Basic guide of traditional Chinese medicine: main physiological functions of lung

(1) governing qi and breathing: the lung governs qi, that is, the lung has the function of governing human qi. It includes two aspects: Qi governing breathing and Qi governing the whole body.

1) main respiratory gas: refers to the place where the lungs exchange gas inside and outside the human body. The human body inhales the clear air of nature through the lungs, exhales the turbid air in the body, and constantly exchanges gas inside and outside the body. This not only maintains the communication between the human body and the external environment, but also ensures the normal metabolism inside the human body. When the lung function is normal, the airway is unobstructed and breathing is even. If the lung function is abnormal due to various reasons, chest tightness, cough, shortness of breath and dyspnea will occur.

2) Qi governing the whole body: refers to that the whole body qi belongs to the lung and is dominated by the lung. The lung governs the qi of the whole body, which is first reflected in the generation of ancestral qi. The clear qi inhaled by the lung and the essence of Shui Gu transported by the spleen and stomach combine to form ancestral qi, which accumulates in the chest, passes through the lung, enters and exits the throat to control breathing, runs in the heart pulse to promote qi and blood, and flows around the heart pulse, thus maintaining the functional activities of various organs; Secondly, the lung governs the qi of the whole body, which is also reflected in the fact that the respiratory movement of the lung regulates the up-and-down movement of the whole body qi. If the function of the lung governing the whole body's qi is normal, the viscera function is vigorous. If the function of lung governing qi is abnormal, it will inevitably lead to abnormal generation and operation of qi, which will lead to various diseases.

(2) Xuanjiang: Xuanjiang refers to the function of lung qi ascending to the periphery. Health refers to the function of lowering lung qi and keeping respiratory tract clean.

1) The function of lung in controlling dissemination is embodied in three aspects: ① Breathing out turbid qi in the body through the respiratory movement of lung; (2) Shui Gu Jingwei cloth spreads from the spleen to the whole body, reaching the fur; ③ Promote qi, regulate the opening and closing of acupoints, sweat, and maintain a relatively constant body temperature. Dysfunction of lung governing and expelling qi leads to stagnation of lung qi, dyspnea, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, stuffy nose and runny nose.

2) The function of lung governing health is also reflected in three aspects: ① Breathing the clear air of nature through the function of lung qi; ② The discharged clear gas, body fluid and Shui Gu from spleen to lung diverge downward; ③ Eliminate foreign bodies in the lungs and respiratory tract, and keep the respiratory tract clean and unobstructed. If the lungs are not healthy, you can see pathological manifestations such as cough, expectoration and poor breathing.

The expansion and decline of the lungs are contradictory movements, which are both opposite and complementary. Under normal circumstances, the lungs expand and descend rhythmically, maintaining uniform and coordinated breathing and unobstructed qi movement, realizing gas exchange inside and outside the body, and promoting the normal operation of qi, blood and body fluids throughout the body. If the lung function is abnormal, it will inevitably lead to "lung qi failing to be declared" or "lung qi failing to fall", and there will be pathological manifestations such as asthma, cough, expectoration, chest tightness, shortness of breath, stuffy nose and runny nose.

(3) Water channel: also known as main water. Pass and dredge; Adjust, adjust; Waterway is the passage for water and liquid to run and discharge. Lung water channel refers to the descending movement of the lung, which plays a role in dredging and regulating the distribution, operation and excretion of water and fluid in the body. The lung is easy to develop, which not only disperses body fluid and Shui Gu essence, but also excretes sweat by adjusting the opening and closing of sweat pores and regulates water-liquid metabolism; Lung qi drops. Water is continuously transported downward, and urine is generated by the gasification of kidney and bladder and excreted. Therefore, "the lung governs the circulation of water" and "the lung is the source of water". If the lung is out of balance, the fluid stops gathering and produces phlegm and even edema.

(4) Worship Mai and participate in festivals: DPRK, DPRK and gathering; Baimai refers to the blood of the whole body. The lung is in the pulse, which means that the whole body's blood is gathered on the lung through blood vessels, and the gas exchange inside and outside the body is carried out through the breathing of the lung, and then the blood rich in clear gas is transported to the whole body through blood vessels. Therefore, the lungs can help the heart to circulate blood. In pathological state, if lung qi is blocked, blood vessels are not running smoothly, or even blood vessels are stagnant, pathological manifestations such as palpitation, chest tightness and cyanosis of lips can be seen.

"Governance" means governance and supervision. Mainly reflected in four aspects: ① regulating respiratory function; (2) Managing and regulating the ascending and descending movements of the whole body qi; ③ Assisting the heart, promoting and regulating blood circulation; (4) Manage and regulate the distribution, operation and excretion of body fluids. It can be seen that the function of the main segment of the lung is actually a high generalization of the physiological function of the lung. If the lung's governance and regulation function is abnormal, it can be seen that breathing, water and liquid metabolism and qi and blood operation are abnormal, which will further affect the functions of the corresponding organs in the whole body.