Stomach function in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Stomach (Wei) is known as the 'Sea of Water and Grain,' serving as the primary organ for receiving and decomposing food through a process called 'rotting and ripening' (Maciocia, G. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 2015). It is characterized by its physiological tendency to descend Qi; failure of this downward movement leads to symptoms like nausea or belching (Zhu, B. & Wang, H. Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010). While the TCM Stomach shares a name with the anatomical organ, it represents a functional system rather than a single molecular entity. Consequently, it is not classified as a therapeutic target in modern pharmacology, which focuses on specific proteins like receptors or enzymes (NIH, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2023). Clinical manifestations of Stomach dysfunction in TCM include Stomach Qi deficiency and Stomach Fire, often treated with holistic herbal formulas rather than targeted molecular therapies (World Health Organization, International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine, 2007). Because this concept encompasses a broad range of physiological processes and subjective diagnostic criteria, it lacks the specificity required for modern drug-target interaction studies.

Other names

WeiStomach (Zang-Fu)Sea of Water and GrainStomach Qi