I. The Brain
Marrow combines to form the brain, which is contained in the cranial cavity. Chapter 10 in the Plain Questions states: "All marrow belong to the brain," and chapter 33 in the Spirit Pivot also states: "The brain is a sea of marrow. "
The brain is located in an important part of the human body. In the past, TCM was quite knowledgeable in the physiological and pathological aspects of the brain. The Internal Classic classifies the brain as the "extraordinary organ" and believed that the brain was related to mental activities, audio and visual senses, as well as certain functions of body movement. Therefore, the brain is and was considered to be of utmost importance, and the vital part of life. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen in his book the Compendium of Materia Medica pointed out: "The brain is the house of the primordial mind," explaining that the brain is the source of mentality, consciousness, thought and mental activities. Thus, Chapter 33 in the Spirit Pivot states: "If the sea of marrow is insufficient, there may be vertigo, tinnitus, aching in the neck, dizziness, visual blackouts and lethargy. " This suggests that the pathological changes of the audio and visual senses, as well as mental status, are in relation to the brain. In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Qingren,a medical doctor states in his book Correction on the Errors of Medical Works: "The spirit and memory are not stored in the heart, but in the brain," and "The two ears are linked to the brain, and sounds that the ears receive are transmitted to the brain, also it receives the images the eyes catch; the nose is linked to the brain, to which go sweet or foul odor. A one year old baby can say one or two words, because its brain has been
growing gradually. " This doctor attributed the functions of remembering, seeing, hearing, smelling, and speaking to the brain. Of all the books on TCM, his book deals most comprehensively with functions of the brain.
According to the theory of visceral manifestation, the physiological function and pathological changes of the brain are ascribed to the heart and correspond respectively with the five zang-viscera. For example, the heart stores the mind and dominates joy;the lung stores the soul and dominates grief; the spleen stores the intention (memory)and dominates pensiveness; the liver stores the etherial soul and dominates anger; the kidney stores the will and dominates fear. In particular, the brain is in closest relation with the heart, liver and kidney, since "the heart is a monarch" and houses the mind, and "the heart is the supreme monarch of all the organs;" the liver dominates the conducting and dispersing and regulates emotional activities; the kidney stores the essence and manufactures marrow to fill up the brain. Since the brain is closely related to the five zang-viscera, in clinical practice many syndromes attributed to the brain are included in the five zang-viscera syndrome differentiation and treatment.
