Liver:
Wood-energy yin organ
The liver is called the
'General' or 'Chief of Staff' and is responsible for filtering, detoxifying,
nourishing, replenishing, and storing blood. The liver stores large amounts of
sugar in the form of glycogen, which it releases into the blood stream as
glucose whenever the body requires extra infusions of metabolic energy. The
liver receives all amino acids extracted from food by the small intestine and
recombines them to synthesize the various forms of protein required for growth
and repair of bodily tissues.
The liver controls the
peripheral nervous system, which regulates muscular activity and tension. The
inability to relax is often caused by liver dysfunction or imbalance in Wood
energy. Liver energy also controls ligaments and tendons, which together with
muscles regulate motor activity and determine physical coordination. Liver
function is reflected externally in the condition of finger- and toenails and by
the eyes and vision. Blurry vision is often a result of liver malfunction
rather than an eye problem, and even Western medicine recognizes the symptomatic
yellow eyes of liver jaundice.
Through its association
with Wood energy, the liver governs growth and development, drive and desires,
ambitions and creativity. Obstruction of liver energy can cause intense
feelings of frustration, rage, and anger, and these emotions in turn further
disrupt liver energy and suppress liver function, in a vicious self-destructive
cycle.
Liver
|
| Paired Organ |
Gallbladder |
| Color |
deep green |
| Peak Hours |
1am-3am |
| Physical Branches |
eyes, tendons, tears, nails |
| Functions |
stores the blood, governs the free flow of qi |
Liver: Psycho-Emotional Aspects
The Liver is responsible for planning and creativity, as
well as instantaneous solutions or sudden insights; it is therefore considered
The General in Charge of Strategy. The Liver houses the body's Hun and governs
fright. Its positive psycho-emotional attributes are kindness,
benevolence, compassion, and generosity; its negative attributes are anger,
irritability, frustration, resentment, jealousy, rage, and depression. The
Liver is also called the "root of resistance to fatigue." Whenever the Liver is
not functioning properly (stagnate or excessively Hot due to suppressed
emotions) the patient can experience fatigue as well as physical weakness.
The Liver Channel Pathway, Acupuncture Points, and Internal
Trajectories
Beginning by the inside of the big toenail, the liver channel crosses the top
of the foot, passes in front of the inside ankle and up the inner aspect of the
leg through SP-6 close behind the edge of the bone. It continues past the knee
along the inner thigh to the groin and pubic region, where it circulates the
external genitals. It connects with the conception vessel in the lower abdomen
and continues up around the stomach to enter both the liver and gallbladder.
Connecting with two surface points on the ribs, the channel then dips into the
ribcage, runs up through the throat, opening to the eye, and ends at the crown
of the head where it connects with the governing vessel. A branch circles the
mouth. From within the liver, another internal branch reaches the lungs, and
this restarts the cycle of qi.
Internal Trajectories of the Liver
Meridian
The liver meridian rises up the medial sides of the legs
from the big toes.
[It then] comes into the yin
organs [sexual organs] and circles around the yin organs. Then it passes
through the small abdomen; then up to and surrounding the stomach; then it
permeates the liver. and spirally wraps the gallbladder. It comes up and passes
through the diaphragm, up the sides of the ribs, up behind the trachea, to
behind the throat. Then it rises up the cheeks, comes into the eyes, passes up
the forehead and meets the du mai at the top of the head. . . . A branch
separates from the liver, passes up through the diaphragm and goes to the lungs.
In this case, "the inside of the chest" is seen as the sides of the
chest, around PC-1. In general, we should be aware that the inside of the chest
has a wider meaning which depends on context. It can be inside the chest,
CV-17, the sides of the chest, as well as some other less common referents. In
coming down through the diaphragm it probably passes through the esophagus and
then the stomach, before it passes to and spirally wraps the liver. After this,
it permeates the gallbladder. In circling around on the inside of the lining of
the ribs and the sides of the body it passes out to LV-13, and then to ST-30.
After circling around the sexual organs it
passes into the small abdomen, the kidney reflex area, and an area below the
umbilicus described by or including CV-2, CV-3, CV-4. Then it passes up to and
surrounds the stomach, permeates the liver, and spirally wraps the gallbladder.
When it passes up and out to the sides, it surfaces at LV-13 and re-enters
internally at LV-14.
The trajectory that passes up to and meets
the du mai (governing vessel) joins at GV-20. The branch passes up to the
lungs, then comes down to the middles warmer and "surrounds CV-12". Once at
CV-12, the cycle of the twelve meridians is ready to start again, as the lung
meridian has its origin at CV-12. This interpretation if the meridians
beginning at CV-12 and ending at CV-12 so that they make a complete circuit is
one that comes from the Shisi Jing Fa Hui.
The Ling Shu contains another very different
idea about the pathways of the liver meridian which also brings it back full
circle to the lung meridian. This interpretation is particularly interesting in
that the trajectory includes the du mai and passes up the abdomen to enter the
chest at ST-21.
The liver meridian passes up
to the liver. [From the liver] it passes up through to the lungs, rises up to
the throat, to the nasal pharynx, to the nose. A branch splits and rises to the
top of the forehead, to the top of the head. It then goes down around the spine
into the sacrum-coccyx; this is the du mai. [It passes inside and] spirally
wraps the yin organs. It passes up to the lining of the abdomen, enters at
ST-12, passes down into the lungs and comes out at tai yin [the lung meridian].
This trajectory is paralleled in complexity only by the kidney meridian,
and seems to be even more inclusive, as the du mai is seen as its branch. It is
seen to spirally wrap all the yin organs. It definitely provides an alternate
route by which the qi passes from the liver to the lung meridian to complete the
circuit. Whichever interpretation we accept, we can see that the internal
connections of the meridians play an important role in the circulation of the qi
through the twelve meridians, beginning at CV-12 and ending at CV-12, or
beginning and ending at the lung meridian ready to circle again.
According to the Chinese, the liver 'stores the blood' and is associated with
Wood energy, which is an upward moving force. This relates very much with
Western physiology, as just about all the veins of the gastrointestinal tract
flow into the liver via the Hepatic Portal vein. From there the blood
flows 'upwards' through the liver into the Inferior Vena Cava. Here's
a schematic of the Hepatic Portal system:
Information courtesy of http://www.lieske.com
