Introduction to the important functions of lungs in the human body

The lungs play a very important role in the human body's organs, and their main function is breathing. Because the lungs are the place for gas exchange, it is through the breathing function of the lungs that we can continuously inhale and expel foul air to maintain life activities.

1. Main Qi controls breathing

The lungs control qi, which was first seen in the "Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor". "Suwen. The Formation of the Five Internal Organs" says: "All kinds of qi belong to the lungs." The lung controls qi, including the qi of breathing and the qi of the whole body.

(1) The lungs control the flow of breath: The lungs control the flow of breath, which means that the lungs are the place for gas exchange. As stated in Suwen Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun, "The weather passes through the lungs." Through the respiratory function of the lungs, fresh air is continuously inhaled and turbid air is expelled, expelling the old and taking in the new, thus achieving gas exchange between the body and the external environment to maintain human life activities.

The lung's function of controlling breathing is actually the specific manifestation of the lung's function of spreading and descending in the gas exchange process: when the lung's qi spreads, turbid air can be exhaled; when the lung's qi descends, fresh air can be inhaled. When the lung qi's spreading and descending functions are coordinated and orderly, breathing will be even and unobstructed. Lung-Qi failure to spread or lung-Qi failure to descend will both result in abnormal breathing clinically, but the clinical manifestations are different. If it is caused by external infection, which triggers internal fluid and blocks the airway, causing the lung qi to fail to circulate, it often causes chest tightness, shortness of breath, or asthma. If it is caused by the ascending of liver fire, which consumes the lung yin and causes the lung to fail to descend, it often causes wheezing, coughing, and breath reversal.

(2) Controlling the Qi of the whole body: The lungs control the Qi of the whole body, which means that the lungs are responsible for the generation and circulation of the Qi of the whole body. Therefore, it is said in Suwen Liujie Zangxiang Lun that "the lungs are the root of qi."

2. Main water flow

The lungs are responsible for the circulation of water, which means that the lung's function of dispersing and descending qi promotes and regulates the distribution and excretion of water throughout the body. "Suwen·Discussion on the Meridians" calls it "regulating the water channels." The connotation of the lung's function of transporting water has two main aspects: First, through the function of the lung Qi, the spleen Qi is transferred to the lung's water and the lighter and clearer parts of the essence of water and grain, which are dispersed upward and outward to the orifices of the head and face, and to the skin, fur, and muscles of the whole body to moisten them; the water transported to the skin, fur, and muscles is transformed into sweat under the promotion of the Wei Qi, and is excreted from the body in a controlled manner under the regulation of the Wei Qi. Secondly, through the descending function of the lung qi, the spleen qi is transferred to the thicker parts of the water and essence of water and grain in the lung, and transported inward and downward to other internal organs to moisten them, and the turbid liquid (waste water) produced by the metabolism of the internal organs is transported downward to the kidney (or bladder), which becomes the source of urine production.

3. To treat all meridians and treat joints

The lungs are connected to all the meridians, which means that all the blood in the body flows through the lungs through all the meridians. Through the lungs' breathing, the clear and turbid air inside and outside the body are exchanged, and then the blood rich in clear air is transported to the whole body through all the meridians through the lungs' function of ascending and descending qi.

All the blood vessels in the body belong to the heart, and heart qi is the basic driving force of blood circulation. The circulation of blood depends on the promotion and regulation of lung qi, that is, lung qi has the function of helping the heart to circulate blood. The lungs regulate the body's qi through breathing movements, thereby promoting blood circulation. Therefore, "Suwen·On the Normal Person's Qi and Weather" says: "When a person exhales, the pulse moves again, and when he inhales, the pulse also moves again." "Nanjing·Yin Nan" says: "When a person exhales, the pulse moves three inches, and when he inhales, the pulse moves three inches." At the same time, the natural fresh air inhaled by the lungs combines with the grain qi transformed from the essence of water and grain transported by the spleen and stomach to generate Zong Qi, which has the function of "penetrating the heart meridian" to promote blood circulation. When the lung qi is abundant, the zong qi is vigorous, and the qi flow is smooth, the blood circulation will be normal. If the lung qi is weak or congested and cannot help the heart circulate blood, it can lead to poor circulation of heart blood and even blood stasis, resulting in symptoms such as palpitations, chest tightness, blue lips and purple tongue. Conversely, if the heart qi is weak or the heart yang is weak, poor circulation of heart blood can also affect the circulation of lung qi, resulting in symptoms such as coughing and asthma.