TCM says the human body has five major systems, each represented by a natural element: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

This doesn’t mean you have literal wood and fire inside you. It means the relationships between these five systems work like the relationships between these five things.

Wood represents the liver. Trees like to grow freely. The liver also likes to be free and relaxed. Holding things in or staying angry is like locking a tree in a dark room. It will wither.

Fire represents the heart. Fire is like the sun. When your heart is warm, you feel joy. When it’s cold, you feel sad.

Earth represents the spleen. Earth is like soil. Soil turns rain into food. The spleen turns food into energy.

Metal represents the lungs. Metal is like a bell. Breathing is striking the bell. A clear, strong sound is best.

Water represents the kidneys. Water is like the source of a river. When the source dries up, the whole river runs dry.

The most important lesson of the Five Elements is this: none of these five are separate. Wood burns to make Fire. Fire makes ash, which becomes Earth. Earth contains Metal. Metal holds Water. One element affects another, one system affects another.

You don’t need to memorize which element matches which organ. You just need to know one thing: your body is a whole. No part gets sick alone. A headache might come from your feet. Stomach pain might come from your heart. That’s the TCM view of the body.