Formation of memory in Chinese Medicine (extract of a case study done in year 2)

Over view of forgetfulness and memory.

When investigating the idea of forgetfulness, we have to understand that forgetfulness is the result of a malfunctioning in the systems and processes that go into a functional memory. When we understand this, then we need to investigate the processes and organ symptoms that are responsible for good or correct memory. By doing this it will be easier to identify the origin of the disharmony.

The first step is to identify the possible fundamental substances that are required to produce memory. This is overlapped with the organs that are responsible for the production of these fundamental substances. Because one of the fundamental substances involved in memory is the Shen (mind (1)), we will also need to investigate the relationships between the Spirits (Hun, Po, Yi Zhi and Shen) involved with the correct functioning of memory.

The idea of memory in TCM involves the Heart, Brain, Spleen and Kidney (1,2), and linked to these are the Fundamental Substances and Spirits that each Zang Fu houses stores and produces.

The Heart: In TCM the Shen is housed in the Heart, where via the Blood, goes outward during the day and interacts with the world and at night, the Shen will rest in the Blood of the Heart (3). The Heart Blood is also important when it comes to nourishing the Marrow of the Brain (1). Maciocia talks about an overlap between the Brain and the Heart and how many ancient TCM practitioners (1) such as Sun Si Miao Zhao You Qin, Li Shi Zhen and Wang Qing Ren Believed that the “Brain is the palace of the original Shen” (pg. 231). I believe that it is this relationship between the Heart Blood and the Brain or Marrow that provides this overlap.

The Brain: The Brain is also called the Sea of Marrow. The Kidney Essence (Jing) is what gathers to fill the Brain, and as explained above, this is then nourished by the Heart Blood. Lyttleton and Maclean (2) describe the process of memory formation as being the processing of perceptions with the awareness of the Shen and the intellect (Yi), and the storing of these processed perceptions into the tangible material that is the Brain Marrow, which is made up of Jing. It is the interpretation of these ‘memories’ that the Shen and Zhi are responsible for.

The Spleen: The Spleen houses the intellect (Yi). Maciocia describes the Yi as being charged with the power of applied thinking, memorizing, studying, focusing and generating ideas. it is said (1) that when the Spleen is strong the capacity for thinking, memorizing and focusing will be good. The opposite goes for when the Spleen is weak. As the Spleen is a major organ in the production of Blood and Qi through its function of transformation and transportation, it will there for have an overlapping influence on the Heart Blood (explained above). Because the Shen is considered to be a form of Qi (the lightest or most intangible) it is directly impacted when the main producer of postnatal Qi is in disharmony. Giovani quotes the Spiritual Axis “…the mind derives from the refined essence of water and food” (1).

The Kidney: The Spiritual Axis (1) as noted by Giovani describes how the mind (Shen) is originally formed when the essences of the mother and father unite. He goes on to say that the mind draws its basis from the prenatal essence stored in the Kidney as well as the postnatal Qi from the Spleen and Stomach.

The Brain is filled by the Jing (marrow) produced by the Kidney, which means that ones memory is partially predetermined by the prenatal essence endowed by our parents.

Extracted from a case report done in 2015 by myself. All rights reserved

1. Maciocia G. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists & Herbalists. 2nd ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005.

2. W Maclean, J Lyttleton. Clinical Handbook of Internal Medicine, The Treatment of Disease With Traditional Chinese Medicine. Volume 1 Lung Kidney Liver Heart. Australia: Pangolin Press; 2007.

3. Hicks J, Hicks A, Mole P. Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Elsevier Limited; 2005.