It is always tricky to use the Chinese organ ‘SPLEEN’ in the English language.
While in Western medicine, the spleen is directly linked to the immune system and the blood, in Chinese medicine, the spleen is said to control the digestive system directly and the blood production more as a result of it. It controls how efficiently nutrients are removed from food and drink in order to produce energy and blood.
So what are the characteristics and signs linked to the spleen one of the five Yin organs?
Its corresponding Yang organ, not surprisingly, is the stomach.
The main sense organ is the mouth and the preferred taste is ‘sweet’ – a person with a weak spleen (Chinese) will have a weakness for sweet food that will lessen once the spleen gets stronger with acupuncture and herbs.
The main negative emotion of a weak spleen is anxiety, pensiveness. Again, acupuncture and herbs do help to strengthen the spleen.