The ancient Chinese medical text Shang Han Lun provides an interesting insight about Yang ming disease through a simple question and answer. When asked why someone’s aversion to cold spontaneously stops, the text explains that this happens because Yang ming resides in the center of the body and governs earth. It notes that all things converge here and go no further, which is why the initial aversion to cold will naturally stop after two days in Yang ming disease.
184 Question: Why does aversion to cold cease spontaneously? Answer: Yang ming resides in the center and governs earth. All things converge here and nothing passes further. Although at the beginning there is aversion to cold in two days it will spontaneously cease, indicating yang ming disease.
To understand this better, we should look at what Yang ming actually is in the body. It represents what Chinese medicine calls the “hollow realm” – essentially the body’s main passageways and organs including the lungs, stomach, intestines, bladder, and uterus. The stomach system is particularly important in this hollow realm, as it forms the main pathway through our bodies.
Yang ming has a special relationship with Earth in Chinese medicine. While it’s physically located in what’s called the middle burner of the body, its influence extends much further. The stomach and spleen are the main organs associated with Earth, and they work together like a pivot – the stomach’s energy moves downward while the spleen’s energy moves upward.
When Chinese medicine talks about Earth in this context, it means more than just these organs. Earth represents our entire physical body, especially its ability to grow, nourish itself, and contain energy (Qi). Yang ming plays a crucial role by helping bring Yang energy into the body’s Yin areas, which is necessary for producing energy and maintaining circulation. It also helps ensure that Yang energy properly settles down at night.
Yang ming is often described as the body’s “sea” because it’s where all the body’s vessels connect, like rivers flowing into an ocean. It acts as the final station before substances leave the body and manages how fluids are discharged. This role of Yang ming as both the center and Earth is just as important as the traditional connection between Earth and the spleen in Chinese medicine.
This explanation maintains all the key points but presents them in a more conversational, flowing style. Would you like me to clarify anything about these concepts?