CHINESE FIVE ELEMENTS
In Chinese Taoism thought, things in nature can be classified in five types: metal, wood, earth, water, fire. These five elementss are not just the materials that the names refer to, but rather metaphors and symbols for describing how things interact and relate to each other. The original Taoist reference was about the seasons (or the heavens), and they would then be more accurately described as the five phases. In Taoism, everything we know or think of as reality is a symbol, and a reflection of the heavens, so by understanding the macrocosmic relationship of things we can understand these same relationship on a smaller scale: in the body, in personal astrology, or in politics.
Taoism describes both a production (Sheng) cycle and a control (Ke) cycle acting upon the elements. In the Sheng cycle, wood produces fire; fire produces earth; earth produces metal; metal produces water; water produces wood. In the Ke cycle, wood controls earth; earth controls water; water controls fire; fire controls metal; metal controls wood. These interactions and relationships form a framework for different schools of philosophy. The interaction of five elements becomes a tool that helps taoist scholars sort out observations and empirical data. Based on observations of how things interact, things are classified into one of the five elements so that they fit into the observed pattern. Then one can draw high level conclusions or predictions based on the element types.
In Chinese medicine, each organ of the human body is associated with an element. The liver, tendon, eyes are of the wood element type; heart, blood vessels, tongue are fire element type; spleen, muscle, mouth are earth element type; lungs, skin, hair, nose are metal element type; kidney, bone, ears are water element type; etc. This classification is followed in diagnosing and adjusting the balance in the body. To further understand this, in Chinese medicine, the organs are not simply anatomical organs we understand in western medicine, but actually refer to phases, system, and energies in the bodies. These include the above mentioned body parts, as well emotions linked to each phase, a sound of voice, a smell, a direction, a food, a taste, etc.
While these five elements or phases are used by all branches of Chinese medicine, there is also a branch of Chinese medicine that calls itself The Five Element School. This branch tends to focus on the psycho-emotional component of health and it treats solely on a constitutional basis, and only uses acupuncture and moxa. The Five-Element School was founded by J.R. Worsley who founded the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture in England and in the US.
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)