The Small Intestine

The small intestine is a central part of your digestive tract that is responsible for most of the absorption of nutrients from the food we eat. It is connected to the stomach and receives bile and pancreatic juice through the pancreatic duct. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the small intestine not only plays a role in our physical health, but also in our mental wellbeing. 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, an organ is either associated with Yin or Yang energy. To have balance, Yin organs function in tandem with Yang organs. In this instance, the small intestine is the Yang partner to the Yin heart. The heart and small intestine meridians overlap, with the heart meridian expressing upward movement, and the small intestine meridian expressing downward movement. 

The partnership between heart and small intestine means dysfunction in one will impact the other. This means that issues with the heart can manifest in digestive issues, and likewise impaired judgement or indecision can be the result of imbalance in the small intestine. 

The small intestine plays an important role in our emotions because it separates the pure from the impure. In digestion, this is the process separating and extracting nutrition from waste. On a mental level this is separating the “pure” thoughts from those thoughts that do not serve or fuel us. While it is the heart that houses and maintains our mental faculties, it cannot do so without support from the small intestine. 

Problems with any part of your digestive tract can greatly reduce your quality of life. Symptoms of imbalance in the small intestine include pain around the navel, watery diarrhea or loose stool, frequent clear urination, and loud gurgling sounds in the abdomen. There are several things you can do to optimize the health of your small intestine: 

• Avoid eating too many cold or raw foods 
• Avoid eating too quickly, especially when you are angry or rushed 
• Avoid eating foods that may be harder on your digestive system, like fried foods, gluten, or dairy  

Foods that support better digestion include rice, ginger, hawthorn berry tea, and orange or tangerine peel.