Organic actions of foods refer to specific internal organs on which the foods can act. There are ten internal organs for dietary treatment: lungs, large intestine, small intestine, gall bladder, bladder, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart and stomach. Each food acts on one or more internal organs the organic actions of that particular food.
Flavors and energies of foods are important factors in determining the organic actions of foods. For example, almond is neutral and sweet, so it only acts on the lungs; wheat bran is cool and sweet, so it only acts on the stomach; kelp is cold and salty, so it only acts on the stomach. But when a food has more than one energy or one flavor, it may act on two or more organs at the same time. For example, tea is cool (or slightly cold) and bittersweet; it acts upon three internal organs---the heart, lungs and stomach; barley is cool and sweet and salty; it acts on the spleen and stomach. But this is just a general principle, because many foods that have one energy and one flavor still act upon two or more internal organs simultaneously; and conversely, many foods that have two or more energies and flavors act only on one organ.
In Chinese belief, the eyes are associated with the liver; eye diseases may be traced to the liver. Ears are associated with the kidneys; deafness and hearing loss may be traced to the kidneys. The nose is associated with the lungs; disease of the nose may be traced to the lungs.
After the associations between internal organs and body surface are established, some foods may be found very effective when treating symptoms on the body surface. Gradually, these foods are used to establish the associations between foods and internal organs. Chicken liver, for example, is effective for blurred vision; since the eyes are associated with the liver, it follows that the relationship between chicken liver and our liver may be established. Another example, honey is effective for relief of constipation---a symptom related to the large intestine—so that the association between honey and the large intestine is established.
Also see what foods act on our organs?
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