Kidney | Five Element Acupressure

*Oat porridge with warm berries and activated walnuts*

“These days, people have changed their way of life. They drink wine as though it were water, indulge excessively in destructive activities, drain their jing – the body’s essence that is stored in the kidneys – and deplete their Qi. They do not know the secret of conserving their energy and vitality. Seeking emotional excitement and momentary pleasures, people disregard the natural rhythm and order of the universe. They fail to regulate their lifestyle and diet, and sleep improperly. So it is not surprising that they look old at fifty and die soon after.”

This is not a lament by a modern doctor or lifestyle coach but was written about 2,300 years ago in ancient China in the classic medical text Nei Jing Su Wen. That document is full of recommendations for living in harmony with the rhythms of nature. Not least of these concern appropriate diet and food choices.

In southern Australia we are currently deep in an Antarctic winter cold snap, a good time to look into the Nei Jing for foods that support the Water Element and its yin organ, the Kidney.

Winter is a time for resting and restoring. It is a good season to spend more time indoors cooking nourishing and warming foods. It is not a time for a raw food diet as this can lead to cold in the Stomach and Spleen. In this blog we will explore the flavour of the Water Element, its colour, and the kinds of foods that warm and nourish the body.

The Flavour of Water is Salty

The Nei Jing tells us that salty foods benefit the kidneys. These organs store the jing or essence which is the fuel for our life, so it is important to support them as much as we can. Moderate amounts of shellfish, soy sauce, tamari, miso and seaweed will provide this. However, the classic warns that “too much of the salty taste can weaken the bones and cause contracture and atrophy of the muscles, as well as stagnate the heart qi.” (Su wen 3)

Excess salt weakens the Water Element and the kidneys as well as the tissue of the grandson Element of Fire, namely the blood vessels, and coagulates the blood. This happens because the excess salt allows cold to invade the body, creating stagnation, deficiency in the organs and problems like infertility, chronic fatigue, cold extremities, loose stool, sexual dysfunction, pale complexion, stiffness, menstrual cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and bloating.

In the modern diet, an excess of salt is common because of the large amounts of sodium added to most processed foods. A craving for salt indicates an imbalance in the Kidney. If you consume too much salt in a meal, follow it with a sweet food or fruit herbal tea. This is an example of the flavour of the grandmother Element (Earth) controlling the flavour of the grandson Element (Water). See previous blog for more on this.

The Colour of Water is Blue/black

Another of the resonances of the Five Elements is that of colour. The colour of Water is blue or black. Choosing foods that are blue or black in colour is another way to nourish the Water Element through diet. This includes such foods as eggplant, olives, black beans, blackberries, blueberries, raisins and black plums. Adding even a small amount of this colour to a dish brings more balance to the colour palette on your plate.

Eat Warming Foods in Winter

Warming, sweet, hot and aromatic foods dispel cold. If a person is showing signs of cold invasion, as described above, foods that are designated as “hot” foods are called for. The hottest of these are the spices of chili, turmeric, cinnamon, curry, black pepper, ginger and garlic. Meats are also warming, especially lamb and beef.

The method of cooking also imparts warmth to food. The strongest of these are grilling, barbecuing, frying, cooking with alcohol and spices. Baking, roasting, sauteing, simmering and stewing are also warming.

Vegetarians and vegans may have some difficulty consuming enough warming foods, since meat is a primary source of yang and heating. Most vegetables and grains are cooling so it’s important to find those few that are warming. Here is a list of warming foods compiled from Zoey Xinyi Gong’s The Five Elements Cookbook:

Grains: Oats are slightly warming; quinoa and spelt are warming.

Beans: Kidney beans, tempeh (fermented soy curd) and miso.

Nuts: Chestnut, pumpkin seed, pine nut and walnut.

Vegetables: Mustard greens, chives, coriander, garlic, ginger, leek, onion, shallot, bell pepper and pumpkin.

Fruit: Blackberry, cherry, date, lychee, peach, quince, raspberry and umeboshi plum.

Dairy: Cow’s milk is slightly warming; goat’s milk, all butter and ghee are warming.

Fish: Anchovy, eel, mussel, perch, prawn and salmon.

Meat: Almost all meats are warming, especially lamb and beef.

Condiments: Molasses, rice syrup, brown sugar and vinegar.

Ageing and cold. As we age, our Kidney Qi declines, the more so if there is ill-health. This makes us more susceptible to cold invasion. Therefore, the consumption of warming foods, especially in the winter, is particularly important for the elderly.

Next week I will share my recipe for Five Flavour Soup which draws upon these principles to warm the body and nourish the kidneys. See you then.

It has seemed a colder winter than usual in the Adelaide Hills. So it was a surprise when I looked at past records for July and discovered that the mean temperature in this area has been a degree warmer than last year, and indeed warmer than most previous years. It must be that my years are catching up with me, since a person’s Kidney Qi declines with age, and that is a factor in one’s resilience to the cold. Indeed, when I rug up to out walking and see young people in shorts and tee shirts, I am reminded that cold is a relative condition.

One of the best acupoints for expelling cold invasion in the body is Governor Vessel 4, Ming Men, Gate of Life. I wrote about this point in The Way of the Five Elements and that article can be accessed here. It revitalises and reinvigorates by strengthening Kidney Qi. It can open the gate to reconnect with our real reservoir of energy, the Jing or Essence.

I’ve been using this point a lot in clinic over the course of the winter in combination with other points. In keeping with the theme for the year, I share here some of my point combinations with Governor Vessel 4.

The first is to combine with Conception Vessel 5, Shimen, Stone Gate. This is the front mu point of the Triple Heater (San Jiao), a place where Qi collects and stagnates if there is an acute imbalance in that channel/organ. One of the functions of Triple Heater is to regulate the heating system and the defensive Qi of the body. In this way it mirrors some of the features of Mingmen. This combination also illustrates a key principle of point combining in Five Element Acupressure, that of holding points that are in the same segment of the body, both front and back. In this case the focus is on the lower abdomen. Gentle pressure on the front pushes towards the back, and pressure in the back pushes towards the front, creating an effect on the fascia of the region, softening and loosening all of the fascial structures and facilitating the flow of Qi throughout the segment, not only in the points themselves.

The second combination is to hold GV 4 with Bladder 40 behind the knee, first on the left side, then on the right. The reasoning behind this combination is that the Divergent Channel of the Bladder meridian breaks off at Bladder 40 and moves up the back very close to the centre of the spine. Treating the Bladder also treats cold in the body. By holding this combination, you can facilitate the movement of Qi through both the Bladder meridian and Governor Vessel, strengthening resistance to the cold.

The third combination I learned very early on in my career and its sources have been lost to memory. With one hand you hold GV 4, while with the other you hold, in sequence, Bladder 62 on the left ankle, Kidney 6 on the left ankle, Kidney 6 on the right ankle, and finally Bladder 62 on the right ankle. Usually, when this final point combination is completed, it feels like a circuit has been connected and there is a rise in the perceptible level of Qi. Bladder 62 and Kidney 6 are important points on channels that treat cold. Furthermore, they are the master points of the Qiao Vessels which support movement, grounding and balance. Here is another article referencing these points.

These three combinations provide a nice off-the-shelf protocol for supporting a person (like me) who is feeling the winter cold more keenly.

Location of Governor Vessel 4