Chinese Five-Elements Chart And
How it Relates to our Health

A Chinese Five-Elements Chart outlines each of the five elements, and their corresponding organs and various functions of the body, the five main emotions, flavors, seasons, sounds and more. As one of the fundamental frameworks used in Chinese medicine, it is both a diagnostic tool, and a philosophical understanding of how the primary elements that make up our environment mirror our own inner workings, and the dynamic ongoing process of change that defines our life.

Having even a superficial understanding of the Chinese Five-Elements Chart can open up the ability to look at life, and our physiological functioning more holistically.

Our emotions can influence our physical organs, just as a deficiency or excess in one of the organs––or paired organ systems as defined in Chinese medicine––can likewise trigger unhealthy emotions. It is used as a tool in Chinese medicine to help determine a pattern of imbalance, and therefore choose the proper treatment plan.

I also use the Chinese Five-Elements Chart during my Holistic Energy Clearing and Healing Sessions, in which information that surfaces relating to potential physical or emotional blockages relate to one or more of the Chinese five-elements. These sessions, which I often refer to Intuitive Energy Clearing helps clients restore harmony, flow and improved sense of wellbeing.

Northern Idaho, Photo ©Tracy Matesz

The health of our physical body is contingent upon how we eat, think, feel, sleep, move, and our predominant emotions, lifestyle and environment. This can be explained through the dynamic ongoing changes as related to the Chinese Five-Elements, summarized in the charts, below.

More articles explaining Chinese Five-Elements, including seasonal eating can be found on my Vegan Great Life blog.

What all is found in a
Chinese Five-Elements Chart?

Many variations of a Chinese Five-Elements Chart can be found on the internet, some of which include many different qualities as they relate to each of the five elements. There are some differing interpretations, however, the basic information is the same.

The Chinese five-elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal, and are often depicted in a circle with lines or arrows connecting them in both directions. This is because each element is the 'Mother' of the one after it, meaning the strength of one element is in part contingent upon the strength of the one prior, such as seen in the relationship between the Mother and child. An imbalance can occur when there is an unruly child that can drain energy from the Mother, or an overbearing Grandparent can subdue the grand child.

As in all life, there is a particular hierarchy that flows when followed. A parent produced and is responsible for a child. If a child disrespects this hierarchy, and either acts out, or is put in the position of parent, imbalances occur. This is just an over simplified metaphor for how each of the Chinese five-elements affects each other.

The Chinese Five-Elements Chart

The following chart outlines the primary organs associated with each element, and their associated areas of influence, according to Chinese medicine. Without going into detail, this chart is just to help identify how the Chinese Five-Element Energy Clearing is organized. Note that the emotions associated with each element relate to the emotion that will throw the corresponding organs and systems out of balance.

The first 'field' cleared is a general clearing of all disturbing energies from others.

WATER ELEMENT

Kidneys & Urinary Bladder
Ears & hearing
Low-back, knees
Essence - whether we prematurely grey, or have degeneration of our teeth; premature ejaculation
Ancestral influences - kidneys associated with our constitutional Qi
Emotion of fear
Salty flavor
Winter season
Dark blue/black color
Good foods include: small, dark beans such as adzuki & black turtle beans, kidney beans, dark blue foods like black & blueberries, purple rice, miso & seaweed (salty foods)

WOOD ELEMENT

Liver & Gallbladder (Read more)
Vision, eyes
Nervous system
Red sides of tongue indicate excess heat
Joints, tendons
Smooth flow of energy & blood
Menstrual & hormonal balance
Emotion of anger, including frustration, resentment & unforgiveness
Sour flavor; greens
Spring season (See my Spring Diet articles for more)
Green color
Foods: Greens! More greens!! Citrus fruits

FIRE ELEMENT

Heart & Small Intestine + Heart Protector & Triple Burner (2 channels without an associated paired organ system)
Blood, and blood pathways
Separation of 'pure' from 'turbid' fluids in the Small Intestine
Redness outlining whites of eyes can indicate heart disease
Red tip of tongue indicates excess heat/fire
Houses our 'shen' or spirit
Insomnia
Passion, compassion ~ for self & others; self-trust, following our heart
Emotion - hysteria, overly excited
Bitter flavor
Summer season
Red color
Red berries, hawthorn & hibiscus teas, tomatoes, red foods & bitter greens (escarole, chicory)

Breakfast Porridge with Beans and Greens

QB Greens (Good for Liver / Gallbladder & the Heart) & Porridge of Whole Grains (Sweet natured foods for Earth element)

Porridge with strawberries ~ Earth + Fire elements

Carrot Salad - Orange root vegetables for Earth element

EARTH ELEMENT

Spleen, Stomach, Pancreas
Digestion, absorption ~ taking in the 'sweetness of life'
Flesh, musculature
Main body of the tongue ~ cracks, swelling, tongue body color and coating all indicate health of Earth element
Solar Plexus issues: personal identity, professional identity, feeling a sense of belonging within a geographical area and a family / tribe; sense of power
Mother issues, nurturance, self-care
Emotion of worry, rumination, over thinking
Sweet flavor
Late Summer season
Yellow, yellow-orange color
Sweet foods, including and especially whole grains, root veggies, winter squash, orange colored fruits & vegetables

METAL ELEMENT

Lungs & Large Intestine
Skin
Body hair
Respiration - ability to take in fresh oxygen, dispel CO2; ability to receive inspiration
Ability to 'let go' of wastes, including toxic thoughts, items, people & energies, and what no longer serves us
Father issues - self-respect, security, higher purpose
Emotion of grief, sadness
Pungent flavor
Fall season
White color
Onions, scallions, radishes, turnips, ginger, summer squash daikon radish

Steps / What to Expect During a Five-Element Energy Healing

Small beans, especially darker colored beans, like black beans nourish the Kidneys / water element

Vibrant colorful tomatoes, high in lycopene, especially nourish the heart and cardiovascular system

Whole grains, foundational foods for healthy digestion, even energy and moods, and vibrant health - Earth element

What May Be Cleared During a Chinese Five-Element Energy Healing Session

WHAT TYPES OF DISTURBING ENERGIES ARE CLEARED

Anger, impatience of someone in a store; impatient clerk
Negative encounters at work, with managers, co-workers
Discord with a spouse, family member
Negative thoughts and ill will or jealousy others have towards you (which may be somewhat unconscious to them)
Deliberate, gossipy behaviors and 'poison arrows' directed towards you
A fight that occurred in a room or area just prior to your being there, and/or former tenants of your home
Collective fears, including from news, media, television programming, movies, and lower vibrational music
Artificial intelligence and negative unseen energies

SAMPLE ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE DURING A SESSION

Old, unhealed traumas
Old emotional patterns
Stuck, negative mindsets
Feelings of not being happy with job
Lack of sense of purposefulness
Caretaking for others at cost of self-care
Old limiting beliefs
Grief around loss of spouse or loved one (sometimes a sense of profound love from the Spirit of that person will come through)
Clarity around obstacles holding back one's purpose and ability to communicate and share one's gifts
Negative or perceived negative energies / lack of support early in life from either or both parents; lack of being valued for who we are