Module Two
wood
“You are expanding and growing with every breath you take”
“The energy of the wood element is emergence and growth: it is movement surging to the surface, breaking through. It is to awaken or re awaken from a deep inward process and ascend with new purpose and potential. Wood is dynamic, visionary and pioneering, adaptive to the environment.
It is the raising of the SAP, the blossoming of the bulbs, everything coming to life. There is a moment in spring where things begin to happen as if orchestrated by a divine plan or strategy unbeknown to us. Uninhibited growth and renewal. A time of sunbeams casting warm light through the branches.
Spring is the season of Wood and wind is the climate, the energy can change in an instance and could be unpredictable. In our being we can experience a mixture of energy rising and an underlying feeling of uncertainty or tumultuous stirrings. Tempers can be explosive, emotions coming to a head or erupting unexpectedly.
Connect with Wood through your connection to the trees. Sit with one, hug one, breath in the aromas. Visit any trees or gatherings of trees as a pilgrimage. Seek out any trees of note where you live and give thanks to them; you'll be amazed at the insights you can receive just by being in their presence”
Emma Cannon - You Are The Medicine
Liver and Gallbladder – The General
Liver and Gallbladder – The General
The liver when it’s functioning well is patient and able to laugh at themselves, a freshness and vitality to them. Alive and willing to face the day ahead. There is a lightness to them. However, when the liver is out of balance it would turn to a blaming mentality, lash out and get bouts of anger seemingly coming from nowhere. There could be a lack of emotional expression resulting in huge anger, loud voice etc. Generally speaking, the liver has more of a male quality to it (men often suffer with more liver complaints than women).
The wood element has a reaching out and upwards energy (more Yang and expansive) and loves vegetables that grow in similar ways - raw, steamed and cooked, along with healthy fats to help support the nutrient dense plants and vegetables.
It loves movement - streching, yoga, walking etc to help keep the qi moving and help remove stagnation.
Season - Spring
Emotions:
Anger (Liver) and frustration
Positive traits: Patience and humor
Colour: Green
Controls: Earth element
Emotional Deficiency: Guilt and depression
Injurious Climate: Wind
Direction: Extending, Upwards
Characteristics: Growing, developing freely
Tissue: Tendons
Personality: Charismatic, hardworking, adventurous
Energy Flow: Outward
Time: 11 pm - 3 am
Taste: Sour (lubricates, contracts, activates blood, moves stagnation and relieves liver congestion)
Opens to: Eyes, tendons, and fingernails
Governs/ Controls: Muscles, tendons, connective tissue, and the nervous system
Houses: The soul (SHEN) and Wei Qi (the immune system - discussed in more depth in Module 5)
Cooking Style - Quick sauté, raw, sprouting, steaming, light cooking or stir fry, fermentation, cut back on baked sweet foods and over heating
Encourage - raw foods, pickled, vegetables and steaming
Reduce - heavy baked foods. Avoid hard to digest foods, dairy food
Stores Wei Qi and the soul
Rules smooth flowing Qi - it moves blood and Qi in all directions
SYMPTOMS
SYMPTOMS
· Painful irregular periods
· Weak eyesight, dry eyes and floaters
· Weak and brittle nails
· Stiffness in muscles, inflexibility
· Dizziness, vomiting, shouting, load voice, allergies, pain on right side under ribs
· Bitter taste in mouth, aversion to wind, difficulty making decisions, frustration, anger
· Nervous tension, craving sour foods, pickles, lemons
· Avoid too many nightshades
· Nausea and sickness in pregnancy, headaches and migraines and painful periods
INGREDIENTS THAT SUPPORT THE WOOD ELEMENT - LIVER AND GALLBLADDER
GRAINS -
Liver - amaranth,
Gall bladder - job’s tears, barley, rye
Rosebuds are good for liver and spleen as they gently moves qi and blood
NUTS AND SEEDS
Liver - flax, pistachio, pine kernel, sesame (white and black)
Gallbladder -
BEANS
Liver - lema, black soya bean
Gallbladder -
FISH
Liver - eel, lobster and cray fish, mackerel, muscle, oyster, squid, trout, tuna and white fish
Gallbladder - trout
MEAT
Liver - beef liver, lamb liver, pork, rabbit, venison, chicken, chicken liver, pigeon, quail
Gallbladder -
FOODS IN MORE DEPTH
BARLEY, WHEAT AND RYE - nourish the lobes of the liver and gallbladder
Grass fed beef and organ meat are great for the wood element
Beetroot helps the liver to detoxify, good with ginger to help activate the yang.
Leafy greens, all root veg, sweet potatoes, radish, limes, lemons, yoghurt - all good for Wood element