The Spleen

What is the spleen and what does it do?

Many of you have wondered what is the Spleen?!  Or maybe not!  If you have heard anything about this organ it has probably been when surgery has been performed to remove it!  In Western Medicine the Spleen is one of the most ignored vital organs of the body yet it is one of the most important organs because it is a store house of essential materials useful to the immune system plus it has a profound effect upon overall blood quality.  It filters the blood by removing old or damaged blood cells and platelets. It also helps the immune system by destroying bacteria and other foreign substances. The spleen holds extra blood that can be released into the circulatory system if needed.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the spleen plays a central part in the health and vitality of the body, taking a lead role in the assimilation of nutrients and maintenance of physical strength. It turns digested food from the stomach into usable nutrients.  So, the basic idea is that all aspects of vitality and energy depend on the entire body receiving proper nutrition from the healthy functioning of this essential organ.  For this reason, fatigue (qi deficiency) and anemia (blood deficiency) are often attributed to a breakdown in the spleen’s ability to transform food into qi and blood.