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Lung Qi Deficiency has been specifically ascribed to unresolved grief¹.

Conditions variously ascribed to Lung Qi Deficiency are: asthma²

The lungs are a vital organ to the functioning of the human body. In Western medicine, the analysis of phlegm and blood serum is a good indication of lung health. Current studies by traditional Chinese medicine researches have not shown there to be a link between the results of these biomarkers and qi deficiency of the lungs, therefore leading to the assumption that the two are not associated with one another³. However despite this, it is widely believed that the two are related in some way and may be used interchangeably in a diagnostic sense in the future.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs are considered a delicate organ that is very susceptible to toxic substances that can cause an imbalance of qi. This could be through blood stasis and/or qi stagnation. It is also believed that spleen deficiency can play a role in lung deficiency. This is because the spleen is recognised as being the organ which produces phlegm, and the lungs are the organ in which phlegm is used/stored. If the spleen fails to produce adequate phlegm, or the transportation from one organ to another fails, then it is assumed that the lungs cannot benefit from the nutrients which are contained within phlegm. Therefore it is common for spleen and lung deficiencies to be associated together⁴. In Western terminologies, lung abnormalities that relate to this theory can be explained through the dysfunction of the fluid surrounding the lungs which contain white blood cells that are produced in the spleen. It is these cells that can help prevent against infection and contribute to the protection of the lungs from toxic substances by initiating an immune response.

Common herbal administrations for qi deficiency in the lungs have links to treating common ailments described in Western culture. Xing Ren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum), Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) and Ma Huang (Herba Ephedrae) have been shown to give relief for asthma. Chen Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae) has been shown to give relief for chesty coughs. Sang Bai Pi (Cortex Mori) has been shown to reduce the risk of oedema. Jie Geng (Radix Platycodi) has been shown to reduce excessive levels of phlegm⁵.

Lung cancer has one of the highest morbidity rates of any cancer in the world, and in China especially the incidence is increasing rapidly each year. In Western medicine, treatments options for the disease are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and molecular targeting treatments. However despite this, survival rates are still relatively low when compared to other cancers. Some Chinese medicine researchers believe that there is a link between the morbidity of lung cancer and qi deficiency in the lungs, and that a strengthened qi can protect against harmful substances, and will help kill and inhibit lung cancer cells. Studies have shown that lung-tonifying decoctions which are traditionally used do induce and activate cell apoptosis, inhibit cell proliferation and inhibit angiogenesis among other things, which is the same desired result for Western treatments. The advantage of using a lung-tonifying decoction is that it is a more natural remedy and has fewer side effects than radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Although this points towards an alternative treatment for lung cancer, there is however no standard classification for lung cancer in traditional Chinese medicine, so potentially, subjects would not be able to always receive an appropriate and effective treatment for their condition⁶.

Footnotes

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