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Capítulo 63 de 81
黄帝内经·灵枢
The original transcription contains several obvious errors; the following is collated according to the standard edition of Lingshu·Treatise on the Five Flavors, without marking each character individually.
Overall Paraphrase
The Yellow Emperor asked Shaoyu: When the five flavors enter the mouth, each has its own direction of movement, and each also has diseases caused by excessive consumption. 🍋 Sour flavor moves toward the sinews; eating too much causes urinary obstruction; 🧂 Salty flavor moves toward the blood; eating too much makes one thirsty; 🌶 Pungent flavor moves toward the qi; eating too much causes a hollow, empty sensation in the heart; ☕ Bitter flavor moves toward the bones; eating too much causes vomiting; 🍬 Sweet flavor moves toward the flesh; eating too much causes vexation in the heart. I know the phenomena, but not the reasons behind them—I wish to hear the explanation.
Shaoyu replied: When sour flavor enters the stomach, its qi is astringent and contractive. It rises to affect the upper and middle burners, preventing the qi from moving in and out normally. Unable to exit, it remains in the stomach. When the stomach is warm and harmonious, it flows downward into the bladder. The bladder wall is thin and weak; when it encounters sourness, it contracts and curls up, becoming constricted and blocked, so the water passage cannot function—hence urinary retention. The genitals are where all the sinews converge and terminate; therefore, sour enters and moves toward the sinews.
The Yellow Emperor asked: Salt moves toward the blood, and eating too much makes one thirsty—why? Shaoyu said: When salty flavor enters the stomach, its qi rises through the middle burner, enters the blood vessels, and when combined with blood, causes the blood to coagulate and stagnate. When it stagnates, the stomach's fluids are infused into the blood, and the stomach fluids gradually dry up. The passage of the throat becomes parched and dry, so the root of the tongue becomes dry and one easily feels thirsty. The blood vessels are the passage of the middle burner; therefore, salt enters and moves toward the blood.
The Yellow Emperor asked: Pungent flavor moves toward the qi, and eating too much causes a hollow sensation in the heart—why? Shaoyu said: When pungent flavor enters the stomach, its qi rises to the upper burner. The upper burner receives the qi of water and grains and circulates it through the various yang. The pungent, dispersing qi of ginger and scallions fumigates upward, disturbing the nutritive and defensive qi (the nutrients and defenses operating within the body) from time to time. It lingers beneath the heart, hence the hollow sensation. Pungent flavor travels together with qi; therefore, after pungent enters, it often exits with sweat.
The Yellow Emperor asked: Bitter flavor moves toward the bones, and eating too much causes vomiting—why? Shaoyu said: When bitter flavor enters the stomach, the qi of the five grains cannot overcome the bitter flavor. The bitter enters the lower pylorus, and the passages of the triple burner (the transformation pathway of the upper, middle, and lower burners) all become obstructed and closed—hence vomiting. The teeth are the surplus of the bones and the termination of the bones; since the bitter enters and yet is expelled with the vomit, one can know that it moves toward the bones.
The Yellow Emperor asked: Sweet flavor moves toward the flesh, and eating too much causes vexation—why? Shaoyu said: When sweet flavor enters the stomach, its qi is weak and small, unable to reach the upper burner. It remains in the stomach together with the grains, softening it. When the stomach is overly softened, it becomes lax and relaxed; when relaxed, the intestinal worms stir; when the worms stir, it causes vexation in the heart. Sweet qi communicates externally with the flesh and muscles; therefore, sweet moves toward the flesh.
The core of this chapter addresses the influence of the five flavors in excess on the ascending and descending, entering and exiting movement of qi, as well as the concept that "overuse causes disease." Each of the five flavors has its own nature: sour is astringent and contracting, salty is coagulating and obstructing, pungent is ascending and dispersing, bitter is descending and closing, sweet is relaxing and stagnating. Each respectively moves toward the sinews, blood, qi, bones, and flesh. In moderation, they nourish; in excess, they disturb the movement of qi, blood, and fluids in their corresponding locations. For example, excessive sour contraction blocks the water passage; excessive salty coagulation damages fluids; excessive pungent dispersal disturbs the heart qi; excessive bitter descending obstructs the triple burner; excessive sweet relaxation makes the stomach lax. This reflects the traditional Chinese medical view that "each flavor has its bias; one must not indulge in any single one."
This chapter contains plain observations of certain phenomena caused by excessive flavors: high salt intake does increase thirst and is related to changes in blood volume and osmotic pressure; overly pungent and stimulating foods may cause a burning or hollow discomfort in the upper abdomen; bitter stimuli can reflexively induce nausea; overly sweet and greasy foods may delay gastric emptying and cause abdominal fullness and vexation. Some of these partially overlap with the descriptions in the ancient text.
However, statements like "sour moves toward the sinews and causes urinary retention," "bitter moves toward the bones," and "sweet causes the worms to stir" are explanations constructed through intuitive inference and the theories of zang-fu organs and meridians in ancient times. In particular, "the worms stir" differs from the mechanisms of modern parasitic diseases and should not be interpreted literally. These should be regarded as theoretical models under their historical context.
In daily diet, one should balance the five flavors and avoid overindulgence in any single one: avoid excess sour to prevent excessive astringency; avoid excess salty to prevent coagulation and thirst; avoid excess pungent to prevent qi dispersal and heart hollowness; avoid excess bitter to prevent obstruction of stomach qi; avoid excess sweet to prevent stomach laxity and vexation. If persistent thirst, urinary abnormalities, vomiting, or vexation beneath the heart occur, one should not rely solely on adjusting the five flavors but should seek medical attention promptly to identify the cause.
This content is based on classical TCM texts and is provided solely for cultural and traditional learning purposes. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice. If you experience discomfort, please seek medical attention promptly.