The Liver and Gallbladder are the husband and wife Zang Fu team of the Wood Element in the Five Phase System. The Liver is Yin (wife) and the Gallbladder is Yang (husband). In this section we will define these two systems by both the Western and Eastern (TCM) perspectives.
We will also consider the meaning and functions of the Wood Element and its place within the Five Phase System.
We will start with the Western point of view, move on to the Eastern (TCM) Zang Fu interpretation, then explore the Wood Element as it applies to the Five Element perspective and then follow this up with a short cheat sheet that will give you a summary of the Eastern and Western descriptions of each organs (Organs) functions, structures and substances most associated with the Liver and Gallbladder Systems. We end with a sampling of herbs that deal directly with conditions of disharmony related to these two systems.