In Traditional Chinese medicine, achieving balance in the mind, body and spirit can be attained by honouring the earth’s five elements. The five elements theory relates to the relationship between wood, fire, earth, metal, and water and the life force, or "qi," that flows through them. Every person is a blend of all of these five elements, and in order to be truly healthy, they need to be balanced and in harmony.
FIRE
Organs: Heart/Small Intestine
Sense: Tongue
Tissue: Vessel
Emotion: Joy
Season: Summer
Environment: Heat
Growth & Development: Growth
Colour: Red
Taste: Bitter
Direction: South
Element: Yang
Out of balance: they can get anxious and suffer from insomnia and palpitations, hypertension and heart problems. They’re prone to overheating and can suffer acne, mouth sores and skin rashes.
EARTH
Organs: Spleen/ Stomach
Sense: Mouth
Tissue: Muscle
Emotion: Overthinking
Season: Late Summer
Environment: Dampness
Growth & Development: Transformation
Colour: Yellow
Taste: Sweet
Direction: Middle
Out of balance: their thoughts can become obsessive and intrusive and can cause excessive unnecessarily. They may have digestive problems, loose stools, fatigue, food allergies & sensitivities, heartburn, mouth ulcers, gas & bloating crave carbohydrates and put on weight easily.
METAL
Organs: Lung/ Large intestine
Sense: Nose
Tissue: Skin & Hair
Emotion: Grief
Season: Autum
Environment: Dryness
Growth & Development: Reaping
Colour: White
Taste: Pungent
Direction: West
Out of balance: may be overly critical and have trouble letting go. They may have asthma, allergies or frequent colds, rashes, eczema, problems with sweating, chronic constipation or diarrhea, or other bowel diseases.
WATER
Organs: Kidney/ Bladder
Sense: Ear
Tissue: Bone
Emotion: Fear
Season: Winter
Environment: Cold
Growth & Development: Storing
Colour: Black
Taste: Salty
Direction: North
Out of balance: Prone to urinary tract infections and water metabolism issues leading to swelling, edema, plus sore joints and back problems. They may also have diminished hearing or ringing in the ears, hot flashes, night sweats, dry skin and mucous membranes or cold extremities, cold back and belly, declining sexual vigor, urinary frequency or incontinence. They can also be fearful, timid, and indecisive.
WOOD
Organs: Liver/Gallbladder
Sense: Eyes
Tissue: Tendons
Emotion: Anger
Season: Spring
Environment: Wind
Growth & Development: Germination
Colour: Blue
Taste: Sour
Direction: East
Out of balance: Can be irritable, frustrated, and impatient and suffer from PMS, high blood pressure, tight muscles, headaches, bloating, gas, alternating constipation and diarrhea.
Generating and Controlling Cycles of the Five Elements
The five elements are constantly moving and changing, like every living thing, they can either be generated or controlled, below you will find the controlling and generating cycle of the five element. These cycles are necessary to keep the body balanced and in harmony. This also shows us, if one element is too in excess it can cause an imbalance in the body and control/ restrict other elements/organs.
Generating:
Wood to Fire: branches can create fire
Fire to Earth: burnt ashes becomes earth
Earth to Metal: metal ores are formed inside the earth
Metal to Water: melted metal will be liquid
Water to Wood: water nourishes wooden plant
Controlling:
Metal controls Wood: metal tools can cut off plants
Wood controls Earth: roots of trees grow inside of the earth and prevent soil erosion
Earth controls Water: dykes and dams can stop the flood
Water controls Fire: water can put out a fire
Fire controls Metal: fire melts metal into liquid
Harmonising the five elements brings wellbeing and health. This is because harmonising each element means taking a look at your emotional wellbeing, your physical wellbeing and decision and choices being made..
Tip for balancing the five elements:
Bodywork such as acupuncture, massage, lymphatic drainage, dry brushing etc
Eat foods that are grown locally and in season
Stay hydrated, with good quality water
Avoid excess alcohol, dairy, gluten, spicy, greasy, sugary, fatty and processed foods
Move your body - yoga, walking, dancing, qi gong etc
Meditation & breathwork
Get in nature and ground yourself daily
Allow yourself to feel and move through your emotions