All About the TCM Spleen

I have a love/hate relationship with the TCM Spleen system. I love damp foods! But I also need my Spleen to be functioning optimally for teaching, focusing on my patients, exercising, and to keep things from going down. At my age, believe me, things ARE starting to get affected by gravity!

You’ll find everything you wanted to know about the TCM Spleen, right below.
Enjoy 🙂

Keep Rocking it using TCM!

Clara
TCM Geek

PS: you may also check out All About the TCM Liver, All About the TCM Kidneys, All About the TCM Heart and All About the TCM Lung

If you enjoy my graphics, check out my illustrated guide for acupuncture points here.

 

The Spleen System in Chinese Medicine: functions and causes of imbalances.

Spleen Functions in Chinese Medicine

 

TCM Spleen Functions

Spleen Function in TCM


The 5 Element Theory: Earth

5 elements Earth


TCM Spleen Patterns
 Spleen TCM Patterns for diagnosis


TCM Spleen Food Cures

TCM Spleen food cures


Soft and easy to digest food
(mostly cooked), combined with ST 36, SP 3, SP 6 and REN 6 should boost Sp Qi and restore balance.

Sp Qi deficiency

When extreme fatigue is due to Sp Qi def., the basic TCM treatments are Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (with Astragalus – Huang Qi to help boost and raise Qi).

Additionally, the following acupuncture points: St 36, Sp 6, Ren 6 and Du 20 (needled with the meridian to lift Qi).

Sp Qi Sinking

 

The TCM Spleen Emotions: Worry and Over Thinking

Worry overthinking Spleen

 

The Spleen Meridian & Its Most Used Points in Clinical Practice. #AcupunctureRocks!

 

Some of the commonly used Spleen Acupuncture Points

SP 3 being a Yuan Source Point makes it the perfect acupuncture point to help the Transformation and Transportation function of the spleen in TCM.

Great for malabsorption of nutrients, bloating, Stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and feeling sluggish.

 

Sp 4 is amazing to address any TCM blood issues, since it’s the Confluent point of the Chong meridian (Called the Sea of Blood).

 

SP 5 is a great point to treat SP Qi deficiency with Dampness such as diarrhea, fatigue, and abdominal distension. It also calms the mind and helps with speech disorders, and stiffness of the tongue post stroke.

SP 5 acupuncture point

SP 6: the Jack of all trades acupuncture point!

Because it crosses the Spleen, Kidney and Liver meridians, it can treat many conditions associated with all three organs.
– Digestive disorders: diarrhea, bloating…
– Organ prolapse.
– Menstrual issues (irregular, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding).
– Difficult labor.
– Insomnia and anxiety.
– Dizziness, hypertension.
Note: it is contraindicated during pregnancy until the last stage.

Spleen 6


SP 9 rocks when it comes to too much dampness!

Great for any swelling in the body, cysts, bloating, nausea, loose stools or diarrhea, runny nose, or sinusitis. And of course, avoiding diet high in sweets, dairy and greasy foods can also reduce dampness.

Spleen 9


SP 10 (The Sea of Blood!) is fantastic for all issues due to Heat in the Blood!

Invigorates and moves the Blood, cools the Blood, benefits the skin (for rashes, eczema and allergic reaction, with red and hot symptoms), regulates menstruation for dysmenorrhea, metrorrhagia and irregular periods, and benefits the Lower Jiao (bladder infections, genital outbreaks).

SP 21: The major Luo connecting Point.

Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia. Needling the tender points, and adding SP 21 which is the best point for muscle soreness all over, will result in a great outcome.

Sp 21


 

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Written by : AcuPro Academy (Clara)

34 Comments

  1. Liliana Restrepo August 27, 2015 at 10:17 am - Reply

    Thank you so much as a student of TCM I enjoy all the information that you post, I would like to know if you have something about chinese herbs.
    Thank you for your wonderful job

    • AcuPro August 27, 2015 at 11:08 am - Reply

      Glad you’re enjoying my posts Liliana!
      I have tons of things on Chinese herbs and formulas. Let me know what exactly you’d like to see 🙂
      It seems on my Facebook page, when I post herbal content, it doesn’t get a great response, so I don’t do much of it…But I’m open to do more!

    • Arvid November 16, 2020 at 2:47 pm - Reply

      Such and EXCELLENT reference

  2. Dr Gurudatta August 27, 2015 at 8:32 pm - Reply

    Hi Clara,
    I always look forward for all your inputs about TCM. Amazingly explained and easy to understand. Please keep more and more such inputs coming…..

  3. Dr Gurudatta August 27, 2015 at 8:39 pm - Reply

    Hi Clara,
    Could we get the same info in the form of PDF for further reading?
    With best wishes,

    • AcuPro August 28, 2015 at 2:16 pm - Reply

      I’ll try my best, super busy lately 🙂

  4. George September 1, 2015 at 3:35 am - Reply

    Very very useful material. With this kind of pictures, videos and explanation, learning is easy. When we will have the rest of meridians ?

  5. Monika September 10, 2015 at 8:12 am - Reply

    Thank you for the clear and engaging videos!

