TCM - Kidney (腎: shèn)

[Yasjua]

Here are some general principles and theoretical extrapolations I'm collecting about the Kidney in TCM:

 

• Kidney stores pre-natal essence and is replenished and supported by post-natal essence (derived from food and air). It is the foundation of the three treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen).
• Kidney assists in deep breathing. Shallow breathing is indicative of Kidney weakness. Strong kidneys should "grasp" Qi inhaled through the lungs, pulling it down into the lower Jiao (Lower Burner)

• Kidney's "grasping" function is evidenced in other ways. It holds in the head hair. It is related to memory (I assume this applies both to long-term memory and ancestral [epigenetic] memory).

• Kidneys open (flower) into the ears. I believe this means the Kidneys have a connection to the outside world through the ears. They "listen." Weak Kidney should theoretically result in difficulty listening to and retaining information. Kidneys should "grasp" sound and information through the ears and retain it. Strong Kidneys can retain information (memory) received auricularly.

• Kidneys are strongly affected by fear and shock. They control the opening-closing function of the urethra and anus. When people "nearly shit their pants," or have a strong urge to pee before an important event, this is fear affecting the Kidney's holding function.

• Kidneys are therefore associated also with trust, faith, the ability to rely on others, the ability to move with life, to survive, grow, and self-actualize.

• Spiritually, the Kidneys house the Zhi (Will-Power).

• Kidneys (and the bladder) are the organs of the Water element, which is black in color and associated with the Winter season. Winter is dark, desolate, perhaps scarce in resources. May represent the dark night of the soul - the necessary movement toward stillness and nothingness, and the associated fear, uncertainty, and indirection that can result.

• Kidneys produce marrow, which produces Blood.

• Kidneys should be protected, respected, and nurtured, as they pertain to growth, development, aging, and physical and psychological changes that depend on time.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Yasjua

[Andrei]

 

 

[gendao]

 

• Kidneys open (flower) into the ears. I believe this means the Kidneys have a connection to the outside world through the ears. They "listen." Weak Kidney should theoretically result in difficulty listening to and retaining information. Kidneys should "grasp" sound and information through the ears and retain it. Strong Kidneys can retain information (memory) received auricularly.
• Kidneys are strongly affected by fear and shock. They control the opening-closing function of the urethra and anus. When people "nearly shit their pants," or have a strong urge to pee before an important event, this is fear affecting the Kidney's holding function.

The ears, which faintly resemble the kidneys in shape, are thought to reflect the condition of kidney jing. Large ears and sharp hearing indicate an excellent condition of kidney jing.

Do you know if they control the opening-closing of all bodily sphincters, or just the urethra & anus?

 

Also, some say the right kidney is actually the mingmen, or it is on the diaphragm between the 2?  Any opinion on this?

Edited June 23, 2015 by gendao

[Yasjua]

Do you know if they control the opening-closing of all bodily sphincters, or just the urethra & anus?

As far as I know, they're specifically associated with the "anterior and posterior lower orifices" and pertain specifically to urination, ejaculation, menstruation, birthing, and shitting.

 

Also, some say the right kidney is actually the mingmen, or it is on the diaphragm between the 2?  Any opinion on this?

I don't think there's any consensus on this issue, even among masters. Apparently it's pretty widely debated in China. I like to think it's between the kidneys. I have no reason for that, but it just makes more sense to me.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Yasjua

[Aetherous]

Also, some say the right kidney is actually the mingmen, or it is on the diaphragm between the 2?  Any opinion on this?

 

Luckily I researched this subject recently, which can at least give us more info to work with to draw our own conclusions...

 

The mingmen being associated with the "right" anatomical kidney originated from the Nan Jing (which, being "difficult", is a questionable source of info in my personal opinion). In the commentary on the Nan Jing's 36th issue, it's debated whether it translated as "right", or "outer" (with left coinciding with "inner"). So perhaps it's not the right Kidney, but something "outer", related to the Kidney.

 

Later in the Ming dynasty, the mingmen was said to be between the two kidneys, which is probably how DU-4 came to be named "mingmen".

 

Prior to all of that, in the Nei Jing, it was associated with the eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, as we say...or the eyes are the gate of life, as the book said. In the Nei Jing, it's never mentioned that the gate of life is the right kidney, or between the kidneys...so for a person who only believes that classic text, all of those later ideas could potentially be discredited...the Nei Jing solely says that the eyes are the gate of life...and perhaps this is in their relation to the Bladder meridian (BL-1 being the inner upper corner of the eye).

