Six Fu Organs in TCM

The Stomach

The stomach is responsible for receiving and digesting food and water. It is therefore called “the sea of food and water”. Only a membrane separates the stomach and the spleen. The spleen rules the ascent of the clear while the stomach controls the descent of the turbid, actions which restrict and assist each other.

The Gallbladder

The physiological function of the gallbladder is to store and excrete bile. The gallbladder, with the free flowing and the dispersing functions of the liver, sends the bile downward into the intestines to participate in the process of digestion.

The Small Intestine

The small intestine digests water and grain and separates the pure from the turbid. As a result, essential nutrition circulates throughout the body via spleen; the turbid waste goes on to the large intestine while the liquid finds its way to the bladder.

The Large Intestine

While absorbing water from the waste, the large intestine continues to move food waste downward. Indigestible substances become feces and are eliminated. The activities of the large intestine are accomplished by the propelling function of large intestine qi.

The Bladder

The turbid part of water in the body is transformed into urine by the qi-transforming function of the kidney and transported down into the bladder to be discharged out of the body.

The Triple Energizer

The triple energizer is composed of three parts, i.e., the upper energizer, middle energizer and lower energizer. As a special fu organ, the triple energizer serves to divide the internal organs in the chest and abdomen, and generalizes certain functional systems of the body. The Huang Di Nei Jing used three similes to depict the physiological functions of the triple energizer in the light of its position: the upper energizer is like fog, which describes the functions of the heart and the lung to distribute essence; the middle energizer is like an extended soak, which describes the digestion and absorption of food by the spleen and the stomach; the lower energizer is like a sewer, which describes the functions of the kidney and the bladder that move the turbid liquid downward and discharge it out of the body.

It can be seen that while the zang and fu organs fall into their own categories and play different roles, they can by no means be separated in terms of functions, and are at all times mutually supportive. In the places where fu organs’ influence reaches, they find a ready echo in the zang organs, providing the body with a desirable and congenial environment.

胃

胃有“水谷之海”的美誉。因为它能受纳腐熟，消化水谷。胃脾以膜相连，脾主升清，胃主降浊，两者互助互制，称为升降相因。

胆

胆的生理功能是贮存胆汁和排泄胆汁。胆在肝气疏泄的作用下，将胆汁排泄入小肠，参与消化。

小肠

小肠有消化水谷和分别清浊的能力。小肠接受胃中的腐熟水谷，分清泌浊，将有营养的精微物质通过脾输布全身，并将消化后的糟粕，传至大肠，水液下输膀胱。

大肠

大肠继续将糟粕向下传送，在此运行过程中，又吸收其中的部分水分，形成粪便排出体外。大肠的传导作用是依赖大肠之气的推动而实现的。

膀胱

人体的水液通过肾的气化作用，其浊者形成尿液，下输膀胱以暂时贮留，然后排出体外。

三焦

三焦可分为上焦、中焦、下焦三部。三焦是一个特殊的腑，它既是对人体胸腹部位及其所藏脏腑器官的划分，又是对人体某些功能系统的概括。《黄帝内经》结合三焦的部位，把三焦的生理功能归纳为三句话：上焦如雾，是以“雾”的弥漫状态来形容心肺宣发输布精气的功能；中焦如沤，“沤”为“浸渍”之意，是以“沤”来形容脾胃等对饮食物的消化吸收状态；下焦如渎，“渎”者，“水道”也，是以“渎”来形容肾与膀胱水浊不断地向下疏通、向外排泄的状态。

五脏六腑虽然属性有别，功能各异，但彼此之间又相互配合，紧密联系，“即脏腑相合，表里一气”，是不可分割的统一整体。所以凡五脏功能所及之处，六腑亦必然应之，这样就为人体正常活动提供了一个理想适宜的环境。■

《中医英语》

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