Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 6] The Beginning and the End of All Principles

 CALee Acupuncture 

Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 6]

The Beginning and the End of All Principles – Understanding Health Through Yin (陰) and Yang (陽)

Part 1: The Eight Principles — Your Inner Compass (Foundational Understanding)

Lesson 4: Yin and Yang, the Integrating Logic of All Diagnosis

Over the last three lessons, we explored six of the Eight Principles (八綱):
Exterior–Interior (表裏), Cold–Heat (寒熱), and Deficiency–Excess (虛實).
Classical texts describe these as the “Six Variables (六變)”—the core framework through which all disease patterns can be interpreted.

However, these six categories are ultimately unified by an even more fundamental concept:
Yin (陰) and Yang (陽).
The true purpose of the Eight Principles is to determine where the condition lies on the spectrum of Yin and Yang, the most comprehensive and overarching framework in Korean and Asian medical theory.

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1. Yin and Yang: The ‘Master Principle’ Behind the Eight Principles

The Eight Principles lead to a final integrative question:
Is the condition fundamentally Yin in nature, or Yang in nature?

Yin–Yang is the broadest category encompassing location, nature, and strength of disease.

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1.1 The Realm of Yang (陽): Activity, Exteriority, and Excess

Three diagnostic factors belong to Yang:

1. Exterior (表) — illness located on the outer layers of the body

2. Heat (熱) — a warm or hyperactive nature

3. Excess (實) — pathogenic Qi is strong or overabundant

Thus, Exterior patterns, Heat patterns, and Excess patterns are Yang conditions.

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1.2 The Realm of Yin (陰): Stillness, Interiority, and Deficiency

Three factors belong to Yin:

1. Interior (裏) — conditions affecting the internal organs or deeper layers

2. Cold (寒) — conditions characterized by coldness or reduced activity

3. Deficiency (虛) — insufficient Genuine Qi (正氣)

Thus, Interior patterns, Cold patterns, and Deficiency patterns are Yin conditions.

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Summary

The Eight Principles are ultimately a method for determining whether a disease condition is biased toward:

• Yin (裏 · 寒 · 虛)
  or

• Yang (表 · 熱 · 實).

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2. Yin–Yang Balance: The Foundation of Health

Yin–Yang theory goes beyond categorizing diseases.
It describes the core dynamic of life itself—the rhythm through which the body maintains health.

● Yin and Yang are mutually rooted

• Yin depends on Yang for movement and warmth.

• Yang depends on Yin for substance and foundation.

An imbalance in either direction results in illness.

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2.1 How Yin–Yang Imbalance Leads to Disease

Yin–Yang State	Resulting Condition
Yang Deficiency → Exterior Cold (陽虛則外寒)	The body surface becomes cold.
Yin Deficiency → Interior Heat (陰虛則內熱)	Heat develops inside the body.
Yang Excess → Exterior Heat (陽盛則外熱)	The exterior becomes hot or feverish.
Yin Excess → Interior Cold (陰盛則內寒)	The interior becomes cold or stagnant.

Classical medical texts highlight that when both Yin and Yang are weakened, the body loses its ability to regulate sweating, heat, or cold—often considered a severe sign.

Examples:

• Excess Yang → Heat with no sweating (表邪之實)

• Excess Yin → Profuse sweating with cold body (陽氣之虛)

These patterns illustrate how changes in Yin and Yang directly shape physiological responses.

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3. Clinical Wisdom: Regulating Yin and Yang (從陽引陰 · 從陰引陽)

When a condition is complex or difficult to treat, classical physicians utilized the principle of Yin–Yang mutual transformation.

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3.1 Guiding Yin Through Yang (從陽引陰)

Examples:

• Regulating Blood (陰) to influence Sweat (陽)

• Nourishing Essence (精, Yin) to support Qi (氣, Yang)

This approach uses Yang functions to strengthen the depth and substance of Yin.

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3.2 Guiding Yang Through Yin (從陰引陽)

Examples:

• “Returning Fire to its Source” (引火歸源): guiding excessive Fire (Yang) back to the Kidney (Yin)

• “Returning Qi to the Kidneys” (納氣歸腎): anchoring dispersed Qi into the Yin organs

This method uses Yin structures to stabilize and restore Yang.

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These principles embody the classical saying:
“To draw fire from water, and to draw water from fire.” (水中取火, 火中取水)
It reflects an approach that seeks not merely symptom relief, but restoration of fundamental Yin–Yang harmony.

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4. Preview of the Next Lesson: Practical Application of the Eight Principles

We have now explored all components of the Eight Principles individually.
In the next installment, we will integrate them into a single diagnostic process.

Korean Herbal Formulation Studies [Part 7]
How to Diagnose Your Body — Practical Sequence and Clinical Tips

We will learn why the sequence
Exterior–Interior → Cold–Heat → Deficiency–Excess
must be followed, and how this structure clarifies treatment direction through the lens of Yin and Yang.

 📌 [Previous Episode]: Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 5] Is Your Energy “Excessive” or “Insufficient”? — The Logic of Deficiency (虛) and Excess (實)

👉 Next Post: Korean Herbal Formulation [Part 7] How to Diagnose Your Body

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