Wu Xing (Medical System)

The application of the five elements theory in medicine is the central pillar of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which crystallized in its classical form by the Han Dynasty (2nd c. BCE – 2nd c. CE).

The principal source. "Huangdi Neijing" ("Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine") describes correspondences between the five elements and organs, emotions, seasons, colors, sounds, and flavors.

Elements and Organ Pairs

• Wood → liver and gallbladder
• Fire → heart and small intestine (plus the pericardium and triple burner)
• Earth → spleen/pancreas and stomach
• Metal → lungs and large intestine
• Water → kidneys and urinary bladder

Elements and Emotions

• Wood — anger
• Fire — joy
• Earth — worry
• Metal — grief
• Water — fear

Symptoms on two levels. An excess or deficiency of an element manifests in both organic and emotional symptoms.

Four Methods of Diagnosis

• Inspection — complexion, tongue, eyes
• Inquiry — complaints, preferences, emotions
• Auscultation — voice, breathing
• Palpation — pulse

The highest art — pulse diagnosis. On both wrists, at three positions and two pressure levels, twelve "positions" are palpated corresponding to twelve organ systems.

Treatment

Restoring balance. Treatment aims at restoring balance through:

• Acupuncture
• Herbal medicine
• Qigong
• Tuina massage
• Diet

Place in Errarium

Independent method alongside calendrical. In Errarium, the medical application of Wu Xing is treated as an independent method (#25) alongside the calendrical (#24).

Kinship with Ayurveda. The closest analogue is the Ayurvedic dosha system (#19): both work with bioenergetic principles and balance as the foundation of health, both integrate physiology, psychology, and lifestyle.

The key difference. In the set of elements (three doshas versus five elements) and in the interpretive framework.