 

The mingmen in the Nan Jing is said to be, "the place where spirit-essence lodges; it is the place to which original influences (prenatal jing qi shen) are tied. Hence, in males it stores the essence; in female it holds the womb."

 

The point DU-4 is related with releasing yuan qi to the rest of the body...this is the opposite of storing the jing. So I personally feel like mingmen is not between the two anatomical Kidneys, if we're solely talking about it being an acupuncture point. It was a later idea, and it is the opposite of its stated function in the Nan Jing (if we are to believe the Nan Jing's ideas on what mingmen is, in this case...I personally do, since lifespan can be said to be determined by one's jing).

 

The Nan Jing's idea of it being the "right" or "outer" Kidney...to tie this in with the Nei Jing saying that the eyes are the gate of life, perhaps it's referring to the "outer" Bladder line at the level of the Kidney...specifically BL-52, named "zhi shi".

 

If we're considering that the spirit-essence of the Kidney is associated with the mingmen...well, the Kidney's spirit is zhi (will). BL-52 is named after that, and treats the zhi according to some acupuncturists. The point actions say that it benefits the jing, unlike DU-4. It's the "outer" Kidney shu point. Both BL-52, and DU-4, have the alternative name "jinggong" or "palace of essence". Furthermore, the French acupuncturist, Jean-Marc Kespi, specifically uses the outer bladder shu points to tonify the essence of their respective organs.

 

So perhaps the "mingmen" is BL-52, if we are to identify it with an acupuncture point. This is solely my idea, as far as I know.

 

..........Or perhaps the original idea in the Nei Jing was that the "gate of life" had a lot to do with the Heart's shen or maybe even ling, as expressed through the eyes, which in communication with the Kidney, related to the lifespan and the storage of jing. A person with healthy shen has that light in their eyes, which is associated with youth...whereas dullness is associated with decline and death or a disturbed shen.

 

We can only make educated guesses here...unless we belong to some Daoist lineage that has teachings on this which are coherent with the medicine.

[SecretGrotto]

Kidney jing encompasses both kidney yin and kidney yang, often referred to as the body's original yin and original yang.

 

Kidney qi is produced by the dynamic interaction between the two, specifically the action of functional/warming kidney yang steaming the material kidney yin.

 

Kidney yin is the source of all material body fluids, in charge of nourishing and moistening all organ networks.

 

Kidney yang, sometimes also called true yang, is the source of all types of yang qi. It is the driving force behind all processes of warming, generation, and transformation. The yin and yang aspects of the kidney both rely on each other and control each other. The proper balance between kidney yin and kidney yang is an important precondition for health.

 

As an ageing male I have recently focused a lot on boosting the kidneys as follows: Jing -> Yin + Yang -> Grasp Qi -> Store Qi

 

1) Replenish jing and yin jing with Goji.

2) Replenish yang jing with Cinnamon.

3) Balance yin and yang with He Shou Wu.

4) Grasp and retain qi with Walnut.

5) Store qi with Schizandra.

 

Dean Rehmannia says that available Qi protects the Jing, so I understand it as Qi being a more readily used form of energy. Schizandra is an astringent so it helps to store the Qi that is produced through the interaction of Yin and Yang, after Walnut grasped the Qi that arose from the sufficient Yin and Yang bolstered by Goji and Cinnamon and brought into balance by He Shou Wu.

 

Using the Walnut produces a very distinct sensation, which is different from the sensation of Yin and Yang replenishing. Walnut grasps the Qi and it causes an unusual warmth just beneath the surface of the skin. On the scalp it feels like it is feeding the hair follicles and circulating through the brain.

 

Taking Cinnamon to replenish Kidney Yang feels like a more usual type of heat, like you are just hot. The feeling from Qi is different, since it's heat is more calm and healing.

[gendao]

Luckily I researched this subject recently, which can at least give us more info to work with to draw our own conclusions...

 

The mingmen being associated with the "right" anatomical kidney originated from the Nan Jing (which, being "difficult", is a questionable source of info in my personal opinion). In the commentary on the Nan Jing's 36th issue, it's debated whether it translated as "right", or "outer" (with left coinciding with "inner"). So perhaps it's not the right Kidney, but something "outer", related to the Kidney.