    • AcuPro September 13, 2015 at 12:28 pm - Reply

      You’re welcome Monika. Glad you like them 🙂

  6. Felicia October 4, 2015 at 5:49 am - Reply

    Thank you for being so generous to share your passion and knowledge of TCM. Your web site is such a good clear resource 🙂
    TCM does rock!!!

    • AcuPro October 4, 2015 at 11:26 am - Reply

      Thanks Felicia, your words made my day! 🙂

  7. Hema March 31, 2016 at 11:50 pm - Reply

    Hi Clara,
    New to your website and fairly new to TCM
    Love your clear illustration and videos too, seems easy enough to follow.
    Though I still haven’t managed to get my head around TCM and its function…. Online learning, is it time restricted as I have a full on life and time I can try n make but not make deadline date if it has ‘time out’ restrictions to learning topics.
    Please advice.

    • AcuPro April 1, 2016 at 10:15 am - Reply

      So glad to hear Hema 🙂
      NO time restriction, you have all the time in the world, my courses, videos, posts all stay up for everyone to enjoy, FORVER 🙂

  8. Brian Beck April 14, 2016 at 1:35 am - Reply

    I’m getting treatment for a systemic Candida infection. I seem to have the Candida under control with Diet and Naturalpath medicine. I am know treating the digestion and leg and arm joint pain and muscle stiffness with chinese herbs and acupunture…..The process appears to be going very slow; I had about 10 treatments and have been taking herbs for about a month now and my thighs and knees hurt and remain quite stiff…My IT band, on both sides are very tight. I was told that my Liver, stomache and spleen are stagnant in chi. I also have been taking probiotics for the last 6 months. How long should it take to recover ? How long should it take with the herbs and acupunture to see results? I don’t want to give up on my acupunturist, but he seems to be taking his sweet time, in getting me better.I am spending $140.00 a week on herbs and acupunture and spent about $3,000 on me Naturalpath treatments. Any advise would be helpful. Thanks, Brian Beck.

  9. Lien September 29, 2017 at 9:28 am - Reply

    thank you very much, this lesson is very good. But my opinion that has a mistake about image acupoint SP9 (location in this picture is SI8 XiaoHai)

    • Lien September 29, 2017 at 9:33 am - Reply

      I’m sorry, mistake about image acupoint SP10 (location in this picture is SI8 XiaoHai) not SP9 (comment above)

      • AcuPro October 3, 2017 at 9:20 am - Reply

        Hi Lien,

        I can see how the picture looks a little like an arm and elbow, but it is a picture of a leg and knee, so the point is SP 10 🙂

  10. Dr.shital patil April 24, 2018 at 3:31 am - Reply

    Very useful and easy to learn

  11. Chris McAlister August 18, 2018 at 3:36 am - Reply

    I would like to see more on the deeper, Blood nourishing functions of Sp 10: Sea of Blood. It does a lot more than your sketch would seem to indicate. I’m thinking of its connexions with the Chong Mai – the Sea of Blood…!

    • AcuPro August 24, 2018 at 4:23 pm - Reply

      Hi Chris,
      Thanks for your feedback 🙂
      My aim with this site is to make Chinese medicine and acupuncture simple and easy to grasp, for students and new practitioners, not go in depth.
      Cheers!
      Clara

  12. Susanne March 5, 2020 at 6:51 pm - Reply

    Absolutely wonderful how you explain all the details. Your site is a precious gift. Thank you much. I just read about herbs not being in great demand in a comment. I am definitely interested in that as well. I just found you through your FB page. I am a Herbalist. Not professional, just a private student (self taught) for well over 40 years now, of all things healing. The great part is, that this journey will never be done. Thank you for all you share. I very much appreciate it. I also would not mind a litte more depth as Chris McAlister has requested. You have covered more that most I have encountered in books and websites, some things one has to dig for to find. The whole presents a different connection than parts on their own. That’s what makes you site so special 😉 I won’t be in any school for this, but still have “the need to know” lol Thanks

    • AcuPro March 9, 2020 at 9:31 am - Reply

      Thanks for your great insight and feedback Susanne 🙂
      I will take it all in consideration moving forward.

  13. Meche July 16, 2020 at 4:51 am - Reply

    The simplicity of you teaching and the illustrations is amazing, thanks a lot

  14. Danny January 31, 2021 at 1:14 pm - Reply

    Wow your site is amazing, thank you so much! I’m sorry that you have to navigate such demanding voices in addition to all you’re already doing. Hopefully you’re able to laugh about it, most days at least. ?

    • AcuPro February 4, 2021 at 1:33 pm - Reply

      Hahaha I always laugh about it 🙂
      Thank you for your great feedback!

  15. Heena Mandot February 9, 2021 at 3:01 am - Reply

    Wow thank you so much

    • AcuPro February 10, 2021 at 3:25 pm - Reply

      you’re so welcome 🙂

  16. Shruthi S126 January 23, 2023 at 12:22 am - Reply

    This is amazing. You have compiled it so neatly. For evey point you have even given image. Thanks a ton!!

  17. John mydeen May 12, 2024 at 9:51 pm - Reply

    Useful information for beginners like me

    • Melissa (Clara's Rock Star Assistant) May 13, 2024 at 11:08 am - Reply

      That’s the goal!🌟

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