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Chapter 63 of 81
黄帝内经·灵枢
The original transcription contains several obvious errors; the following is collated according to the standard edition of Ling Shu · Treatise on the Five Flavors, without noting each emendation individually.
Overall Paraphrase
Huangdi asked Shao Yu: After the five flavors enter the mouth, each has its own direction of movement in the body, and each also has diseases caused by excessive consumption. 🍋 Sour flavor moves toward the sinews; consuming too much causes difficulty in urination. 🧂 Salty flavor moves toward the blood; consuming too much causes thirst. 🌶 Pungent flavor moves toward the qi; consuming too much causes a feeling of hollowness in the chest. ☕ Bitter flavor moves toward the bones; consuming too much causes vomiting. 🍬 Sweet flavor moves toward the flesh; consuming too much causes mental restlessness. I know these phenomena but not the reasons behind them—I wish to hear the underlying principles.
Shao Yu replied: When sour flavor enters the stomach, its qi is astringent and contracting, moving upward to affect the Upper and Middle Burners, preventing qi from flowing in and out normally. Unable to exit outward, it remains in the stomach; when the stomach is warm, it descends into the bladder. The bladder wall is thin and weak—when it encounters sourness, it contracts and curls upon itself, constricting so that the passage is blocked, and the waterway cannot operate—hence urinary retention. The genitals are where all the sinews converge and terminate; therefore, sour enters and moves toward the sinews.
Huangdi asked: Salt moves toward the blood, and eating too much causes thirst—why is that? Shao Yu said: When salty flavor enters the stomach, its qi ascends to the Middle Burner, flows into the blood vessels, and upon combining with blood, causes the blood to become stagnant; stagnation then draws the gastric fluids into the blood, gradually exhausting the stomach fluids, and the throat passage becomes dry and parched—hence the tongue root is dry and thirst easily arises. The blood vessels are the pathways of the Middle Burner; therefore, salt enters and moves toward the blood.
Huangdi asked: Pungent flavor moves toward qi, and eating too much causes a hollow feeling in the chest—why is that? Shao Yu said: When pungent flavor enters the stomach, its qi ascends to the Upper Burner, which receives the qi of water and grain and circulates it to all the yang parts. The pungent and dispersing qi of things like ginger and scallions fumigate and disturb the nutritive and defensive qi (the nourishing and protective qi circulating within the body), which is then repeatedly unsettled and lingers below the heart—hence the hollow feeling in the chest. Pungent flavor travels together with qi; therefore, after pungent enters, it often exits with sweat.
Huangdi asked: Bitter flavor moves toward the bones, and eating too much causes vomiting—why is that? Shao Yu said: When bitter flavor enters the stomach, the qi of the five grains cannot overcome the bitter flavor. The bitter enters the lower gastric region, and the pathways of the Triple Burner (the transformation passages of the upper, middle, and lower burners) all become blocked and impassable—hence vomiting occurs. The teeth are the surplus of the bones and the end of the bones; bitter enters yet is expelled again through vomiting—from this we know it moves toward the bones.
Huangdi asked: Sweet flavor moves toward the flesh, and eating too much causes mental restlessness—why is that? Shao Yu said: When sweet flavor enters the stomach, its qi is weak and gentle, unable to ascend to the Upper Burner; it remains in the stomach together with grains, making one feel soft and relaxed. When the stomach is overly soft, it becomes lax and flaccid; when flaccid, the worms in the intestines stir; when the worms stir, it causes mental restlessness. Sweet qi communicates outwardly with the muscles; therefore, sweet moves toward the flesh.
The core teaching of this chapter concerns the influence of flavors in excess on the ascending, descending, entering, and exiting of qi movement, as well as the idea that "overuse causes disease." Each of the five flavors has a specific bias: sour astringes, salty congeals, pungent disperses, bitter descends and blocks, sweet relaxes and stagnates. They respectively move toward the sinews, blood, qi, bones, and flesh—moderate use nourishes, but excess disrupts the normal flow of qi, blood, and fluids in the corresponding parts. For example, excessive sourness blocks the water pathway; excessive salt consumption depletes body fluids; excessive pungency unsettles the heart-qi; excessive bitterness obstructs the Triple Burner; excessive sweetness causes gastric atony. This embodies the TCM dietary concept that "each flavor has its dominance; none should be consumed to excess."
The observations in this chapter on the phenomena resulting from excess flavors have some naive empirical basis: high-salt diets do indeed increase thirst, and are related to changes in blood volume and osmotic pressure; overly spicy and pungent foods can cause epigastric burning or a hollow, uncomfortable sensation; bitter stimulation can reflexively induce nausea; and excessive sweet or greasy foods may delay gastric emptying, leading to abdominal fullness and restlessness. These partially align with the ancient descriptions through experience.
However, explanations such as "sour moving to the sinews causing urinary retention," "bitter moving to the bones," and "sweet causing worms to stir" belong to the ancient method of intuitive extrapolation and theorizing based on zang-fu organs and meridian theory; in particular, "worms stirring" differs mechanistically from modern parasitology and should not be taken literally. These should be viewed as theoretical models within their historical context.
In daily diet, one should seek harmony of the five flavors, without partiality or excess: not too much sour, to avoid excessive astringency; not too much salt, to avoid congealing depletion and thirst; not too much pungency, to avoid dispersal of qi and chest emptiness; not too much bitterness, to avoid gastric blockage; and not too much sweetness, to avoid stomach laxity and restlessness. If persistent thirst, urinary abnormalities, vomiting, or epigastric restlessness already appear, one should not rely solely on adjusting flavors for self-treatment—timely medical consultation is needed to clarify the cause.
This content is based on classical TCM texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and research. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication recommendations, or treatment advice; if you feel unwell, please seek prompt medical attention.
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