 

Later in the Ming dynasty, the mingmen was said to be between the two kidneys, which is probably how DU-4 came to be named "mingmen".

 

Prior to all of that, in the Nei Jing, it was associated with the eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, as we say...or the eyes are the gate of life, as the book said. In the Nei Jing, it's never mentioned that the gate of life is the right kidney, or between the kidneys...so for a person who only believes that classic text, all of those later ideas could potentially be discredited...the Nei Jing solely says that the eyes are the gate of life...and perhaps this is in their relation to the Bladder meridian (BL-1 being the inner upper corner of the eye).

 

The mingmen in the Nan Jing is said to be, "the place where spirit-essence lodges; it is the place to which original influences (prenatal jing qi shen) are tied. Hence, in males it stores the essence; in female it holds the womb."

 

The point DU-4 is related with releasing yuan qi to the rest of the body...this is the opposite of storing the jing. So I personally feel like mingmen is not between the two anatomical Kidneys, if we're solely talking about it being an acupuncture point. It was a later idea, and it is the opposite of its stated function in the Nan Jing (if we are to believe the Nan Jing's ideas on what mingmen is, in this case...I personally do, since lifespan can be said to be determined by one's jing).

 

The Nan Jing's idea of it being the "right" or "outer" Kidney...to tie this in with the Nei Jing saying that the eyes are the gate of life, perhaps it's referring to the "outer" Bladder line at the level of the Kidney...specifically BL-52, named "zhi shi".

 

If we're considering that the spirit-essence of the Kidney is associated with the mingmen...well, the Kidney's spirit is zhi (will). BL-52 is named after that, and treats the zhi according to some acupuncturists. The point actions say that it benefits the jing, unlike DU-4. It's the "outer" Kidney shu point. Both BL-52, and DU-4, have the alternative name "jinggong" or "palace of essence". Furthermore, the French acupuncturist, Jean-Marc Kespi, specifically uses the outer bladder shu points to tonify the essence of their respective organs.

 

So perhaps the "mingmen" is BL-52, if we are to identify it with an acupuncture point. This is solely my idea, as far as I know.

 

..........Or perhaps the original idea in the Nei Jing was that the "gate of life" had a lot to do with the Heart's shen or maybe even ling, as expressed through the eyes, which in communication with the Kidney, related to the lifespan and the storage of jing. A person with healthy shen has that light in their eyes, which is associated with youth...whereas dullness is associated with decline and death or a disturbed shen.

 

We can only make educated guesses here...unless we belong to some Daoist lineage that has teachings on this which are coherent with the medicine.

Well, this is awfully confusing now!  So, the mingmen could conceivably be:

1) Right kidney

2) "Outer" kidney (testicles?)

3) DU4

4) Eyes (not ears, like kidneys "open" from now?)

5) BL52

[Yasjua]

That's a great picture of the BL meridian. Where is it from?

[Aetherous]

Well, this is awfully confusing now!  So, the mingmen could conceivably be:

1) Right kidney

2) "Outer" kidney (testicles?)

3) DU4

4) Eyes (not ears, like kidneys "open" from now?)

5) BL52

 

That's Chinese Medicine for you...people saying different things over the years. It's up to the practitioner to know the historical context, to separate the "wheat from the chaff" or basically know what's most true and what isn't, and apply it in a clinically useful context (the most important part, since it is medicine and not just philosophy). If mingmen is just part of the theory that's learned and not something that the practitioner directly treats, then it really doesn't matter where or what it is...it would just be trivia. But if the practitioner seeks to treat the gate of life, seeks to alter the ming for a longer life, or in other words wants to boost the kidney jing directly, then they should really know the subject...otherwise they might be doing the opposite of what they intend - for instance by using DU-4 to increase jing, they might actually be spending the jing without realizing it.

 

An additional way to tell whether the chosen strategy is working (this isn't from clinical experience but just educated guessing)...the pulse position at KID-3 on the inner ankle should be the same strength as the other pulses as a result of treatment, not weaker, and the tongue near the back should be flat across instead of having a dip. There are also other signs which may take longer to notice, such as the ears becoming larger instead of smaller (who knows if that would even change). This is in addition to any pattern or pathomechanism signs and symptoms that indicate a problem with the kidney. Just my opinion.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Aetherous