Functions of the Lungs
The Lungs governs Qi and respiration.
Commentary: The Lungs governs Qi; this means that the Lungs is responsible for breathing and the production of True Qi. The Spleen produces Food Qi (Gu-Qi) from the food that we ingest. The Spleen sends the Food Qi to the Lungs. In the Lungs, the Gathering Qi (Zong-Qi) and the True Qi (Zhen-Qi) are produced using the oxygen of the air, which can be viewed as the Cosmic Energy. Pure energy is assimilated while breathing in, and impure energy is expelled while breathing out. The True Qi is divided into the Nutritive-Ying Qi and the Defense-Wei-Qi. The production of the Gathering Qi and True Qi in the Lungs is influenced by the Original-Yuan Qi of the Kidneys. Accordingly, Lungs, Kidneys and Spleen can be involved in weakness of the Gathering Qi and True Qi.