The Lung is one of the zang organs stipulated by Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...

. It is a functionally defined entity and not equivalent to the anatomical organ of the same name.

In the context of the zang-fu organs

The Lung is a zang organ meaning it is a yin

Yin

Yin may refer to:*Yin, the dark force opposing yang in traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine*Yin , a rare Chinese surname claimed to be descendents from the dynasty above....

organ. Situated in the thorax

Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...

, it communicates with the throat and opens into the nose

Nose

Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration in conjunction with the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes through the pharynx, shared with the...

. It occupies the uppermost position among the zang-fu organs, and is known as the “canopy” of the zang-fu organs. Its meridian

Meridian

-Earth science:* Meridian , imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon* Meridian , an imaginary arc on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole* Meridian arc...

 connects with the large intestine, with which it is internally-externally related. The Lung and its paired organ are associated with the element of metal and the emotion of grief

Grief

Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...

. The peak time for the Lungs is from 3-5am.

Lung functions

The Lung has five principle functions:

• governing qi and controlling respiration. They take in clear and expel turbid Natural Air Qi (Kong Qi)
• controlling disseminating and descending
• regulating the water passages
• controlling the skin and body hair
• opening into the nose
• housing the Po

Dominating qi and controlling respiration

Dominating qi has two aspects: dominating the qi of respiration and dominating the qi of the entire body. Dominating the qi of respiration means the lung is a respiratory organ through which the qi of the exterior and the qi from the interior are able to mingle. Via the lung, the body inhales clear qi from the natural environment and exhales waste qi from the interior of the body. Dominating qi of the entire body means that the function of the lung in respiration greatly influences the functional activities of the body, and is closely related to the formation of pectoral qi, which is formed from the combination of the essential qi of water and food, and the clear qi inhaled by the lung. When the lung’s function of dominating qi is normal, the passage of qi will be unobstructed and respiration will be normal and smooth. Deficiency of lung qi may lead to general fatigue, feeble speech, weak respiration, shortness of breath and excessive perspiration.

Dominating descending and regulating the water passages

As a general rule, the upper zang-fu organs have the function of descending, and the lower zang-fu organs the function of ascending. Since the lung is the uppermost zang organ, its qi descends to promote the circulation of qi and body fluid through the body and to conduct them downwards. Dysfunction of the lung in descending may lead to upward perversion of lung qi with symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath.

Regulating the water passages means to regulate the pathways for the circulation and excretion of water. Circulation of body fluids is a function of many organs working together as a team, including the lungs. The role of the lung in promoting and maintaining water metabolism depends on the descending function of lung qi. Under normal circumstances, the lungs are capable of sending fluids downwards to the kidneys, which pass the fluids to the bladder for excretion. Dysfunction may result in dysuria

Dysuria

In medicine, specifically urology, dysuria refers to painful urination.Difficult urination is also sometimes described as dysuria.It is one of a constellation of irritative bladder symptoms, which includes urinary frequency and haematuria....

, oliguria

Oliguria

Oliguria is the low output of urine, It is clinically classified as an output below 300-500ml/day. The decreased output of urine may be a sign of dehydration, renal failure, hypovolemic shock, HHNS Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, urinary...

, and oedema.