rich in nutrition, circulating within the blood vessels. And vessels are pipes through which blood flows.

The Formation of Blood

Blood originates from too sources. One is food essence. The food essence developed in the spleen and stomach goes up to the lung where it is turned into blood through the efforts of the heart and lung. The other is the essence of life. The essence of life stored in the kidney goes into the bones and turns into marrow. Strong marrows are sufficient to turn out vital energy and blood. The stored essence of life goes Into the liver and changes into clear blood."

As food essence developed in the spleen and stomach is the main source of blood, then the nutritional value of diet and the strength or weakness of the spleen and/or stomach will exert a direct influence on the formation of blood. This is why, in the treatment of patients whose blood is insufficient, TCM often administers some tonics which have the function of invigorating the spleen and stomach.

TCM Terminologies

	Yin and Yang
	Five Elements
	Meridians
	Qi (Chee)
	Body Fluid
	Qi, Blood & Body Fluid

The Functions of Blood

Blood has the functions of nourishing and moistening the whole body. It circulates continuously, within the vessels, to the five viscera and six bowels in the interior, and to the skin, muscles, tendons and bones in the exterior, permanently providing nutrients for all the tissues and organs of the whole body so as to maintain their normal physiological functions. The liver leaving received blood has the function of determining good eyesight. The feet nourished by blood have the ability to walk, The palms haring received blood have the power of gripping. The fingers having obtained nutrients from blood can hold objects. The normal blood makes the tendons and tones strong and the joints well lubricated. All these show that the sensation and movement of the body depend on the nutrients provided by blood.

Blood is the material basis for mental activity. Normal mental activity depends on the normal circulation and a sufficient supply of blood. The blood is the mental energy.

Sufficient blood and healthy vessels lead to being full of vigour. So blood trouble caused by any kind of disorder may lead to signs and symptoms of mental illness, varying in degree. For example, deficiency of the blood of the heart may cause insomnia, dream disturbed sleep and amnesia. The attack on the blood chamber by the exogenous pathogenic heat during menstruation may cause the patient to lapse into delirium in the evening as if she were seeing a ghost, while she may be lucid during the day.

The Circulation of Blood

The blood continuously circulates within the vessels round the body. As to how it circulates, the food is taken into the stomach; the food essence absorbed makes its way to the liver, ... then to the heart, nourishing the blood vessels, within which it (food essence) circulates to the lung; the blood flow of the whole body converges in the lung, from which it (food essence) is transported to the skin and hair, from where it food essence) joints the essence of life in the blood capillaries and turns to the bowels and the four viscera.

The normal circulation of blood results from the mutual action of the heart, lung, spleen and liver. The heart controls the power to force blood to circulate. The lung is in charge of vital energy and linked to the formation of pectoral Qi. The pectoral Qi performs one of its functions when entering into the heart channel to promote the movement of blood and vital energy. The spleen has the function of keeping the blood flowing within, not extravasating, the vessels.

The liver has the functions of smoothing and regulating the flow of vital energy and blood, and storing the blood. It can regulate the rate of the flow of the blood within the vessels according to the different physiological needs of activity or calmness, causing the circulation of blood to be kept at a constant level. When the function of any one of the organs mentioned above is in disorder, the abnormal circulation of blood will occur. For example, a deficiency of the Qi (vital energy) of the heart and lung may lead to the stagnation of the blood of the heart; a deficiency of the Qi of the spleen impairs the spleen's function of keeping the blood flowing within the vessels, causes the blood to extravasate and leads to various kinds of hemorrhage. That the liver can't serve to regulate the activity of vital energy and blood may cause their stagnation.

Also, whether the vessels are free or not exerts a direct influence on the circulation of blood, as does a change in the temperature of blood.

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