This video course is all on the 5 Element Theory in Chinese medicine (my all time favourite TCM theory!!)
I’ve been teaching TCM to future acupuncture professionals since 2008 and absolutely love it! Today, my goal is to expand my reach to TCM Rock Stars (yep, that’s you!) all over the world. For that reason, I want to make Chinese medicine easy to grasp and fun to learn. Enjoy!
Keep rocking using TCM,
Clara
TCM Geek
PS: If you want more, check out these other Chinese medicine foundation made easy lessons: The Zang-Fu Organs, The Yin Yang Theory, and The 4 Vital Substances.
The 5 Elements Theory – Chinese Medicine Made Easy
All the graphics from this video are from my book “Chinese Medicine Made Easy” Have you gotten your copy yet?
Wood (Mu), Fire (Huo), Earth (Tu), Metal (Jin), Water (Shui)
In TCM, the 5 elements are used to explain the properties of the organs, their mutual relationship and pathological changes.
As a whole, there are five natural substances we cannot do without: food depends on water & fire, production relies on metal & wood, and earth gives birth to everything.
The basic qualities of the 5 elements
- Wood can bend & straitened
- Fire flares upwards
- Earth permits growth
- Metal can be molded and harden
- Water moisten and travel downward
The Inter-Relationship of the 5 Elements
- Generating: mother & son (wood needs water to grow, so water generates wood or water is the mother of wood)
- Controlling: to ensure balance (Water controls fire)
- Over-acting: balance breaks and disease occurs (Too much fire and Metal would just crumble)
- Insulting: balance breaks in reverse from the over-acting sequence. Essentially, if there was too much Water and Earth would flood.
TCM Treatments with the 5 Elements Theory
- The Cosmological Sequence: this one is less seen in Chinese medicine books, but so useful in clinical practice. Earth is in the centre of all the other elements and dictate the health of Metal, Wood, Fire and Water. The digestive system is physically at the centre of our body!
- Tonifying the mother in case of deficiency of Son (providing water for the growth of wood)
- Reducing the mother in case of Son excess (Stopping from adding wood to the fire)
Love your work.I am 1st year student in Australia.Its been a fun way to review for exams,, Thank You Maria
So glad Maria!
xo form Canada
Clara
Thank you very much, very good explanation of 5 element theory!
So glad you like it Kristina ?
Thank you for a comprehensive tutorial! I like how it stimulates both visual and auditive learning along with the practical examples, so it’s not “just” theory 😀
Regarding the Earth element’s tissue: Muscle. How is “muscle” to be interpreted in this context?
I’ve learned that Wood is in charge of muscles and tendons and Earth affects connective tissue and fat tissue.
There do the muscles fit in, and what’s the context?
Glad you like it Thomas 🙂
Love you Clara for such a wonderful and simplest explanation… Thank you so much
My pleasure Jyoti 🙂
Excellent visuals and passionate presentation; the information was presented in an easily digestible manner and it was a pleasure to watch : )
I quite enjoy this site and will continue to delve in : )
Thanks Joshua! YOU Rock 🙂
These are all so great! I recently finished your Fertility Course and am now enjoyed all of your other videos that I can find. Thank you for all that you do to help us be the best practitioners we can be. <3
So Happy to hear that Kristin! You rock 🙂
Thank you for sharing these, I am trying to learn TCM and this is really useful 🙂
Perfect 🙂
Thank you Clara. This was such a fantastic class! And your table at the end was just the best! Now things make so much more sense! Thank you!
My pleasure Paula! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Dear Clara,
I am not able to open your digital book link. Through FB or website. May you please provide any other website link like amazan or any.
With love.
Jeyapandi S.
Tamilnadu,
India
Once you buy it, you can download it 🙂
Here’s the link: https://acupro-academy.mykajabi.com/acupoints-made-easy-digital-book
It is the easiest and simplest explanation of 5 element theory. I have just enrolled in Acupressure and it helps me getting in details of 5 element theory. Thank you Clara
Happy you’re benefiting from my online teaching 🙂
Very fantastic class. You made it sound easy and made it understand easy. Loved the way you teach. Thanks a lot for such an informative and interesting class.
Thank you Maryam, you made my day 🙂
Une explication simple complète et concret.je suis ravi Mme le PROF. J’aimerai cependant ma video en francais facile.
I just started learning TCM… its my first week..
and Im lucky & blessed that I landed on this page.
The 5 element theory video is awesome.
You are a super teacher
God Bless.. I am going to lookout for your new videos 🙂
So happy you’re benefitting from my online teaching Mark 🙂
Keep rooking it with your TCM studies!