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《黄帝内经》说：“东方生风，风生木。……在天为风，在地为木，在体为筋，在藏为肝。”春天、东方、木、风、肝、筋，这一系列看似风马牛不相及的东西都有一个共同的属性，就是在五行上属木，它们同气相求。 Huangdi Neijing (The Inner Classic of Huangdi) says, “The east generates wind, and the wind then produces wood. ...... In the air it is wind, and in the earth it grows woods; in the body it refers to anadesma, and among the internal vital organs it refers to the liver.” The spring, the east, wind, liver and anadesma, all of these appear to be unrelated, but they all have a common feature, that is, all of them are subsumed to wood of genera from the perspective of Wuxing (the five elements referring to metal, wood, water, fire and earth), this is called like draws to like, which means the objects of the same function like to be together. 四季春为首。论及一年，必然从春天说起。春季多风，立春过后，风虽仍然很冷，但我们已经能从其中感觉到有些不一样了，其中少了寒气，多了一些泥土的芳香，这告诉我们，地下的阳气在往外透了，它和天际吹来的风一起，让我们感受到浩浩荡荡的春的气息。春，又是从风开始的。风为季节的开端，又是疾病的源头。“风为百病之长。”所以在讲药的时候，我们也从木部，这些治风的方药讲起。 In the four seasons in a year, the spring always comes the first. Whenever talking about a year, we always start from the season the spring. In the spring, it is always windy. After Lichun (the first solar term of the 24 solar terms in a year), cold as it is of the wind, we can feel the different in some way, because the cold draught is getting less and less, but the fragrance of the earth is getting more and more, which tells us Yang-qi (the healthy energy) is growing from under the earth, together with the wind from the horizon, it sends us the spring smell of great strength and vigor. The spring starts with the wind, and wind indicates the beginning of a season but also is the source of diseases. “Wind is the primary pathogen”, as such, when we talk about Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), we will have to start with the category of wood, the prescribed herbs which are used to cure the diseases caused by the wind. 五行中的木，有何特征呢？我们要联系到大自然中的木来体会和理解。 What is the feature of wood in Wuxing? Regarding this question, we have to experience and comprehend it from the wood growing in the nature. 木在天地之间，它沟通天地阴阳。水生木，木生火，木在水火之间，能沟通水火。木随着四季的交替而枯荣，它对天地之气、季节律动的反应非常敏感。自然界在有动物之前就有了草木，然后才有了动物、人类。哪里植被丰富，哪里的环境就会好一些，灰尘就会少，昼夜温差也不至于太大，所以木有很强的调节作用。 The wood is growing in between the sky and earth, from where it links up Yin-qi (the unhealthy energy) and Yang-qi (the healthy energy). Water produces wood and wood then produces fire. The wood lying in between wood and fire can links up wood and fire. The wood grows up and down following the changes of the four seasons, and it has a quite sensible response to Qi from the nature and earth and the dynamic changes of seasons. The wood and grass had already been there in the nature before the animals and human came into being. Where there is abundant vegetation, there will be a better environment and less dust, and smaller temperature difference round the clock as well, so the wood has a much stronger regulating function. 《尚书·洪范》讲：“木曰曲直。”木有活性、柔韧性，能曲能直。木旺于春，升发最速，在春天的升发之气下，生长得最快的就是草木。木喜风，草木见风而长，所以人们常说是春风吹生了万物，这种诗意的表达并非毫无依据。然而“木秀于林，风必摧之”，森林可以防风，但如果这片森林中哪棵树长得格外高，高出整个树林，就会被风吹坏，这又是风邪伤木。也提示人体肝气不能过旺，要以平为期。 The Book of History says “Wood is characterized by bending and straightening.” Wood, having the characteristics of flexibility and malleability, may be bended or straightened. In spring, wood becomes vigorous, and under the influence of the rising energy in spring, the grass and wood will grow most rapidly. Wood is easily subject to wind in that it grows rapidly in the wind. That is why it is often said that Spring Wind Blows the Growth of All Things on Earth. Such a poetic line does have its grounded support. “The strong wind always destroy the wood that stands high in the forest.” Such a saying tells us that the woods can guard against the wind, however, if any of the wood grows exceptionally high out of the woods, it will be definitely destroyed. This is called hurting of pathogenic wind, which gives us a reminder that the liver-qi (the energy in the liver) in the human body must not get too strong, but keep mild instead. 树木的生长离不开水，水属肾，故肝肾关系密切，中医里称“乙癸同源”。木有活性，所以肝阴要旺，肝阴源自肾阴，水生木。如果肝阴虚，就好比木头缺水就容易枯萎，木头一枯萎就失去了柔韧性，容易被风吹断，甚至容易着火。肝阴虚，人体也会失去柔韧性，筋骨、血管都会变脆，甚至出现各种火症。当然，如果水太多了，木头也会腐烂，肝也是如此，最怕湿热。 Trees cannot survive or grow without water. According to TCM theory, water is subsumed to kidney, and liver and kidney are closely related, which is called “Yi-Gui Homology” in TCM. Wood has the nature of liveness, so the liver-Yin must be strong enough, but liver-Yin originates from kidney-Yin because water produces wood. If the liver shows deficiency of Yin, it would be like wood getting withered easily for the shortage of water. Once wood is withered, it will lose its flexibility, and be blown off, or even catches fire easily. Therefore, if liver is in deficiency of Yin, the human body will lose its toughness, and all muscles, bones and blood vessels will become vulnerable, and even appear to get inflamed in various way. Well, no doubt, if there is too much water, wood will get rotten, so will be the liver. That is why liver is terribly unbearable to the hot and humid conditions. 木生在土上，能让土壤松软、有活性，又能保持水土，所谓“木克土”，其表现也是非常丰富的。再比如，风沙、雾霾也属土，如果树木多，空气就会净化，风沙就会平息。 总而言之，有木方有美丽明净的大自然，人体之自然也是如此。木部方药，对于治病养生也非常重要。 我们的木部方药，将围绕着肝木的这些属性逐步展开。 Out of earth grows wood, which, with liveness, is able to loosen the earth and conserve water and soil. “Wood restricts earth”, which in fact manifests a lot. Again, sand storm and haze are also subsumed to Earth. If land is covered with dense woods, the air will be purified and the sand wind will quiet down. All in all, where there is wood, there will be clear and beautiful environment, so will be the human body. Of great importance is the wood-caterigorized formulae for curing diseases and keeping human being in good health. Therefore, the wood-categorized formulae will be explained and analyzed with all these natures of wood encompassed. |
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