Qi, Blood and Body Fluids in Chinese Medicine

Three substances, one traditional picture

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), health is described as the smooth making, moving and balance of a few "vital substances". Practitioner publications list qi, blood and body fluids, together with jing (essence). [1] These are traditional frameworks. The words "blood" and "fluids" overlap with everyday English, but the traditional meanings are broader, so read this page as a translation guide, not a physiology lesson.

Qi

Qi, often written "chi", is described as a vital force that warms the body and is drawn from air and food. It is said to travel along channels called meridians, and each organ system has its own characteristic qi, such as liver qi. When qi is depleted or blocked, organ function is said to suffer. [1] See What Is Qi? and Qi, Yin and Yang, Five Phases and Meridians.

Blood (xue)

Blood, called xue (said "shway"), is described as the foundation for forming bones, nerves, skin, muscles and organs, and as moistening tissues so they do not dry out. It is also said to contain shen, the spirit that steadies the mind. [1] Practitioner sources say blood and qi perform many of the same functions yet depend on each other. [1] Terms such as "blood deficiency" or "blood stasis" describe patterns in this framework; they are not blood-test results. See Common TCM Patterns.

Body fluids (jin ye)

Jin ye means the liquids that protect, nourish and lubricate the body, listed by practitioner sources as including sweat, tears, saliva, mucus and other secretions. The "jin" are described as lighter fluids that moisten skin and muscles, and the "ye" as denser fluids that nourish the internal organs, brain, bones and body openings. Body fluids and blood are said to share a source, and a loss of fluids may lead to qi deficiency, while a depletion of qi may disperse fluids. [1] Traditional "dryness" and "dampness" ideas build on this; see the six pernicious influences.

The relationships

Have researchers tested these ideas?

Largely no, because the concepts are not defined as measurable quantities. Some researchers in China have proposed bridges to biomedical language:

• A 2013 paper proposed that qi is "closely related to tissue fluid" and built a hemodynamic model of how blood and interstitial fluid exchange substances, suggesting that qi deficiency reflects an imbalance in that exchange. [2]
• A 2018 paper proposed thinking of qi as similar to interstitial fluid and meridians as interstitial spaces of low hydraulic resistance. [3]

These are proposed mechanisms from the TCM research community. They are interpretations, offered by authors working within the tradition, and do not show that qi is interstitial fluid or that treatment "moves" it. NCCIH notes that results for Chinese herbal products have been mixed and that many studies were of poor quality. [4] Label: traditional use only for the concepts; preclinical or insufficient evidence for the proposals.

Using this in daily life

These words appear in herbal labels and consultations. "Blood tonic" does not mean the product treats anemia, and "moistening" does not mean it treats dehydration. If you have symptoms such as fatigue, pale skin, heavy periods, dizziness or excessive thirst, ask a clinician for tests first; see Anemia and Iron Deficiency. Some Chinese herbal products have been found contaminated with drugs such as the blood thinner warfarin, so tell your doctor and pharmacist about everything you take. [4]