According to TCM, a person is healthy when there is specific yin-yang and qi balance of the Functional Entities. Following info credit to amcollege.edu.

The functional entities are:

1. The Five Fundamental Substances: Qi, Xue (Blood), Jinye (Body Fluids), Jing (Essence), and Shen (Spirit).
2. Zang-fu: A Wu Xing cycle of 5 zang organs, 6 fu organs, and their functions
3. Jing-luo: The channels or meridians through which qi flowsThe functional entities are responsible for performing the five cardinal functions that maintain health within the body. The cardinal functions are:
   1. Actuation-Locomotion of the Five Fundamental Substances.
   2. Warming-Regulation temperature
   3. Defense-Protection against foreign pathogens
   4. Containment-Prevention of excessive drainage of different jinye
   5. Transportation-Converting nutrition and breathing into qi, xue, and jinye

   If there is a qi imbalance within the any of the functional entities, illness may occur.

   Given the importance of qi in Oriental Medicine, it necessary to understand the TCM concept Zang-fu.

   What is Zang-fu?

   The Zang-fu is a collection organs that produce and regulate qi within the body. Unlike in western medicine, these organs should not be thought of as anatomical structures, but rather as interconnected functions that explain how qi is produced within the body. The functions performed by each organ are referred to as the organ’s qi (i.e. Heart qi). In total, there are 11 organs, five Zang and six fu.

   Zang organs: Zang (脏) refers to the five organs that are yin. Collectively, their primary purpose is to produce and store qi, xue (blood), Jinye (body fluids), Jing (essence), and shen (Spirit). They are the:

   1. Heart: Responsible for storing shen. Physically, it governs blood and the meridians. Emotionally, it controls joy.
   2. Spleen: The Spleen is one of the most dynamic organs. It is responsible for the transportation of essential qi and xue (blood) from nutrition and water, and actuating them to the other Zang It also helps to contain xue within the meridians. Physically, it governs the limbs. Emotionally, it controls pondering.
   3. Lung: The primary function of the lung is the actuation of pectoral qi, which is produced by breathing. Physically, it governs the skin and hair. Emotionally, it controls grief.
   4. Kidney: The kidney is a dynamic organ. It is responsible for the containment of shi, which guides conception, development, birth, and growth. Physically, it is responsible for producing marrow.
   5. Liver: The primary function of the liver is to ensure that qi can flow freely through the meridians. It also stores blood and maintains the tendons.

   fu organs: fu (腑) refers to six organs that are yang. Collectively, their primary function is to transmit and digest nutrients without storing them and to excrete waste. They are:

4. 3. 1. Stomach- The stomach is considered to be of primary importance in TCM. It is here that food and water are first digested and nutritional qi is extracted. After food is digested, it is sent to the small intestine, for further purification.
      2. Small Intestine- The small intestine connects with the stomach and its main function is to further purify the nutrition that was partially digested by the stomach from a turbid into a clear substance. After purification, it transports the clear substance throughout the body, while expelling the turbid.
      3. Large Intestine-It’s primary function is to receive waste material from the small intestine and to absorb any remaining good fluids while transforming the remaining waste into feces.
      4. Urinary Bladder- As the small intense purifies fluids, its sends turbid fluids to the urinary bladder, whose primary function is to store and discharge urine.
      5. Gall Bladder: The gall bladder is attached to the liver and its primary function is to transform any of the liver’s remaining qi into bile.
      6. Sanjiao: It should be noted that the Sanjiao does not have a Western anatomical equivalent. Roughly, it can be thought of as 3 placeholders/cavities or jiao for the organs within the body’s trunk. The 3 jiao are:
         1. Upper jiao: holds the heart and lung
         2. Middle jiao: holds the spleen and stomach,
         3. Lower jiao: holds the kidney and urinary bladder.Zang-fu as a Wu Xing Cycle:As mentioned earlier, each of the Zang-fu organs has a yin-yang pair and follows a Wu Xing cycle. Wu Xing, which translates into the Five Phases or Five Elements, is the notion that the change of the cosmos occurs in a cyclical pattern of five stages. This means that each Zang-fu pair corresponds to one of the Five Elements and that they interact in a cyclical function with each other.  The chart below helps demonstrate this relationship.As mentioned previously, the Five Fundamental Substances are what make and sustain life. Given that the Zang-fu organs help produce and maintain the substances, their importance in Traditional Chinese Medicine cannot be understated.What has yet to be discussed is how the fundamental substances travel from the organs to the rest of the body. In the future, we will discuss the concept of the Jing-luo (meridian channels) and how they impact health.

-------------------------------------------Other interesting relations with cosmos

有种说法，天空里的28星宿其实随时决定着我们人体五脏六腑的运动。
宇宙中的星宿就好像是给人类提供牛奶的奶牛，给予我们各种真气。

譬如东方七宿（簸、尾、心、房、氐、亢、角）在春天是旺相，而肝藏和东方七宿共同旺相，这是肝藏的大旺相。在这个过程中，东方七宿对肝藏的运动起决定性作用（肝在空间方位上收受东方木气）古人甚至发觉肝藏真气是绿色的，形态为青龙，这种绿色会随着时间和环境发生变化，有时深绿而近乎青色。有趣的是，这7个星宿也略有木气，好大喜奢却十分讲忠义。

譬如西方七宿（参、觜、毕、昴、胃、娄、奎）传达真气给肺藏，肺藏中的真气神形就是一只白虎的模样。

譬如北方七宿（壁、室、危、虚、女、牛、斗）传达真气给肾藏，肾藏中的真气会形成一个龟蛇的形象，很旺的时候也会体现为一只双头鹿。

譬如南方七宿（轸、翼、张、星、柳、鬼、井）传达真气给心藏，它们和地球上所有美丽生灵的心藏同步旺相，而心藏中的真气是心神，外形像一只朱雀。

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何謂 任督二脈 ? 氣功明師 涂金盛老師點傳有緣人!

人参、西洋参，党参、沙参…，功效不同！用对了，才能真正获益

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不过，人参有很多种，不同的人参具有不同的补益作用，适用的人群也不相同：

鲜参：未经炮制的人参。性味平和，补气不上火，更适合日常养生。

生晒参：也叫白参，由人参洗净切片、晒干而成。性平，有较强的补气作用。

红参：经人参蒸晒而成。性温，补气药效最强，一般作为药用。

2- 特殊的“参”——三七

三七虽然不含有“参”，但是和人参同属于五加科人参属植物，都含有人参皂苷类成分，不过药性和功效却大不相同。

《本草纲目拾遗》记载：“人参补气第一，三七补血第一。”是中医常用的预防心脑血管疾病的药物。

三七特有的三七总皂苷成分，能扩张血管、改善血液微循环；而含有的三七黄酮、三七素可以保护血管，预防血管破裂出血；再加上三七多糖、多种氨基酸、挥发油等成分，能 增强营养补充、改善自身体质。

所以像有血液循环障碍相关疾病的（如冠心病、脑卒中、高血压、高血脂、糖尿病并发症、脂肪肝等）患者，也可以在医生指导下服用三七。

三七最简单的吃法是打成粉冲泡，但是冲泡的时候要注意：

1- 三七粉冲泡的注意事项

吃少了没用，吃多了有害。建议每天吃6克三七粉，上午3克、下午3克，饭后冲泡饮用。如果超过这个量，有破血的危险。建议您咨询一下专业的医生后服用。

冲泡水温不能超过40度。因为高温会破坏三七中总皂苷的药用成分，使其药用价值降低。

睡前不能服用三七，不然会影响睡眠。